The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 42, No. 7, Ed. 1, Saturday, October 30, 1954 Page: 13 of 16

                                
OCTOBER W. 1954
THE OPTIMIST
PAGE 13
FOR 42 YEARS
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School's Future Grows
Black During Depression
By RUTHIE HENRY
In October of 1933 the future of
Abilene Christian College was in-
deed bluck. The school year of
'34-'35 would never have come
had not the John Hardlns saved
the school with a bond loan.
Hardin came to Abilene on the
22nd day of February in 1934 and
delivered to ACC $160000 worth
of bonds because of which the
"bean bell" was rung all night.
Everyone has seen the old bell
setting in a place of honor in the
ACC library. There is a story be-
hind it.
The old bell had originally been
a fire bell but ACC became the
owner when it was retired. It was
first used to ring the time for
class changes. But as the fire do
partment brought in a modern
bell system so did ACC and
once again it began a new career.
This time with its vibrant and
husky voice it was ideal for call-
ing students to meals in the bean-
cry. '54 Boanery Rule Not Now
But the all night ringing on
Feb. 22 1034 was too much for
the tired old bell as it cracked!
Life on the ACC campus in '34-
'35 was indeed different than life
today. No student was allowed to
have a car unless he had written
Girls Outnumber
At ACC
By FAYE LEDBETTER
and ELIZABETH ROSS
Ten years ago the enrollment of
ACC neared the 500 list. There
were 473 students of which 327
were girls causing a shortage of
boys. The question arose should
the boys ration their dates and
should ration points be issued so
that they could not date the same
girl twice.
New quiet hour began for girls.
Inauguration of a new semi-quiet
hour or "siesta" for the girls was
announced by Mrs. Luther Rob-
erts dean of women everyday
from 2-4.
Men Abandon McDonald
McDonald open house showed
it was completely feminine all
trace of mtaihood gone. At the
opon house it was said that many
boys were seen leaving the hall
crying bemoaning the loss of the
last stand of Malcdom at ACC.
Dabs of paints bits of wall paper
and hunks of linoleum were one
of the chief interest of the girls in
the dormitory.
ACC's old "Bean Bell" now
rests in the library; older than
Abilene itself. The Bean Bell has
a long exciting history. No one
on the campus is quite sure of the
age but it is certain that the bell
is not only older than the college
but antedates most of Abilene as
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$20600 Gift
This year ('54) the Beanery has
been 'newly recorated but In ?944
the Beanery gave up the ghost for
permission from the Dean of Stu-
dents. Also all students were re
quired to eat at the college dining
hall unless sepcial permission was
obtained from the housing com-
mittee. Tuition in 1934 and 1935 was
only $07.50
Uto of Radios Frownod Upon
The college also wished to dis-
courage the use of radios in
dorms and if a radio was used
the owner had to pay one dollar
per month for electricity.
If you w;rc a preacher's child
you were allowed a 50 per cent
discount on your regular tuition.
A member of the college band got
a 10 per cent discount and if
there were two children from one
family enrolled the some reduc-
tion was given.
In the 1934-35 catalogue a page
at the back is provided to show
people how to make out their
"Last Will and Testament" to
show alumni and friends of the
college how to leave money to
the school.
Girls Woar Hoso at All Times
Girls were not allowed to wear
the socks everyone wears now.
Hose were required at all times.
And in the list of grade mark-
ings In the scholastic record it
states that no A plus was ever
supposed to be given in ACC.
During War Years
a new ACC cafeteria a modern
stainless steel cafeteria system.
A gift of $20000 was given to
Abilene Christian College. The
gift came from a friend of the
school but the name was not an-
nounced. It was made In the form
of land and oil properties in Ward
and Crane counties.
Semlngly the year of gifts 1944
marked the time when Mr. and
Mrs. E. D. Chambers donors of
funds for the library contributed
$140000 to the school. They
stipulated that $50000 of this a-
mount was to be used for a new
dormitory when it was matched
by another $50000 by ACC. The
result of this donation is the
building now known as McKinzJe
Hall newest of the girls dorm
itories.
Cat-Indian Pact
With war raging on all sides
ACC and McMurry decided to
settle their differences in a peace-
ful manper. Five representatives
of each school's student council
met and made the following pact.
They promised to refrain from:
1. Snatching freshman caps.
2. Ringing dinner bell.
3. Fighting In streets or on cam-
pus. 4. Defacing or destroying of
school or personal property.
5. Antagonizing any individual
In either student body.
The Wildcat Band of '45 con
sisted of 30 members. A unique
characteristic of this organization
was that all female members
THIS "PRICKLY PEAR"
Beauty appears in the slender-
izing fashions of 1935. Was
that only twenty years ago?
