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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1939- 1969 Texas Aggies National Champions UNDEFEATED UNTIED & UNACCUSTOMED TO IT ALL . S i. ih r I ka n j. 1p t InA, I XA s NATIONAL GGIES _r „i AMPIONS 3 9 H "T, A w e 30th Anniversary Reunion October 2A-25,1969 3IN -dift + ~ti~.:"L'• ~f1i 1 ,\;i t~w~!r..j•~'~,.:~'~~ Y'4:.+.~Z.A.~.y►.i~~ •~~a. i. •~•!~y!~~• ~w~. ter; ti~• -Jbrl' • L• . i 1 + •Y:.a)y IL. • ' T • • ~1G SW.~ ~d,' ~'i 1ft~' \ N to K tI t z. • i ~-Sri?~' ~ ~ E ~ ~ ~ ~r, ..fit ~ 4 i ' ti~HS • `may. ~ C'~ mac , , ti `•s s. T t 16 u wow : • , ~ i3t a • .tr • ~•A _ t • ~ • -j1 J ++1 , .w L i V -1 • 14 ~ *yy,'y~M? ~'~,r'ytir!! ~ « ~ tom. y`~'~` +G i? ~.•~Y w •1~~ r~~~ 1OF,1 f _ • N r , Jam` w~Y4.;`"C, r~y •~1. ~.~;j;•'.a ~ `l •ri~iw.:~~~" •t•• •r~-- ice' •j Z^ yyj~r,.~•`:,• r. :r~-~}~n: a.~ y',s Z1~+•~•• it. r. t ,~r!^R"!,~'~?►4+;1-'.`~iy'`:''~ t• ► 'fir+~t.~ _ _ -:-«S. ti~ - s i.. _ •~-~.'•"-'~%.3~'L:ir}✓~rCalir ! j~.. ~ - UNDEFEATED - UNTIED & UNACCUSTOMED TO IT ALL )all Ike jp. all -al TEXAS AGGIES 1939 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS i 30th ANNIVERSARY REUNION ~ OCTOBER 24-25, 1969 i 14 i It w seasc It wi This 30th Anniversary Commemorative Album was produced by your Taylor Publishing Company of Dallas, Texas. Martin Hamilton, And who has been a friend of many of the players since their college man) days, and Willard Clark, Class of 1942, who are associated way together in business as representatives of L. G. Balfour Company whe and Taylor Publishing Company, are presenting this with their Engii compliments. That marr The copy was prepared for publication by H. B. "Mr. Mac" Bert McElroy as his part in thanking all the '39ers for a great job terpi well done. ALBERT G. "BERT" PFAFF It is with extreme pleasure that the 1939 Na- tional Championship Texas Aggies dedicate this 30th Anniversary Memorial Album to Bert Pfaff, Class of 1925. Without his unselfish help s there would have been no National Champs in 1939. It was Bert who applied the pressure on that Dallas banker to grant a $25,000 loan when the Athletic Department already was in de- fault on interest and payments on the $210,000 in bonds that bank held. That loan provided the scholarship money which made possible that 1937 crop of Freshmen of blue chip quality. It was Bert who provided those Summer jobs and saw to it that his boys were physically ready for the football season. It was Bert who always was at hand when any of his boys needed help and he was always in the market to take your tickets off your hands. When one of the boys had his overcoat stolen somehow another one showed up. And when the season was over there always was the Bert Pfaff Award of value going to the Bert Blocker. How many tabs he picked up over the years never will be known. At long last we, of the 1939 Team, can in this small way let Bert know we appreciated what he did for us. When he graduated from Denton High School Bert came to Texas A&M seeking an education to be an Electrical Engineer. That goal was reached when he got his BS degree in that profession in 1925. That same year he married Grace Ashley, now deceased, of Tulsa, Okla. and they had two children. Patricia is married and has three girls and two boys. Mickey has taken over the management of the McCord-Lane Co., which Bert founded, and has one son and one daughter. Bert says he is semi-retired but still keeps busy in his various en- terprises and Texas A&M athletics. okj u 3~1! ~ ~ ~ sr li R I I I ~ Mickey, Bert and Patricia Pfaff T" 1939 TEXAS AGGIE FOOTBALL TEAM STATISTICS 10 Games Not Including the Sugar Bowl Game Texas Aggies Opponents INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Games Won 10 0 BALL CARRIERS Touchdowns 30 2 18 1 Times Yards Yards Average Points After Touchdown Player Carried Gained Lost Gain Field Goals 0 I I Thomason 15 67 0 4.44 Safety 0 198 I8 Conatser 62 308 37 4.37 Total Points 83 396 46 4.22 First Downs 118 54 Moser John Kimbrough 142 501 28 2.-5 Yards Gained Rushing 1682 664 Yards Lost Rushing 173 249 Jeffrey 21 73 5 3.25 Yards Gained Passing 1029 348 Pugh 46 146 11 2.93 16 73 28 2.79 Net Gain Rush and Pass 2538 763* Price Forward Passes Attempted 166 175 Audish 3 8 0 2.67 Forward Passes Completed 70 48 Force 4 10 6 1.00 15 28 Spivey 11 25 12 1.18 Forward Passes Had Intercepted Percent of Passes Completed .422 .274 PUNTERS Yards Intercepted Passes Returned 400 159 Number of Punts 90 114 Player Punts Total Distance Average Punt Average Distance of Punts 37.1 37.2 Wood 1 48 48.0 Number of Punt Returns 57 42 Wesson 4 191 47.8 Number of Kickoffs 43 10 Thomason 1 41 41.0 Average Distance of Kickoffs 48.2 52.0 Conatser 46 1675 36.4 Number of Kickoff Returns 10 38 Moser 37 1303 35.2 Average Distance of Kickoff Returns 25.0 18.1 Force 1 34 34.0 Number of Penalties 62 40 PASSERS Yards Lost on Penalties 576 351 Fumbles 14 16 Inter- Own Fumbles Recovered 7 4 Player Passes Completed Yards cepted Completed *-The average of 76.3 yards per game, rush and pass. Pugh 84 43 468 10 .512 set a new National record for defense. It also worked John Kimbrough 2 1 30 0 .500 out to 1.71 yards per play run. Price 47 20 430 3 .426 Moser 14 3 62 0 .214 Jeffrey 19 3 39 2 .157 PASS RECEIVERS 1939 SEASON SCORES Player Passes Caught Yards Gained Texas Aggies Opponents Herb Smith 17 237 0 149 32-0 Oklahoma A&M University Buchanan 1 9 161 14-0 Centenary College Thomason 9 148 7.3 Santa Clara University Moser 107 33-7 Villanova College Conatser 6 20-6 Texas Christian University John Kimbrough 5 43 32 20-0 Baylor University Jeffrey 3 2 29 27_0 University of Arkansas Dawson 2 24 6-2 Southern Methodist University Sterling 2 1 1 19-0 Rice Institute Spivey I 46 20-0 University of Texas Bama Smith 1 19 *14-13 Tulane University Cowley I I I *-Indicated Sugar Bowl Game of Jan. 1, 1940 Price Joe White I 6 Season Record: Won I I - Lost 0 - Tied 0; Total Score Duncan 1 6 212-31 HOW SWEET IT WAS! National Championships just don't happen out of a clear sky. They start out with a masterful Job of recruiting, signing the very best high school players possible and then begin the develop- ment of them into a cohesive unit. That is the way the 1939 National Champions were put togeth- er back in 1937. That era was still in the Depression Years and a lot of people were hungry. Texas A&M was hungry for players who could play winning football and thereby bring money in at the gate. Players of that time also were hungry for a college education and food which would be better than a regular diet of beans, greens and corn bread. A tightly restricted Athletic Department budget limited the number of scholarships available and without that kind of help those players A&M wanted could not go to college. The outlook was very dark. That year Coach Homer Norton and his staff sat down and listed the names of the 40 high school players they considered the best college prospects. Those 40 were the ones to get and that would require at least $25,000 to be apportioned for scholarships. Thanks to Bert Pfaff, and the pressure he was able to exert, the money became available and the hunt was on. It was then up to Lil Dimmitt to bring them in. It is doubtful if such a job of recruiting ever can be done again. Lil went after those Wanted Forty and, with the help he got from those he signed, he came up with 37 of the boys on that list. Eight more Freshmen came out of the Corps and a total of 45 players became Aggies when the Fish played Allen Academy the same day they registered. Regrettably, none of those eight volun- teers ever made the grade. A few of the original 37 defected to other schools or dropped from the Freshman squad for various reasons. Meanwhile Coaches Hub McQuillan and Charlie DeWare were whipping those Fish into that great cohesive team destined to set National and Southwest Conference records before they were through in their Senior season of 1940. Of the 45 who played in the Allen game a total of 31 won their Freshman numerals and of those 31 there still were 23 left on the 1939 team which won the National Championship. Then to add to their other records there were 22 of those 23 who received the college degrees that hunger had caused them to seek. This means that 7.1 percent of the 31 who won a Freshman numeral graduated as compared to a normal percentage of 25 percent for all entering Freshmen. Truly a remarkable record. Lil had recruited students as well as athletes. Lil's sales pitch to the Wanted r Forty was, ''If you all stick together and come to Texas A&M you can make the team as Sopho- mores and win the Southwest Conference championship before you are through.'' When he would sign a boy he also joined the recruiting forces using the same appeal. Now let's see what kind of a prophet Lil was. Of course there were some of the boys destined to be held out in their Sophomore