The Victoria College, 1925-2000: A Tradition of Excellence

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44 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000
CHAPTER 3 ADIOS, PATTI WELDER Immediately following World War II, the board and administration dealt with a variety of issues and made decisions that had a long-term impact on education in the community. Before the decade ended, Victoria Junior College was disassociated with the Victoria Independent School District and Victoria College was a reality. At its regular meeting on August 14, 1946, the board made a major decision on how the faculty were to be paid, adopting for the first time a single salary schedule. The base pay for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree was set at $1,800 a year. An instructor holding a master’s degree received a base salary of $2,800 a year. There was no mention of a salary schedule for a doctor’s degree. Increments of $25 a year were given for three years’ teaching experience outside the district and ten years’ within the district. The board reserved the right to make an exception to the proposed scale in order that it might employ a “capable teacher” who would not otherwise accept a position in the district. 1 Winds of change, brought about by an all-time high enrollment, blew across the school complex on North Street. A notable factor in the rise of the school population was 165 veterans in vocational training. The combined population of the junior high, the high school, and the junior college was over 1,200 and placed an enormous strain on the school facilities. Furthermore, the age span from junior high through junior college posed an additional dilemma for the community and school officials who considered the freer lifestyle of the college students a corrupting influence on the secondary and middle school students. 2 Recognizing there was an acute shortage of classroom space, the board authorized President J. H. Bankston to approach the federal government on the acquisition of Aloe Field for “the pursuit of training or education under Title II of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944.” Although the deliberations did not produce an agreement on the abandoned airfield, the negotiations were fruitful. The Federal Works Administration assented to provide the school system a grant to construct a “one-story frame structure containing 5,200 square feet of floor space” and to purchase “the necessary furniture and equipment such as saws, lathes, etc.” William Offer, president of the school board, gleefully assessed the award with the community by remarking, “All we have to do is furnish the site and connect up the utilities.” The structure was built in the rear of Smith-Fischer Hall. 3 Meanwhile, with the end of World War II, extracurricular activities were rejuvenated. During the conflict, the publication of the school newspaper had been suspended because of a shortage of materials. In October, 1946, journalism students from Patti Welder High School and the college revived the practice by producing a weekly publication, The Victorian. Thirty-eight high school and college students comprised the staff. Johnny Goldsum was named the junior college editor. 4 Football as an intercollegiate sport was also resurrected at the college. The last season for the college to play football was 1936. In February, 1947, the board unanimously decided to field a team to compete in the South Texas Junior College Conference. The new league was to be comprised of junior colleges located at Corpus Christi, Laredo, Brownsville, Edinburg, and Seguin. Players were not to be given scholarships, a policy that was welcomed by some of the local fans. Chester Evans, Advocate sports writer and an alumnus of the college, wrote that “Victorians have found out in past years that the game won’t be a success here if you do have to import players by paying their room and board, etc., as the larger colleges now do.” Another concern of Evans for a successful program was scheduling. He expressed the opinion, “The teams must be as evenly matched as possible or the project will not succeed.” Hester “Stump” Evans, Chester’s brother and an assistant coach at Patti Welder, was employed as the college’s head coach. 5 Under the sponsorship of Lois Parker, college librarian, the Zeta Gamma Chapter in early 1947 was awarded a charter from the national junior college honor society Phi Theta Kappa. The initials of the society came from the Greek words phronomon (wisdom), thuemos (aspiration), and katharotes (purity). ✯ T. A. Roach has the distinction of being the last president of Victoria Junior College. He served in that capacity from 1947 to 1949. Adios, Patti Welder ✦ 45
Page 1 and 2: THE VICTORIA COLLEGE 1925-2000 A Tr
Page 3 and 4: THE VICTORIA COLLEGE 1925-2000 A Tr
Page 5 and 6: CONTENTS 4 PREFACE 5 FOREWORD 6 CHA
Page 7 and 8: FOREWORD From its inception in 1925
Page 9 and 10: CHAPTER 1 GENESIS The junior colleg
Page 11 and 12: five departments, three of which ha
Page 13 and 14: everyone who wanted to attend, nume
Page 15 and 16: to have reached “the age of respo
Page 17 and 18: a vocal duet by Odessa Robins and S
Page 19 and 20: traveled with the team on a special
Page 21 and 22: Because of the hard economic times,
Page 23 and 24: Basketball Tournament. The games we
Page 25 and 26: the board. The committee was given
Page 27 and 28: 46 Advocate, 8 September 1931, 8 No
Page 29 and 30: CHAPTER 2 DEPRESSION AND WAR Within
Page 31 and 32: deaths or severe complications were
Page 33 and 34: scheduling games with teams of comp
