The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 52, July 1948 - April, 1949 Page: 238

                                
Southwestern Historical Quarterly

Times Herald, Dallas, comes the following description of the
book auction at the last Annual Meeting:
The annual book auction at the spring meeting of the Texas State
Historical Association was its own riotous self this year. The Associa-
tion's take was probably less than last year, largely because the hotel
employees began to denude the room before the auction was half
over. Sheriff Isbell and a half dozen deputies stromped up and down
a rectangular trap on the south side of the Mural Room in the
Stephen F. Austin Hotel. All save one of the deputies were equipped
with fine hawg-calling voices and the exception had an honest face
and the appearance of great sincerity.
To the sheriff's left, on a long platform, sat a row of serious young
people with pronounced statistical frowns. Next came bookseller
Gene Wagner of Dallas and then Evetts Haley of Canyon. Between
the purposeful mien of the accountants and the languid loll of the
ranchero, Gene achieved an air of effortless pontificacy. And Evetts
was just the same ole Evetts.
Earl Vandale sat in the back. He had just listened to an expert
appraisal of the books he sold to the university and perhaps his
doleful look was the result of further realization that he had sold
his collection for about half of its actual value. Earl has his weak
moments, however, and probably knew what he was doing.
Dan Ferguson of Dallas, who read a fine paper at the meeting,
sat in the front row. He bid a dollar on the first book. It was a
beautiful book worth about $1.oo donated to the auction by Elizabeth
Ann McMurray. Someone halfway back, who we are sure was not
one of Elizabeth Ann's stooges, immediately raised it to $25, we
raised it another dollar-going-going-gone, took the book and
changed seats.
There were no other high crimes committed, of record.
The following graduate degrees were conferred by the Uni-
versity of Texas at the spring commencement on May 31:
MASTER OF ARTS
James Manly Daniel-History and Spanish.
Thesis: La Junta de los Rios and the Despoblado, 168o-i76o.
Walter Reece Gore-History and Education.
Thesis: The Life of Henry Lawrence Kinney.
Carolyn Frances Hyman-History and Government.
Thesis: A History of the Texas National Forests.
William Wilson White-History, Economics, and Government.
Thesis: Migration into West Texas, 1845-186o.

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