year for fur- ther development or because their position was filled by lettermen. In 1938, their first varsity year, there were 1 4 of them who did letter which means they made the team and before the season end- ed several had moved into starting positions over more experienced men. That cohesive unit was becoming more set game by game. Of the original 37 there still were 23 left. When the 1939 season opened with Oklahoma A &M there were six of those 1937 Freshmen in starting berths and another 12 played as subs. Against Centenary there were seven starters and 12 subs and the next week eight of them had starting roles. A little experimenting was still going on but when the Villanova game was over the team was set. From there on it was like a closed cor- poration with none about to give up their starting assignments. The starting team against Centen- ary include: Smith and Sterling at ends; Boyd and Pannell at tackles; Robnett and Henke at guards; Vaughn at center; and a backfield composed of Pugh, Thomason, Moser and Kimbrough. Pugh and Price were a duo as were Moser and Conatser with each one playing about equal time with his counterpart. A total of 17 of the 29 letters awarded in 1939 went to the boys who bought the deal-"If you all stick together and come to Texas A&M you can win the Southwest Conference championship." They did even better than that by winning the 1939 National Championship along with the SWC crown in 1939 and 1940. The 1939 Sophomores added another SWC title in 1941. Those who did not get a letter in 1939 did get their "T" later. Other lettermen in that 29 included six Seniors and six Sophomores. But this also was a team of togetherness. Off the field they were all individuals all going their own individual ways but once on the field they were that closed corporation with every man work- ing perfectly just as a cog in the wheel that makes the machine go. Woe betide any opponent who unnecessarily hurt one of the members. A projectile named Kimbrough would be coming his way at the first chance and Big John had company along in the persons of Thomason, Robnett and Pannell leading the way. With the rules of that time subs had little chance for much service. Once a man left the field he could not reenter in that quarter so naturally the coach had to consider the score and the posi- tion of the ball before he would make any substitutions. When you recall that Thomason played a total of 584 of a possible 600 minutes and Robnett did 560 and Big John 550 you can realize that their understudies were not too busy. No small part of the success of this team can be credited to Captain Bubba's Blue Boys. This was the unit composed of third stringers, hold outs and ineligibles but under Bubba they had a spirit second to none. They had a pride in the Blue Boys and defended it no less than the regulars defended theirs. It was the Blue Boy's job to get the team ready for the next foe and that they did. Following the Villanova game the Wildcat coach reported on the physical beating his team had taken. It made all the papers so Bubba sent him this telegram: ''What the Hell are you beefing about? We play those buzzards five days a week. You only did it once.'' All credit to Bubba Reeves and his Blue Boys. If you don't think he got the team ready for the game on Saturday make a careful study of the team statistics on page 4. Eventually every Blue Boy lettered and every one of them deserved it. 1939 JOHN A. ABBOTT 1969 John was an outstanding back at Corpus Christi High School and was a ''blue chip" prospect. He chose Texas A&M but unfortunately arrived at a time of over abundance of other great backs. He did manage to get in some playing 1 =N 1 time on the Champions team but not enough to letter that year. By the time the road block ahead of him had cleared up his time had run out and he never had a chance to become the star he might have been but for others like t Kimbrough and Thomason or Webster and Zapalac. He did get his "T" TIM In 1941 John married Maxine Smith, of Corpus Christi, and they had two sons, Jack and Mark. Both attended Texas A&M where Jack won two track letters in the hurdles and sprint events. Mark was a transfer from Blinn JC and had to sit out in 1969 but worked out regularly and is counted upon for 1970. Jack is married. As a member of the Aggie 440-yard relay team of 1969 Jack won All-American honors and thus became the '39ers first ''son'' to win such an honor. His picture, with his teammates, now hangs on the All-America wall in the Lettermen's Lounge. WWII and what not interrupted John's education so he did not receive his degree in mechanical engineering. He and Maxine settled down in Harlingen where he has become quite a civic and business leader. Although he owns and operates farm land and raises Brahma cattle he also finds time to be a part owner and operator of the Harlingen Gin Co., Valley Grain and Elevator, and the Harlingen Compress. He serves as a deacon in the First Baptist Church and is a director of the Valley Baptist Hospital. He also is a director of the First National Bank of Harlingen and the Algodon Club. He also is a producer delegate to the National Cotton Council and a trustee of the Cotton Producers Institute. The Abbotts make their home on Route 2, Harlingen, Texas, and will welcome seeing any '39ers who happen to be down that way. i 4. m . a . i Jack and wife Karen, Mark, Maxine and John Abbot+ x. 1939 WILLIAM "ROCK" AUDISH, SR. 1969 This All-State fullback out of Brenham High School got that name of Rock not because he was as hard as one but because of the ones 77 he had in his head when he went ineligible after his great Fish year. In 1938 the traffic at ~y IF` his fullback spot became too crowded so he - was moved to guard and made a great one. Arkansas feared him more than Big John be- cause of his success on the guard around trick play. He received his BS degree in Sociology in 1940 and in 1941 married Jerry ]vie, of Arlington, Texas. She had attended Blinn Junior College where Rock had met her. They had a daughter, Julie, now Mrs. Thomas Peters, and a son Bill, Junior, who now is with the Texas State Highway Department. During W1/VII Rock served in the U. S. Navy and was a Chief Petty Officer when he left the service in 1946 after accumulating five area service medals and another for Good Conduct he says. His teammates say he should have won another for his marksmanship with the sling shot, a weapon he was most proficient with on the campus. Rock and Bubba Reeves, the two smallest men on the squad, were most valuable in providing the comedy relief to keep the team loose. Their favorite foils were their roomies Big Dog Dawson and Martin Ruby, the two largest men on the squad. Rock summed up the 1939 season when on the way back to the hotel from the Sugar Bowl vic- tory he kept shouting to the passing cars and people, "Texas Aggies, undefeated, untied and unaccustomed to the whole damn thing." Following his discharge he settled down in Hempstead to go to work for the Texas State Department of Public Welfare where he still is employed and is reported as doing a finje job trying to keep the people happy. Julie Audish Peters Y f a 3 a w o, u 4 ~ st5i Rock Jerry Thomas A. Peters Bill, Jr. e ,939 GUS BATES, JR. 1960 Gus came from Fort Worth Central High School where he won two football letters and „xx made All-District once but at Texas A&M fame and glory was destined to elude him. Just about the time he was ready to move up as a ! guard Old Man Injuries would throw him for a loss. In Spring training in 1939 he looked great but again an injury moved him back but he did ' eventually play some and got a letter. He received his BS degree in Animal Hus- bandry in 1941 and joined Swift & Co. as a cattle buyer and was with them until he we.,, to WWII in 1942. While on duty he captained the Fort Warren (Wyo) Broncos before being Went. transferred to the Veterinary Corps at Fort Omaha (Neb.) for the duration. After WWII he rejoined Swift re- maining there until 1947 when he went into business for himself as an independent cattle buyer and broker; op- ?46 after erator of Cattle Truck-line; New York Steak Co.; rancher and feed lot operator. He was returning to Fort Worth uld have from a cattle buying trip into Oklahoma when his car crashed and he was killed on June 22, 1960. US. In 1940 he had married Tommye Alice Johnson, of Fort Worth who graduated from TCU that same year. They relief to had three children. Gus, III, now a Fort Worth insuranceman is married and has a son, Gus, IV, and a daughter, largest Cherrie. Peggy is now Mrs. Gary Lewis and the mother of a daughter, Lisa. Candi is still in Junior High School 3owl vic- but also models for Tommey's John Robert Powers School in Fort Worth. The family home is at 2413 Colonial d to the Parkway in Fort Worth. Before his passing Gus had served