Page 35 and 36: Pirates’ second contest, they far
Page 37 and 38: eaks at the college, Schneider, Ley
Page 39 and 40: students, “a hundred percent incr
Page 41 and 42: the first peacetime compulsory mili
Page 43 and 44: personnel and the potentially high
Page 45: 49 Frank Diebel, telephone intervie
Page 49 and 50: Victoria Junior College students he
Page 51 and 52: the opponents of the ban withdrew t
Page 53 and 54: committee, Dr. Roy Lander, reported
Page 55 and 56: Individuals and civic organizations
Page 57 and 58: oath of office to the recently elec
Page 59 and 60: to be a resident of Victoria County
Page 61 and 62: administration building that was to
Page 63 and 64: immediately noticeable. He was ster
Page 65 and 66: Also of utmost importance to the bo
Page 67 and 68: efore Victoria remains unclear. A s
Page 69 and 70: 47 Ibid., 7 April 1948. 48 Ibid., 3
Page 71 and 72: CHAPTER 4 THE DYNAMIC DUO Victoria
Page 73 and 74: weeks would pass before the Industr
Page 75 and 76: not fitted with face guards and the
Page 77 and 78: praised communities for creating ju
Page 79 and 80: to the student body prior to the
Page 81 and 82: sufficiently prepared its transfer
Page 83 and 84: estimated that the college could op
Page 85 and 86: state money. The passage of the mea
Page 87 and 88: Houston Highway, and “the hang ou
Page 89 and 90: “qualified for membership in Phi
Page 91 and 92: As the trustees wrestled with the i
Page 93 and 94: for social affairs. These steps wer
Page 95 and 96: about the tax rate increase. This s
Page 97 and 98:
to accommodate some 92 schools from
Page 99 and 100:
The featured speaker at the ceremon
Page 101 and 102:
games with freshmen of “B” team
Page 103 and 104:
with brick with “15-inch-high alu
Page 105 and 106:
49 Registrar’s Records, Victoria
Page 107 and 108:
✯ A mid-1950s Victoria College Wo
Page 109 and 110:
CHAPTER 5 TURMOIL AND CONSISTENCY D
Page 111 and 112:
up to a maximum of 12 years were pe
Page 113 and 114:
was broken out. The mafiosos left w
Page 115 and 116:
to the max to produce the most fini
Page 117 and 118:
Junior College Press Association co
Page 119 and 120:
In the spring of 1966, journalism s
Page 121 and 122:
College, reflecting the politically
Page 123 and 124:
✯ Left: Dr. Wayne McAlister expla
Page 125 and 126:
his overall trust in faculty decisi
Page 127 and 128:
students except for long hair. The
Page 129 and 130:
manuscript; Kay Burns, poetry inter
Page 131 and 132:
full-time students expanded to 2,27
Page 133 and 134:
societies within the 15 counties th
Page 135 and 136:
any additional buildings constructe
Page 137 and 138:
The group offered a program in whic
Page 139 and 140:
Walter Cronkite, anchor of the netw
Page 141 and 142:
When the faculty convened on Octobe
Page 143 and 144:
Hummel, Ruth Williams, and Don Cole
Page 145 and 146:
49 The Jolly Roger, 19 December 196
Page 147 and 148:
CHAPTER 6 BINGDOM When Dr. Roland E
Page 149 and 150:
maintenance brought about by soarin
Page 151 and 152:
were generated and aired Saturday e
Page 153 and 154:
to honor the distinguished gentlema
Page 155 and 156:
tenant governor of Circle K Divisio
Page 157 and 158:
which endangered the work crews ass
Page 159 and 160:
tion conforming to a state plan for
Page 161 and 162:
ated” in community colleges, Bing
Page 163 and 164:
ed for prizes in backgammon, video
Page 165 and 166:
getting paid too much to provide th
Page 167 and 168:
when he said, “I don’t see how
Page 169 and 170:
wing that was designed for associat
Page 171 and 172:
lady, and the first woman in the co
Page 173 and 174:
nities “of trained medical person
Page 175 and 176:
We have had trouble trying to get s
Page 177 and 178:
iology department chairman, was nam
Page 179 and 180:
49 The Jolly Roger, 3 March 1982. 5
Page 181 and 182:
CHAPTER 7 A NEW CHIEF, A NEW ERA So
Page 183 and 184:
also formed to provide directional
Page 185 and 186:
“falling apart,” and “it’s
Page 187 and 188:
EMT licensing test. Mark Reger, dir
Page 189 and 190:
When the faculty members convened i
Page 191 and 192:
trip with the college choir. The gr
Page 193 and 194:
and 55 against the motion. When the
Page 195 and 196:
preserve the extensive woodwork and
Page 197 and 198:
✯ Left: Dr. Steve Thomas awards a
Page 199 and 200:
Building the M. G. and Lillie A. Jo
Page 201 and 202:
University of Houston-Victoria’s
Page 203 and 204:
State Testing Committee for the Tex
Page 205 and 206:
the state’s mandated minimum. The
Page 207 and 208:
The course of study was designed to
Page 209 and 210:
campus by students; and students of
Page 211 and 212:
47 VC Today! (Fall 1995), 1; Measur
Page 213 and 214:
CHAPTER 8 HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT THE
Page 215 and 216:
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ …Louise Hume
Page 217 and 218:
Moore was standing outside the room
Page 219 and 220:
no making extras!” The Student Un
Page 221 and 222:
great time interacting with other m
Page 223 and 224:
thought it was exciting.” Wheneve
Page 225 and 226:
conditions did not interrupt the pi
Page 227 and 228:
was light and airy, thanks to tall
Page 229 and 230:
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ …Donnell Cole
Page 231 and 232:
Junior College, collected coins fro
Page 233 and 234:
APPENDIX The Victoria College Alma
Page 235 and 236:
✯ Top: Jose Rodriguez attended Vi
Page 237 and 238:
VICTORIA JUNIOR COLLEGE ADMINISTRAT
Page 239 and 240:
✯ Top: Dian Denker, 1999-2000 Stu
Page 241 and 242:
Hall, Broyles, 65, 75 Hall, Mary, 2
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