Boys 2-1
were required to wear skirts in-
stead of trousers as they do now.
The band uniforms were black
and gold.
All this was ten yeare ago but
many of these same opinions and
attitudes seem to mimic the
world-wide views and situations
of ACC '55 as well as ACC '45.
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BOYS WERE SCARCE during the war years but there were still a few around in 1944
vho coul'd slice off the yardage with the pigskin. Note the use of the now out-moded leather
Helmets.
'Optimist' Reports News
Views of ACC Campus
By CHARLIE MARLER
Do you recognize these names:
M. Norvcl Young Otis Gatewood
Arthur Slater Milton Cranfill
Paul Witt Hosea Lewis Louie
Welch Wendell Bedlchck Walter
Adams Max Leach Hugh Tiner
Paul Southern Batsell B. Baxter
Lawrence Smith LeMoine Lewis
Olan Hicks John Stevens Ed
Broadus Betty McDcrmott?
It's a partial roll call of past
"Optimist" reporters editors and
business managers. It is also a
sizeable section of ACC's all-time
Who's Who list.
What has "The Optimist" done
through the years to attract some
of the college's most promising
students? To answer this and
other questions we take a look at
"Optimist" history.
Ono-Man Staff
The story all began back in the
fall of 1912 according- to W. C.
Slkcs now math prof and an early
"Optimist" staffer. A student
named Arthur Slater from Clyde
was its founder. Slater had had
previous newspaper experience
probably on the Baird "Star."
Sikcs recalls Slater as a brilliant
young man who produced the pa-
per almost singlehandedly. He
wrote many of the stories set the
type by hand and printed the pa
per on his own press. (Slater's
grandson football player Bobby
Campbell was graduated from
ACC In 54).
Slater did a good job on the
four-page monthly it didn't be-
come a weekly until 1919 and
helped it to live up to its name
with optimistic exhortations to his
readers.
Becomes Weekly in 1919.
Milton Cranfill presently a resi-
dent of "The Hill" edited the Op-
timist in 1913-14. He was chosen
because he had led the junior
class in English the previous year.
He recalls that editing the paper
wasn't hard; Dean Speck helped
to run down reporters and assign
stories.
1919 brought the weekly and
also with it a subscription rate
boost from 50 cents to a dollar.
Editor J. Vincent Sikes urged the
students to subscribe.
In those days the joke column
was held In high repute. One con-
cerned our history prof Earl
Brown and a Miss Tonnee Brown
(no relation) who were discussing
their names. Tonnee declared she
was dissatisfied with the name
Brown. Earl's reply: "Well lady
I can't change it.'.'
Is ACC Too Big?
The question of whether the
school was getting too big (42G
students) came up. The editor
took a positive approach. Ho did
not believe the good old ACC
spirit was dying.
The Sewell administration sel-
dom chastised the paper even
when complaints rolled in from
off-campus readers This story was
published under the headline
"From One of the Faculty":
"To the readers of 'The Opti
mist': It should be understood al
though It is not by everyone that
'The Optimist' is a student publi-
cation and not a paper gotten out
or directly overseen by any of the
faculty.
Much Freedom Given
"Remember also that the stu-
dents arc young people and report
things in their own style. They
give prominence sometimes to-
small things that may mislead you
to think that the whole school is
given over to that one little class
'woinie roast or other such mat-
ters. "You should know too that
these students get out a paper
every week and that not every
one is up to their standard . . .
"Some good brethren have com-
plained and we have seen a few
things ourselves that we wish had
been left out . . . Likely we aon't
have many infallible editors even
on the best religious papers ..."
Barbs of iho B 8c B
This tolerant spirit attracted
students to the paper: Of course.
"The Optimist" stepped on too3
now and then...
The "Brickbats and Bouquets"'
column of the following years of-
ten caused exasperation. The
column writer took time to advise
readers about his barbs:
"If B & B hurls a seemingly in-
sulting slur towards you without
mentioning your name then don't
holler for the "hit dog howls."
This was In the period when
Wendell Bedichck later managing:
editor of "The Abilene Reporter-
News" was editor for three years.
Few "Optimist" writers have beer
better at sports writing than Bed-
dy. "The Owl" Hooted
An anonymous column called
"The Owl" pulled no punches in
keeping the campus on its toes in
the late '20s and early '30s.
"The Owl's" introduction of the
faculty in 1929 is a little gem.
Example: "Little Lawrence Smith
with his head so crammed full of
Gregg and Twentieth Century It
is about to pop..."
It is said that one of the most
(Continued on Page 15)