as President of the Fort Worth Junior Chamber of Commerce and in the City Public Council. He also was active in many other civic and church works. Gus, III Sheryl Gus, IV Cherri S - a Tommye Peggy Lewis Gary Lewis Lisa Lewis Candi 1939 GEORGE S. "MONO" BLACKBURN 1969 _ It was easy for the guys who just had to play the game of football but for Jimmie Parker and his top assistant, Monoplane Blackburn, it was a far different story. They had to get that team to the game site, have the equipment there for. them, see that they got into it and after the game do the whole thing again in reverse. Of course they also had to find time to peddle the player's extra tickets. Once the players got on the field it fell to Mono to tote the water bucket out to them any time there was a time-out. Today a player isn't in the game long enough to get thirsty but back in the 1939 days they played the whole 60 minutes if necessary. That made for many trips to Mono to make with his bucket. In this capacity he was All-Con- ser Terence. Frc George, to use his straight name, came out of Beaumont High School in 1937 and headed for Texas A&M sec where he volunteered to be the water boy. Since he had no competition he got the job which paid nothing but de, work. In He received his BS degree in Animal Husbandry in 1941 and then began a career with the Texas Agricultural sor Extension Service. He first was the Assistant County Agricultural Agent at Wharton and then Graham before he So became the County Agent at Throckmorton. Today he has moved up again and is the head man in Stephens Tu County with headquarters at Breckenridge. foc ou" In 1943 he married Margaret Leonard, of Beaumont and a graduate nurse from the Hotel Dieu School of Nursing in there. They had one daughter and one son. The daughter, Sandra, is now Mrs. Richard Rogers. She teaches in the elementary schools and he coaches. George L., the son, is attending John Tarleton State College. The Black- Thi burns make their home at 705 West Hullum, Breckenridge. e. n k a M r g I 1 I ~ I.~It , The Mono Blackburn Family Richard Rogers and wife Sandra and George. In front are Mama Margaret and Papa Mono Blackburn. 1939 WILLIAM "BILL" BLESSING 1969 An outstanding football and basketball perform- er at North Dallas High School, Bill arrived at 71 Texas A&M via North Texas Agricultural Col- lege (NTAC) in time to be eligible for the 1939 National Champions team. However, an ap- pendectomy that Fall handicapped him and he " F " was unable to play. He was back in 1940 and zyd ~a~... did get in some playing time and later re- ceived his 'T" Bill majored in Architecture at Texas A&M but WWII came along before he could com- plete the work for his degree. He served in the Air Corps until 1945 but did not return to college. He was a Ist Lt. at the time he left the 11-Con- service. From that time to the present he has been engaged in real estate development and construction in various A&M sections of Texas. Currently he is associated with the Area Progress Corp. which is doing extensive real estate ing but development and apartment complex construction south of College Station. In 1941 Bill Married Elizabeth Cupples, of Dallas and a graduate of Hockaday College there. They had three cultural sons and one daughter. Wm. Scott, the eldest, graduated from Texas A&M this past May and is now enrolled at fore he Southwestern Medical College in Dallas. He was married in December 1968 to Olivia Criswell, a graduate of ephens Tufts University in Physical Therapy and will be at Southwestern with Scott. He won track letters and was a football squadman until a severe injury in the 1966 Rice game ended both sports careers. Brian is a Senior and outstanding football player at Baylor; Gail, the daughter, is attending El Centro Junior College; and Bill is still Nursing in Junior High School in Dallas. in the Black- The Blessing family home is at 621 1 West Northwest Highway in Dallas, Tex. a~ f r x , ' r, .z s: a ~ r ~2 `fl a ~ 4 The Bill Blessing Family at Scott's Wedding Reception. Billy, Brian, Gail, Scott, Olivia, Papa Bill and Mama Elizabeth. 1939 1969 COLONEL HUGH F. BOYD, JR., USAF An AII-Junior College end at John Tarleton in 1937, Boyd came to Texas A&M and then had to sit out one year to gain eligibility in 1939. By that time the team was pretty well set so Hugh played that year as an outstanding end on the Blue Boys. He did get in some varsity playing time but not enough to letter which he did get later. He played his early football at Jacksboro High School and made All-District twice and won three letters each in basketball and track as well. He is no relation to Joe Boyd despite confusing reports. In 1940 he received his BS degree in Accounting & Statistics and a commission as a 2nd Lt., Inf. but then trans- ferred in rank to the Air Force and eventually received a regular commission. He saw service in the European, China-Burma-India and Asiatic Theatres and among other decorations he received the Air Force Commendation Medal and the Legion of Merit. When hostilities ended he remained in the service which took him to Hq USAF for eight years, Newfoundland, Germany and the Philippines. Currently he is Di- rector of Supply and Services, Hq Air Training Command at Randolph AFB, Texas. In 1941 he married Elaine Edwards, of Denton, and a graduate of TSCW. They had a son and a daughter. The son is now Capt. Hugh F. Boyd, III, graduate of West Point and serving in the Corps of Engineers. He is married and the father of Hugh, IV, and Timothy John. The daughter, Margaret Jane is married to Robert A. Belcher, Sr., and they have one son, Robert, Jr. Hugh and Elaine make their home at 73 Outer Octagon, Randolph AFB, Texas. ,~,r $ti I 'Vr n, y: Hugh and Elaine Boyd, Jr. Hugh, III, Sandra, Hugh, IV and Timothy Margaret Jane, Robert Bel- John cher, Sr. and Robert, Jr. v r .v f~kYn i ,.i. xt' Gt~~P GJ ~tAi 'T •r~t s to - n P".1 t91 l 1939 1969 REV. JOE M. BOYD Joe got to Texas A&M via Crozier Tech High School in Dallas and Paris JC where he lettered one year and then transferred. He won his first ` "T" in 1937; made the All-SWC team in 1938 and All-America in 1939 when also was tri-co- captain with Herbie Smith and Cotton Price. ?xk He received his BS degree in Agricultural Ad- ministration in 1940 and went to work for Todd Drydock in Galveston. He didn't know it but when he tried to enter military service he found n~ that he had been frozen in a vital war industry. It was while working at Todd that Joe received the call to serve the Lord but it was not until n trans- the war ended that he was able to enter Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary at Fort Worth where he finally got his Master's degree and began his fulfilling career as a Baptist evangelist. For the past 25 years he has been received engaged in that work which has taken him to all corners of the United States. He has held pastorates at times but service never at the cost of leaving his great crusade to save souls. e is Di- In 1939 he married Edith Alice Cocke, of Dallas, Texas, and they had two children. Daughter Amy Lynn is now married and teaching school. Robert Mark also has married and is attending college. Currently Joe and ter. The Alice make their home at 136 West Bayshore in Baytown, Texas. married In 1964 Joe was named to the Silver Anniversary All-America football team selected by Sports Illustrated and in her, Sr., 1966 he was elected to the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame. His name is currently in nomination for the Na- tional Football Foundation Hall of Fame. Unfortunately many of the times we get to see Joe is when he is called upon to handle the funeral service for those of our group when they have passed on. f x ~n a , M u m- m r wtt r. g a ~v e- #ert Bel- The Boyds-Son Robert, Daughter Amy, Mother Edith and Pappa Joe r. 1939 HARRIS MACK BROWDER 1969 An All-District guard at Groesbeck High School for three years Mack came to Texas A&M as a bright prospect. However, he had the misfor tune to arrive at the same time as several other top linemen with two of them achieving All- Americahonors. _ He received his BS degree in Sociology after - returning from WWII during which time he rose to the rank of Major in the Air Force while fly- M ' ing in the China-Burma-India campaign. When he finished his college work Mack went to work for the parent Dr. Pepper Company in Dallas and served as Zone Manager in the East for two years. He was then assigned to the Tulsa branch office and covered the states of Oklahoma, Mis- souri and Kansas. Back at the main office once more he drew the assignment of spending 18 months making a survey of several foreign countries where Dr. Pepper might expand. In 1958 he was elevated to the office of Vice- In 19, President and in 1960 was elected to the Board of Directors of the firm. Currently he is