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Page 8
Do you remember where you were when... Long after graduation, Alumni associate their University experience with the friends they made, the teachers who taught them, and the social activities that kept them busy outside of classes. More often than not, these memories are also tied to a particular building or two on campus. The oldest extant building that most Alumni will remember is the A. C. Ferguson Social Sciences Building (originally named The Education Building, completed in 1926), which still serves as the location of commencement exercises. Before 1948, the lower floor housed a small gym and classrooms for the Training School students. Presidents Sam Whitley, A. C. Ferguson and James G. Gee had their offices on the second floor until the construction of the Frank Young Education Building across from the field houses. Erected in 1951 to house the office of the president, registrar, business manager and other administrators, this building appears from the outside to be a two-story structure. However, the inside is split into four levels, including two smaller levels on the east side–one of which is positioned between the two main floors and the other below the first floor. The first building on campus to cost a million dollars was the James G. Gee Library (completed in 1959), which even today is the most expensive structure on campus. The value rests not only in the steel, concrete and brick but also in the large collection of books, magazines, newspapers, and microforms. Another impressive structure is the Field House, completed in 1951 at a cost of over $300,000. Many students think that this was a WWII Army Air Force airplane hangar moved to the campus after the end of the war. This is not true; the Field House was built from the ground up with new materials. However, no one will deny that it does look like an airplane hangar. That is because Dr. Gee, president at the time, asked that the architect model the design after a hangar. The highest point in the Field House is 58 feet. The length of the court is 97 yards and the width 78 yards, giving it one of the largest playing indoor surfaces in the Southwest. Until the late 1970s, students registered for classes in the Field House, and occasionally the administration held graduation there. The fourth oldest building on campus is Whitley Gym, erected in 1935 after a fire destroyed the old gym. The old outdoor swimming pool, which was located next to the gym, had an underwater viewing port that allowed coaches and photographers to observe the swimmers from below the water surface for taking pictures and watching swimming techniques. Like the swimming pool observation portal, other structures were also located below ground. Helen Douglass, who attended the Training School and later earned her bachelor’s degree from what was then East Texas State Teachers College, recalls that in the early 1920s, she and other kids were warned to stay away from certain parts of the campus because of collapsing water cisterns. University founder William L. Mayo had built eight underground cisterns to collect rainwater from the roofs of the buildings to supply the water needs of the campus. This was before Commerce had installed a municipal water system and everyone had to get water from cisterns or wells. Sharing golden memories
Members of the 50-Year Club recently gathered on campus and reminisced about their days at Old ET. This year’s honorees were graduates from the class of 1954. The entire day was spent sharing memories, pouring through old annuals, and seeing all the changes on campus. Some recalled meeting their husbands or wives, while others spoke of the ROTC Training or jobs that helped them pay their way through school. The Class of ‘54 participated in Western Week, went to Chigs Hamburger Emporium on dates, and created elaborate Homecoming floats for the parade. They held talent shows and beauty pageants, and were members of a variety of organizations from the Tejas Social Club to the Rodeo Club. Reunion chair Richard “Muscles” Pruitt pointed out how many inductees hold a master’s degree or higher. Nearly half of this year’s 16 inductees hold a doctorate, and several are retired college professors. Photos from the 1954 Locust
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