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

“qualified for membership in Phi Theta Kappa
and was invited to join. She accepted the invitation
and was welcomed by the students.” What
happened next was a heart warming experience
for Rowland. She stated:
It was customary to plan an initiation banquet
which was usually held at the hotel or one
of the restaurants in Victoria. The students made
plans and asked me to make reservations for the
dining room. There followed three phone calls
and three polite but forth-right explanations:
management had no objections but other guests
would not understand. The cafeteria in the Town
and Country Shopping Center was relatively
new and had a nicely furnished small banquet
room. I called the manager. Without hesitation
he agreed to schedule our group.
The banquet room at the rear of the building
was entered by the front door of the cafeteria.
After that. . .a long walk through the dining area.
As I stood at the door of the banquet room greeting
students and guests, Nedra entered the front
door alone. With all the dignity, poise and grace
of a queen she walked through the dining room
filled with white diners, smiling as she joined
her friends who greeted her warmly. It was a
lovely evening.! 60
Integration had no appreciable affect upon
enrollment. The day school showed an increase
of sixty-six students from the previous year. The
evening school enrollment, which consisted of
some 150 airmen, decreased by eighty-three,
but there is no evidence that the drop was due
to integration. The increased day figure caused
Moore to reevaluate the college’s capacity to
accommodate the rising number of students. He
estimated that by 1956 the day enrollment
would be greater than 500. Moore was on target.
In 1956, the number was 544. 61
The president presented the board with two
choices to resolve the perceived enrollment problem.
One was to limit the college only to residents
of Victoria County. The other alternative
was to hold a bond election to construct new
facilities. Moore further suggested that enrollment
could be reduced “by increasing tuition,
discontinuing bus service and eliminating intercollegiate
football.” These options were unacceptable
to the board. The governing body stated that
the college was “good advertisement for the
community and attracts customers for local merchants
by drawing students from nearby counties”
and, therefore, “limited registration would
hurt Victoria.” The board did agree with Moore
“that the present facilities are nearing capacity.” 62
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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
The Dynamic Duo ✦ 87