Vice-President-Admin• fightir istration with his headquarters in Dallas. Dische In 1948 he married Anne Clark, of Mirando City, Texas, a graduate of Baylor University. They had two sons ter ah and one daughter. The oldest boy Andy is on an athletic scholarship at Texas A&I and was an offense team tackle it. He on two Javalina championship teams. The youngest Browder, Gregg plays his football at Hillcrest High School in of Ko Dallas. Daughter Brenda is now a sophomore at Texas University. pro to The Browders make their home at 7515 Midbury Drive in Dallas where Mack also is active in civic affairs. Both In 19A sons became Eagle Scouts. They I Schoo *owl S r P, ti Mack, Anne, Brenda, Andy and Gregg Browder 1939 1969 ROY E. BUCEK Coaches hunt for those big and fast linemen so when Lil Dimmitt signed up Roy they certainly found one. At Schulenburg High School he was " rq an All-District guard and champion sprinter and hurdler for three years and at 205 pounds he had to be fast as well as big. At A&M he proved himself by backing up / Marshall Robnett to letter and then got his track letter on the sprint relay team and in both hurdles. By the time he graduated he was SWC champion in the hurdles and High Point Man in the SWC in 1942. That same year he became the No. I hurdler in the nation to win his All-American honors. He is now in nomina- a, Mis- Lion for the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame. aking a of Vice- In 1942 Roy received his BS degree in Agricultural Education and a commission as a 2nd Lt., Inf. He did his ~Aclmin- fighting in Europe where he was awarded the Purple heart and lost the sight of an eye. Discharged as a Ist Lt. he came back to Texas A&M as an Assistant Dean of Men under Dough Rollins but af- o sons ter about two years resigned to open his own business as the Oakridge Smokehouse in Schulenburg and still owns tackle I it. He since has expanded into Mr. Hamburger and Dairy Marts, Bucek's Drive Inn and recently began a string hool in of Kountry Kitchen Restaurants with one in College Station. In his home town he is a councilman and mayor pro tem as well as being active in civic, social and fraternal organizations. s. Both In 1949 he married Vera Veenstra, of Highlands, who has her BS and MS degrees from Sam Houston State. They have two daughters with Beverly enrolled at Texas University and Barbara a Freshman in Schulenburg High School. The Buceks make their home at 103 Upton in that town. d r a lit i 1 & Vera and Roy Beverly and Barbara Bucek 1969 1939 A. WILLIAM "BUCK" BUCHANAN Weatherford High School and Weatherford Junior College was the route that Buck took to arrive at Texas A&M in 1939 and eligible for - ' varsity competition. He had been an All-Junior College end at Weatherford but Coaches Nor- ton and Rollins felt he could benefit by being held out one year. Things didn't work out that way for a sub was needed for Jim Sterling in fi the tough Centenary game so Buck went into action. From then on he and Jim pretty well - split playing time. At the end of the year Buck's' 10 receptions was second only to Herbie Smith's 17. In addition to his two football letters E, Buck also won a baseball letter in 1941. poir did sc SL In 1943 he received his BS degree in Physical Education and later added his Master of Education at the Uni- Pr versify of Colorado. When he graduated from A&M he went on duty with the U. S. Navy and did his service In I is, in the Pacific theatre. When he came out in 1946 he held the rank of Lt. (j.g.). thre San In Buck began his coaching-teaching career at Apalachicola (Fla.) High School in 1947. After three years there he ai moved to Florala (Ala.) High School for another two years before settling down in Eufaula (Ala.) High School In I or where he still draws his pay checks. He retired from coaching in 1964 to devote full time to teaching and adminis- den D, tration. To supplement his salary he is now selling real estate in Eufaula. the abo TN In 1944 Buck and Marion Helen Rappold, of St. Albans, New York, and a graduate of Wagner College, were so married. They had three children-two girls and a son. The elder daughter, Dorian Gloria, is now a Senior at the The University of Colorado. Son, Breton John, is a Sophomore at Centre College and the youngest daughter, Meridy his Claire, is a Junior at Eufaula High School. The Buchanans live on Ridge Road in Eufaula, Alabama. ,g 8"a pen, Rbt . - + . 3 e, a b a Buck and Marion Dorian Breton John Meridy Buchanan 1969 1939 EDDIE CHEW 1969 Eddie wasn't a coach. He wasn't a player but any Texas Aggie football team would have been in a heck of a fix without him. He was the as- sistant grounds keepers, general fixerupper and ' when the team went on the road Eddie saw to it that the equipment trunks, crates of oranges and those 10-gallon water cans were all loaded before he got aboard himself. On arrival he r F' also saw to it the gear all reached the field. i~na` i ' When Eddie graduated from Blackshear High E loft School in Hearne in 1917 the first job he got was at Texas A&M when D. X. Bible was the head coach. That year A&M was undefeated, untied and unscored upon while running up 270 points themselves. The 1919 team did even better with 275 points in another spotless season so you see Eddie cation at the Uni did have some experience with greatness before the 1939 team came along. - d did his service In 1923 Eddie married Settie Mae Washington, also a graduate of Blackshear High School in 1920. They had three children including Odessa, now a housewife; Johnnie, now deceased; and Eddie, Jr., now teaching in the San Antonio public schools. ee years there he Ia.) High School In 1950 Eddie retired from Texas A&M and went to the A&M Consolidated School District where he is superinten- hing and adminis- dent of grounds maintenance. That job has lasted 19 years and he says he has no intentions of quitting for the easy chair until they make him. His service to Texas A& M and the College Station community for 52 years Iner College about equals the age of the players on the 1939 National Champions. , were )w a Senior at the The Chews make their home at 101 Country Road in College Station, Texas, where Eddie is a civic leader in daughter, Meridy his community. aama. f 5 5 y, C Iridy Buchanan Eddie and Seffie Mae Chew MRS. IRENE "MOM" CLAGHORN For nearly 39 years Mom Claghorn served the Texas Aggies and the Texas A&M Hospital as head nurse and supervisor. In that time she must have had contact with nearly 250,000 students. In her career she dispensed many a gallon of castor oil, mountains of aspirin pills, 1 a used up miles of adhesive tape and painted on r barrels of iodine to ease the aches and pains of 'her boys''. But one thing she dispensed rather freely, in addition to motherly advice, were those pre- cious "militaries". You remember those slips of paper she scribbled out to excuse you from drill or to delay a tough exam when you were not footb. ready for it. team Mom was serving as an Army Nurse in WWI when she was assigned to Texas A&M to care for the SATC students. ball o (SATC was the forerunner of ROTC.) She became so attached to Aggieland that when the war ended she In 19, elected to take her discharge on station. By then she was a I st Lt. M.C. She then went to work for A&M in the Europ, college hospital on January I, 1919 and it was July I, 1957 before retirement age caught up with her and she was was w had to quit. No need to remind anyone who ever attended Texas A&M just how much Mom meant to them. Many made In 19, have i promises to themselves that someday they would repay all her kindness. That chance came in 1954 when she was involved in a serious auto accident enroute to Dallas to visit her sister. The car was a total loss and the doctors servec about wrote her off also. But they didn't know Mom. Whatever she had managed to save up over the years dis- ter cc appeared in a hurry so when a call went out from one of "her boys" the response was tremendous. Hundreds of After them showed up at the Hospital to give blood, money or whatever was needed. And when she was able to leave to H< the hospital the Hillel Club, with help from their former Publisl students, had bought a home in College Hills and gave it A&M. to Mom to use rent free for life. When she had a second accident in 1965 the "boys" were there again and once more she has made a complete recovery. In 1909 Mom married John C. Claghorn, of Dallas but he passed away in 1917 before Mom went to military service. She and her sister, Mrs. Bertha Golay, make their home v, at 900 Gilchrist Drive in College Station, Texas, and " welcome any of "her boys" who care to drop by. Hardly << r_ a week passes that some of them don't show up. { % ~cl K Mrs. Bertha Golay & Mom Claghorn 1939 WILLARD W. CLARK 1969 Willard was another of those outstanding end prospects at Texas A&M in 1939 who found 6 _ a traffic jam at that position on the varsity and had to settle for a sub role. Here was a highly touted graduate of Hull-Daisetta High School's powerful teams who had to settle for a key t ,4 T job on the Blue Boys. There he portrayed the next opponent's pass catcher. He and his team- mates really played a tough schedule for they took on the 1939 National Champions five days a week-the opponents only had to do it t Vol once a season. t~ In high school Willard won his letters in both football and basketball; captained his 1937 football team; made All-District two years; made All-South Texas one year; and was picked on the third All-State team once. At Texas A&M he won his Freshman numeral in both his sports but afterwards concentrated on foot- C students. ball only. Although he spent most of his career playing for the Blue Boys he did eventually win his letter. ended d she the In 1942 he received his BS degree in Agricultural Administration and then was off to WWII. He served in the 'A&M in er and she European Theatre in the Infantry and, when he left the service in 1945, he held the rank of Captain. His company was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, and he won the Silver Star and the Purple Heart. any made In 1942 he married Sue Morgan of Daisetta, Texas, who had graduated from the University of Houston. They en she was have two sons and two daughters. The oldest, Willard, Jr., graduated from the University of Texas in 1967 and he doctors served as an Infantry Sergeant in Viet Nam. Dennis is a student at the University of Texas. Sherry plans to en- years dis- ter college in the fall, while Cindy is going into junior high. undreds of After leaving the service, he went to work for a national furniture concern in Atlanta, Georgia, and returned le to leave to Houston as Western Division Manager in 1958. In 1961 he ioined up with L. G. Balfour Company and Taylor Publishing Company of Houston, renewing an association with Martin Hamilton that began while a student at A&M. The Clarks make their home at 4970 Valkeith in Houston. da a ~ I r~~_q e rv! 9 i.. 's5 Lx" ssst. k~ + b v ; n Willard, Jr., Sherry, Willard, Sue, Cindy, and Mr, and Mrs. Dennis Clark 1939 WILLIAM EDWARD "BILL" CONATSER, SR. 1969 A product of Denison High School, Bill was re- cruited with the 1937 blue chip crop of Fresh- men strictly as a punter but he developed him- self into a great broken field runner of the Dick Todd greatness. 41 Against Villanova he returned a punt 72 yards Owithout a single block although 10 Wildcats` had a clean shot at him. The next week he ran back an intercepted pass against TCU for 92 yards with lots of blocking this time. He had many other long ones but unfortunately several were called back when someone threw a • "Tennessee block" (clip). ■ Conatser and the late Derace Moser formed an unbeatable duo at wingback where they split playing time almost r in a equally. When time consuming plays were needed it was Conatser who was called on to run the wide stuff to eat up the seconds. That running speed also won him his three track letters. In I' Sout He received his BA degree in Economics in 1941 and then went to work for Uncle Sam. When he got back to in he Denison in 1946 he was a Captain and had seen extensive service in the China-Burma-India Theatre. Whe With the development of Lake Texoma near Denison going on Bill was one of the founders of the Yellow Jacket Iron Boat Co. but sold his interest in 1951 to join the insurance firm his father had founded many years before. Bill field now is the sole owner of this J. V. Conatser Agency in Denison. But, In 1942 he married Dorothy Townsend, of Mart, and former student of TSCW at Denton. They had two sons, Bill, Free Jr., and John T., who is now married and working for the Texas Power and Light Co. Bill Junior is attending Plano Free University. The Conatser family home is at 1101 West Sears in Denison. The Ar Y b s`Y' 4iJF~ Yd i'f' 4,,•'y. a . ~ x i e s - v x y~~.~R ~ a a T low, F am 5 . vr f k .C a. a F 3 z x, 64- The Conatser Family Ed (Bill, Jr.) "Dog" thinks she's the Conats- Bill, Dorothy and John er daughter 1939 HAROLD COWLEY 1969 r' A standout end for Freer High School for four years Cowley continued that record as an Aggie Fish in 1938 and from then on was a key man in the three SWC football titles won or shared by Texas A&M. WWII cut short his academic career but started him out on another career in the USAF in the Pacific Theatre of Operations. He rose to the rank of Captain and won the Distinguished Fly- ^x ing Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster; Air Medalw : with three Oak Leaf Clusters; the Presidential Unit Citation with the 20th Air Force based in Guam from where he flew 33 missions over e almost Japan. He also made the first non-stop flight ~uff to eat in a B-29 from Tokyo to Washington, D. C. In 1944 he married Dreena Willis, of Denver, Colo., and they had four children. Jeffry, now 22, is a student at back to Southwest Texas University; John, 20, is attending Baylor University; Anne, 16, attends Freer High School and is in her Sophomore year; and Diedra, 12, is in the Freer Junior High School. w Jacket When he was separated from the Air Force in 1945 he returned to Freer where he became owner of the Freer fore. Bill Iron Works, a firm which specializes in oil field repair work, does welding, lathe work and has a fleet of oil field trucks. But, as usual, Cowley finds time for other varied civic duties. He is a director of the Freer Water District, the sons, Bill, Freer Chamber of Commerce, former First State Bank of San Diego, is a deacon in the First Baptist Church of ~ing Plano Freer, and has been elected a member of the Texas Baptist Executive Board. The Cowleys make their home at 601 Laredo Drive in Freer. + ~ a !t out y t e TmOg' > a y he Conafs- John, Diedra, Dreena, Harold, Anne and Jeff Cowley 1939 1969 Rte" l; WILLIAM H. "DOG" DAWSON Dog came to Texas A&M with a great record in football and basketball at Crockett High School and Lon Morris JC. At A&M he won All- L Conference honors in basketball and also three ` letters each in his two sports. His high spirits played no small part in the success of the 1939 team. That won him a berth on the West squad of [he Army All-Stars and would you believe that he was a starting end setting All-American Holt Rast on the bench. Dog also kicked every field goal and conversion he attempted. He received his BS degree in Agriculture in 1942 and went into service as a 2nd Lt. When he came back from Europe he had won a his t( Silver Star, Bronze Star, Belgium Croix de Guerre and wore the gold oak leaves of a major. 1936 He then became a coach at A&M but after five years lost out in the many coaching changes of that time. He Char joined Great Southern Life Insurance Co. and annually is among their top producers. assist In 1942 he married Dorothy Scott, of Mexia, and they became the parents of three children. Lydia is married and nothi the mother of Leah, the only grandchild so far. Scott is a Junior at Texas A&M and Bob a Senior in high school laces at Richmond. The family lives at 1215 Courtney Drive in Richmond. legs do a Dog is a member of the '39ers Executive Committee and also serves on the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame Selection Committee, the group which annually elects those Aggie "greats" to be inducted into the A&M's top Di s sports honor. He has served on that committee since the Hall of Fame started in 1964 and just recently was deco deco reelected for another two-year term. Whe as a taste Divis Long How have Junic is in TlA The I ton, Scott, Dorothy, "Dog", Granddaughter Leah, Lydia and Bob Dawson 1939 1969 Rte" WILLIAM H. "DOG" DAWSON F %7 Dog came to Texas A&M with a great record in football and basketball at Crockett High School ,T and Lon Morris JC. At A&M he won All- Conference honors in basketball and also three letters each in his two sports. His high spirits played no small part in the success of the 1939 team. That won him a berth on the West squad of the Army All-Stars and would you believe that he was a starting end setting All-American Holt Rast on the bench. Dog also kicked every field goal and conversion he attempted. He received his BS degree in Agriculture in 1942 and went into service as a 2nd Lt. When he came back from Europe he had won a his t( Silver Star, Bronze Star, Belgium Croix de Guerre and wore the gold oak leaves of a major. 1936 He then became a coach at A&M but after five years lost out in the many coaching changes of that time. He Char joined Great Southern Life Insurance Co. and annually is among their top producers. assist In 1942 he married Dorothy Scott, of Mexia, and they became the parents of three children. Lydia is married and nothi the mother of Leah, the only grandchild so far. Scott is a Junior at Texas A&M and Bob a Senior in high school laces at Richmond. The family lives at 1215 Courtney Drive in Richmond. legs do a Dog is a member of the '39ers Executive Committee and also serves on the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame Selection Committee, the group which annually elects those Aggie "greats" to be inducted into the A&M's top Di s sports honor. He has served on that committee since the Hall of Fame started in 1964 and just recently was de deco co reelected for another two-year term. Whe as a laste Divis Long How have Junic is in The I ton, s z - a_. 711 V Scott, Dorothy, "Dog", Granddaughter Leah, Lydia and Bob Dawson ~4 1939 1969 CHARLES A. "CHARLIE" DeWARE, JR. s When that 1937 crop of blue chip Freshmen reported for action one of the first coaches they met was Charlie DeWare, assistant to 4001- Hub McQuillan the head Fish coach. They Y learned quickly that Charlie was all business` when it came to playing football. That year played no small part in developing the future, 1939 National Champions.` When DeWare, himself, arrived on the A&M campus in 1933, fresh from Brenham High _ School and All-District honors, he had a great tradition to uphold. His father, Charlie De- Ware, Sr., '09, had been All-Southern in both football and baseball and had captained both his teams as a Senior. While young Charlies didn't top his Old Man he did tie him in football by making the 1936 All-SWC team as the center and also was the co-captain. He did not play baseball. time. He Charlie received his BS degree in Physical Education in 1937 and immediately joined the Aggie coaching staff as assistant Freshman and varsity center coach. Vaughn, Herman, Hauser and Shelton can vouch for the fact that tried and nothing short of perfection would please him. That ball had to come back to the punter belt high and with the h school laces up or there was extra work or more laps around the field. When some complained they couldn't spread their legs wide enough because of the hip pads Charlie invented a sponge rubber pair that practically allowed them to do a split. of Fame He served on the Aggie staff from 1937 through the 1948 season with time out to serve in WWII with the 25th M's top fly was n fly in the Pacific. He began as a private and came home a Captain of Infantry with all his medals and etly decorations. When he left Texas A&M in 1949 he began a career as a paper and bagging sales representative that has lasted 20 years. He is now with the Lone Star Bag Division of the St. Regis Paper Co., of Houston. Long a bachelor Charlie married Joan Shambaugh, of Houston and former student at Texas University. They have two children, Joan's son, Jay Flint Henderson, a ; Junior at Trinity University; and little Patricia Ann who is in Briar Grove Elementary School The DeWare home is at 6146 Meadowlake Lane, Hous- ton, Tex. 2 "per Job- Front: Patricia and Mama Joan. Back: Flint Henderson and Charlie DeWare. 1939 1969 LILBURN J. "BUBBA" DIMMITT wrw■wr ` But for Lil, his salt tablets, skin tough, benzoin, aspirin, sponge rubber and miles of adhesive tape there would have been no National Cham- pionshipTexas Aggies in 1939. And also remem- ber that it was Lil's job to bring in the players. His 1937 recruiting job never will be topped. It was his outstanding talents as a trainer which led to his being enshrined in the Helms Foun- dation Athletic Hall of Fame as a trainer. He Li k also is in nomination for election to the Texas y\~ A&M Athletic Hall of Fame. But never forget that Bubba also was a coach of no small stature. He was head Freshman coach for baseball, basketball and at times for track and brought along and Eu some good men. During the WWII years he served as head basketball coach in 1945; head track coach 1942-46; and head baseball coach 1942 and 1946-48 winning the Southwest Conference track championship in 1943 and the Back it baseball crown in 1942. When he was head coach and athletic director at Beaumont High School his teams always for tw were contenders for the state title. His greatest track performer was the fabulous Babe Didrikson who won every in 196 event she entered in the 1932 Olympic Games at Los Angeles in 1932. of Hoi Presidf Lil was active in the College Baseball Coaches Association and served as First Vice-President and would have be- Guida come President in 1948 had he not resigned at Texas A&M to enter the insurance field in which he also became a great success. He frequently earned membership in the Million Dollar Round Table group before he finally In 194 retired to return to his old home town of Georgetown where he was born, went through the public schools Sherril there and then attended Southwestern University there. To top it all off he once served as the Mayor of that liam h town but got out of politics to take the job at Beaumont. He did later make a run for State Land Commission- St., in er but although he lost he finished second in a strong field. Lil first married in 1917 and he and Lola became the parents of Mary Virginia, their only child, who married Les Kelly, Jr. They had three daughters and one son who now is serving in the U. S. Marines. Mary Virginia and the three girls, one of whom is married, all live in Houston. Lola passed on in 1946 and in 1948 he married Mar- garet Cope, of Dallas, Texas, a graduate of National Park Seminary in Washington, D. C. and they had no chil- dren. While athletics, politics and hard work couldn't stop Lil Old Man Arthritis finally got to him. He is still able to get about with some help and has managed to make every reunion the '39ers have held so far. They are still all his boys. When he visited the new training room quarters at Kyle Field he took one look at all that fine equipment and said, "If I had had this kind of stuff when I was. here I never would have been able to get them out on the field." At the age of 83 Lil really is our Senior member of the '39ers. No family pic+u:e was available haw I I i 1939 WILLIAM MAX "BILL" DUNCAN, SR. 1969 Bill came to Texas A&M from Wichita Falls Akt E ' High School where he had won All-State rec- Awl ognition as an end. He had been counted upon as a regular end in 1939 but an injury prior to ~ the Villanova game benched him and by the fi'''r; «u time he recovered Sterling had won his spot. In 1940 he received his BA degree in Liberal Arts and a commission as a 2nd Lt. He went on active duty in February 1941 and when he came out as a Major in January 1946 he had s~ fought his way from the Normandy beach to _ Pilsen, Czechoslovakia. Enroute he won the i Bronze Star, Air Medal and five Battle Stars. He also holds the National Defense, American ht along and European Theatre Medals. 1942-46; and the Back in civilian life Bill coached at Wichita Falls, Belton, Beaumont French and then to Texas A&M as end coach s always for two years. Another upheaval found him at Rosebud and then to Dickinson where he retired from coaching on every in 1963. Meanwhile he had been working on his Master of Education degree which he got from the University of Houston in 1956. In 1963 he went to Copperas Cove IDS where he now is Elementary Counselor. He also is President of the local chapter of the Texas State Teacher's Ass'n., and President of the Mid-Texas Personnel & have be- Guidance Ass'n. became e finally In 1941 he married Patsy Sherrill, of Henrietta, who had attended TSCW at Denton. They had two daughters, schools Sherrill Ann and Nina Lou, both of whom are married and mothers of Bill and Patsy's three grandchildren. Son Wil- t of that liam Max, Jr., is still in Copperas Cove Junior High School. The Duncan family makes its home at 1004 South 21st mission- St., in Copperas Cove. tried Les and the Sherrill and John Norris, Stephanie and John, Jr. ed Mar- no chil- till able ey are int and field.ti I p a `e : Cf xri'. 1> 'A g ~ Max, Jr., Patsy and Bill Duncan Nina and Tony Ernst and Erwin HARRY FAULKNER j. a: ~I 11939 In 19, Harry joined the Texas Aggie coaching staff in 1939 to be the Freshman baseball his lifi and assistant varsity football coach and left Aggieland after the 1942 football In 19 season to return to his first love-baseball. Air F He was graduated from Oklahoma Teachers College in 1916 and was signed by Back the Chicago White Sox in the American League. They gave him a brief try before opera sending him to Topeka (Kan.) in the Western League for more developing. He finished the season but a better offer to coach took him to Pryor, Oklahoma, as For a head coach of the high school there. After two years he moved on to Muskogee, trict I Oklahoma, High School where he had great success. His football teams won two Oklahoma state titles, the basketball team took two more and his baseball team The F won the crown three times. Such a record caught the eye of Ray Morrison, head coach at SMU. He hired Harry to be his end coach and also head coach for the basketball team. He remained at SMU for two years but the Terrell Prep School in Dallas called him to head up their athletic program and he remained there for 10 years. His 1929 basketball team won the National Prep School title after his 1928 team had been the runnersup. Again his love for baseball called and he rejoined the White Sox to work as a scout and manage their farm clubs at Longview and Lubbock for the next 10 years. Drop- ping minor league attendance cut down on available jobs so he came to Texas A&M } for three years. When he left Texas A&M in 1942 he bought the franchise at Tyler, Texas, hoping to make a comeback in baseball but low attendance and the scarcity of players in the war years forced the club into bankruptcy. Shortly after that Harry passed away at Tyler. He never had married so with him the Faulkner family strain ran out. i 1939 HENRY H. "BUD" FORCE 1969 Bud came up to Texas A&M in 1937 along with j that bumper crop of blue chip Freshmen. He had been an All-District back in both football )ir ~ and forward in basketball lettering in each sport r four times. At A&M, however, he played foot- ball only. Like many others on the 1939 Aggie team Bud arrived when the backfield was all stacked up at his position which was wingback behind Derace Moser-Bill Conatser. Since those two played rf practically full time little was left for the under- studies. Although he did not letter in 1939 he did get his "T" later. In 1941 he received his BS degree in Agriculture and returned to his home in Orange where he had lived all his life. In 1942 he married Lynette Prejean, of Orange, and they had one son, Gary, who is now serving in the U. S. Air Force. Bud did his World War II hitch in the U. S. Marines from 1943-1945. Back from military duty Bud became a land developer in Orange mainly in the city area but later expanded his operation out into Newton County. In 1960 he became the representative for the Fant Milling Co. For a while he was connected with a large insurance agency working in the Orange area and currently is the Dis- trict Manager for Koscot Kosmetic Co., with his headquarters still in Orange. The Force family makes its home on Route 4, Box 8A, in Orange, Texas. ti Sorry but no picture of the Force family was available. wa ; x 1 o-: Gary Force 1939 CARL E. GEER Carl was another one of the Wanted Forty when the Freshman team of 1937 was being re- cruited. He had been a star back at McKinney High School winning football and basketball let- " - ters twice each and making the All-District team in both of his sports. He also received some All-State mention. He won his Freshman numeral in football and plans in Spring training called for him to be held out in 1938 for further development as a blocking back. Those plans went awry in the Rice game of 1938 and one of the Houston Sports writers hung the name of The Forgotten f Man on him. Late in that game the Aggies f I needed a sub badly and since Geer was on the bench and in uniform he was sent in. On the very first play he locally broke away for a 30-yard gain. When the program was consulted for his number it was found that he had been in 192E left off and although his name did appear on the roster in Football Brochure from A&M he had been assigned no number since he was not supposed to be played. The number he was wearing was a duplicate jersey of one of the Had lir other players as was the custom back in those days. Since his year of eligibility had been spent in that one game finally i he did see some action against Texas. He hac The following Spring he looked promising and plans were for him to back up Jim Thomason and of the 16 min- In 1924 utes of the 1939 season which Jim didn't play Carl got his share but not enough to letter. He did get a letter had twc urology later. grandd He received his BS degree in Agricultural Administration in 1941 majoring in Marketing. Following his military service, during which he rose to Captain, Infantry, in the European Theatre, he joined the Atlantic Refining Co. Doc an in Dallas and is still with that firm in an executive position. The Geers make their home at 6622 Royal Lane in will tell Dallas. Unfortunately Carl did not return his biographical data and pictures of himself and family which explains why those spaces are empty. 1939 R. HENRY "DOC" HARRISON, JR., M. D. 1969 The career of Doc Harrison covers two eras at Texas A&M. First he was a great back and drop ; kicker on the 1918-1919 teams under D. X. Bible with that 1919 team still holding the record of scoring 275 points in their 10 games. It also t, was undefeated, untied and unscored upon. It r was one of two such Aggie football teams, the j other being in 1917 when Doc was a freshman. The second career began in 1934 when Coach s Norton appointed him as team physician and that lasted until the era of Jim Meyer when a change was made. Born and raised in Bryan Doc received his first degree as D. V. M. in 1920. He practiced first play he locally for a few years and then entered Baylor College of Medicine in Dallas where he received his M. D. degree he had been in 1928. He then set up his office in Bryan and still lives there although retired from practice. assigned no if one of the Had limited WWI service but was recalled to active duty in WWII and served as a Flight Surgeon. When he Dt one game finally retired from the O.R.C. he held the rank of Colonel. MC, and also the Congressional Medal of Service. He had been in the reserve from 1920 to 1969. the 16 min- In 1924 he married Merle Lucas, of Waco and 1918 graduate of Baylor University with a degree in Music. They get a letter had two children, a boy and a girl. The boy is now Dr. Richard H. "Dick" Harrison, III, M.D. with a practice of urology in Bryan. The daughter is now Gloria Porter. The two children have presented Doc and Merle with seven grandchildren. his military 2efining Co. Doc and Mrs. Doc. still live in Bryan at 601 East 32nd Street and will be glad to have any '39ers drop by. He )yal Lane in will tell you to drop kick field goals. ich explains f xZ L p 6 Doc and Merle Harrison 1939 COLONEL HENRY F. "BEARTRACKS" HAUSER, USA (RET-D) 1969 I No Mortimer Snerd he, Henry has turned out. app'` to be probably the most brilliant of the '39ers. Who else can boast of membership in the Na- tional Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, Society of Photographic Instrumenta- tion Engineers and the American Society of i S Photogrammetry, the field in which he has won. ` international renown. He headed up the entire Army Photo Interpretation and Photogrammetry ~ program for the past 26 years. He attended I I advanced military schools and is the author of 28 publications on military procedure. He also has handled 4ranslations in Japanese, Ger- man, French, Italian and Hungarian. An All-State blue chip center out of Tivy High School in Kerrville, Henry wound up as a tackle and won All- American Honorable Mention. He also was the SWC golf champion for three years. He received his BS degree in Marketing & Finance in 1941 and went on active duty at once as a 2nd Lt. He was assigned to intelligence and while in the Pacific Theatre served on the staff of General Douglas MacArthur. When he retired as a Colonel he held the Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal with Two Oak Leaf Clusters, all of the Theatre Ribbons, American Defense Medal and Philippine Liberation Medal with three Battle Stars, and the Reserve Officers Ribbon. When he retired as a Colonel in 1941 he went right back on the same job in Civil Service and was given five Citations for his work. He is now assigned to the Army ABM program but plans to fully retire in another two years. In 1942 he married his wife. Jane, of Providence, R. I., and a graduate of Michigan State University. They had two sons, Thomas F. and John H. The family home is at 2733 Paseo Media, Sierra Vista, Ariz. t yt S; Wow a: w I v Henry Hauser & Jane Thomas F. John H. 1939 ~ t won All- CHESTER E. "SONNIE" HEIMANN He was Unfortunately Chester did not return his biographical data so we have to go with ur. When what is known about him from the records and recollections available at College ers, all of Station. and the He was one of the half dozen stars that Lil Dimmitt recruited off the Kerrville Tivy High School powerhouse in 1937 when he was signing those Wanted Forty boys. given five Heimann had made All-District, All-South and third team All-State as a tackle. He other two was big and fast so had little trouble in winning his Freshman numeral in 1937. How- ever, the books threw him and he was ineligible in 1938 but stayed in school and Thev had played that season with the Blue Boys. When he regained good scholastic standing in 1939 he found that Ernie Pannell and Joe Boyd had nailed down the tackle spots with Martin Ruby and Chip Routt backinq them up. Consequently he saw little action that year but did eventually get his letter. In 1941 he received his BS degree in Animal Husbandry but with a second major in Agricultural Administration. Then it was off to the service but we have no records j, here on that nor his marriage. From what records are available he went to work for the Halliburton Oil Well Cement- inq Co. and has been with them ever since while they kept changing the name. As late as 1967, when last heard from, he was Manager of the Halliburton Company plant at Bahia, Brazil, where he has been for several years. He made one of his rare "r trips back to the campus for the 1965 Texas game but no one apparently has seen him since. No picture of him as he is now or the family picture are available, sorry to say. H. I 1939 ROBERT WILLIAM "JITTERBUG" HENDERSON, SR. 1953 They just don't make men like Jitterbug Hen- denson any more! An All-State basketball player at Houston's John Reagan High School, the Bug was recruited for basketball only but he had ' different ideas. Before he was through he had won I I varsity letters in five sports and three Freshman numerals, was heavyweight boxing champion and handball singles king. He is the only Aggie ever to win four letters in one year and got two of those (track and baseball) the same afternoon he won his handball crown that night. In track he was a five event man. He made All-American as a javelin thrower and got a second team All-American place in football. He was thrice All-SWC in basketball. He received his BS degree in Sociology in 1943 and went to service immediately and was a Captain when dis- All-Star charged in 1946 after Philippine Liberation Service. footbal can De In 1942 he married Evelyn Gray, of Hearne who had attended Sam Houston State. They had two sons and two daughters. Diana, the eldest, is the mother of two boys; Jittterbug Junior is an electronics technician; Nona le wen Ruth is a Junior at Waltrip High School; and T. F. "Tuffy" is in Junior High School. The Henderson family home an exec c is at 1221 West 20th St. in Houston. an ex Oil dea Upon discharge he joined American General Life Insurance Co. where he became a top producer and set a record a broker of 98.3 percent for his renewals. In 1952 he was elected to Texas Legislature but resigned in 1954 when severely stricken by multiple sclerosis saying that he would not accept pay for work he could no longer perform. He In 1941 passed away in Houston December 27, 1954. had a s Jr., the I Henderson Hall, the Texas Aggie athletic dormitory, is named in his honor. He also was one of the first five Arnold i Aggie "greats" elected to the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame in 1964. t I s r ~ N y, P i r -vr » I The Henderson Family Seated-Grandson John Beil, Evelyn, "Tuffy", and Grandson Ro6't. Beil. Standing-Nona Ruth, "Jitter" Jr., and Diana (Mrs. Beil) 1953 1939 1969 CHARLES EDWARD "MUSH" HENKE Mush came to Texas A&M from Kerrville's Tivy High School after making the All-State team as a tackle in 1937. He won his first "T" as am. tackle but was moved to guard in 1939. What with All-America Marshall Robnett playing the opposite post Henke was frequently referred x, "4 to as "the other guard". Be that as it may Mush is still on the All-Time Cotton Bowl team for his play against Fordham. He received his BS degree in Animal Husbandry in 1941 along with his commission as 2nd Lt. and went on active duty immediately. General Bob Neyland, the great Tennessee coach, draft- ed Mush to play on his East team of the Army ptain when dis- All-Stars which played the pro teams for the benefit of the Army Relief Fund. Following that 1942 Summer of football Henke rejoined his outfit in time to be shipped over to Europe. There he won the Bronze Star, the Ameri- can Defense, American and European Theatre Medals before being discharged as a Ist Lt. ll~o sons and two ~chnician; Nona He went back to Kerrville where he joined Uncle Bill James in a partnership of a tractor, farm implement and Jeep is family home dealership and also did some ranching. He left there to join the Holsum Baking Co. of Harlingen and Waco as an executive in the family-owned firm. When that was sold he moved to Houston and for a while owned a Shell Oil dealership but got out of that and for the past several years has been engaged in real estate operations as end set a record a broker. 4 when severely er perform. He In 1941 he married Billie Faye Trammell, of Harlingen and a graduate of the Hockaday College in Dallas. They had a son, Charles Lee, Sr., and a daughter, Barbara Gayle. Charles Lee is married and the father of Charles Lee, Jr., the Henke's only grandchild. Barbara Gayle was married this past Summer. The Henke family now lives at 3733 f the first five Arnold in Houston, Texas. r i 4' j [ i Standing: Barbara Gayle, Billie Faye and Charles Lee, Sr. Seated: Mush and little Charles Lee, Henke, Jr. 1939 1969 PETER C. "PETE" HENRY, SR. Pete was an All-State guard at Lake Charles (La.) High School before casting his lot with the Texas Aggies but misfortune cost him his chance to win stardom at Texas A&M. He won his Freshman numerals in football and track but a illness and injuries hit him and by the time 1939 came around Marshall Robnett and Charlie Henke had sewed up the two guard posts so Pete had to settle for a substitute's role. How- s _ ever, he did win his track letters as a weight Pei man. a f, He received his BS degree in 1942 in Me- chanical Engineering along with his commission as a 2nd Lt. Once on active duty he transferred in rank to the Air Force and was a Major when he came out in 1946 with several decorations won in the cam- on to A paigns in Africa, Italy and Southern France. place at When Pete came back from WWII he went to work for Gulf Oil Co. in East Texas, Luling, Houston and Lock- Butch re port as a petroleum engineer and production superintendent but resigned from Gulf to move to Cameron (La.) Before F to take over the Mobil Oil bulk plant there. In 1965 he came back to Lake Charles to take over the Mobile Oil cific The bulk plant there. He also operated the Barge Service Terminal and the Cameron Corporation at Cameron. Once ac In 1942 he married Bennie Jean DeLafosse, of Longview and former student at the University of Southwest and exp Louisiana. They had two daughters and one son. Jane Ann, the oldest, is now teaching at Oak Park High to keep School in Lake Charles. The son, Peter C., Jr., just graduated from Louisiana State University; and the youngest of the two daughters, Patricia, is a Sophomore at Lake Charles High School. In Pho1944 enix, The Henry family homestead is at 915 Cleveland Street in Lake Charles, La. School. The Hei r 4, 1 ._r f vk ~ Left to right: Patricia, Pete, Jr., Jane Ann, Papa Pete and Mama Bennie Jean Henry. 1939 ODELL C. "BUTCH" HERMAN 1969 Strange as it may seem now Butch Herman, them All-State fullback at Abilene High School was the prime blue chip the Aggies were after and not another back on that same team named John Kimbrough. Big John was offered a schol- arship just because he was another in the string r of brothers who had chosen Texas A&M. Butch was headed for great things until the Baylor game of 1938 when he was injured. Bob ra * f ,r Hall subbed in for him and when Hall was hurt there was no other fullback but Kimbrough so he went in. John's great play that day made i ® y a great center out of Herman who won his three letters playing that spot while John went the cam- on to All-America fame. Butch had that uncanny knack of diagnosing plays so that he always was in the wrong place at exactly the right time like Ki Aldrich of TCU. and Lock- Butch received his BS degree in Marketing in 1941 and shortly thereafter he was on military duty as a 2nd Lt. eron (La.) Before he got back home he had battled his way across Africa, Italy and France before shipping out to the Pa obile Oil ; cific Theatre of operations. He ended up as a Major with several decorations. iron. Once again a civilian Butch got into the bag and bagging business up in Abilene but later moved to Lubbock Southwest and expanded his field of operations. He has added grain storage, public warehousing and has a cattle feed lot ark High to keep him busy. youngest In 1944 he married Betty Quarles, of Abilene, and they had two daughters. The oldest is now Cynthia Arrick, of Phoenix, Ariz. and she has a daughter named Elizabeth. Teresia, better known as Terry, is attending Lubbock High School. The Hermans make their home at 4509-62nd St., in Lubbock, Tex. d x , n ti F- z x= ;d y• N. i r k At' ,I, 'k, Terry, Butch and Betty Herman Cynthia and Elizabeth Arrick 1939 WILLIAM NELSON "UNCLE BILL" JAMES 1969 In 1967 Uncle Bill topped out his great football career by being elected to the Texas A&M Uni- versity Athletic Hall of Fame. His great defense accomplishments were a big factor in his selec- fion but when one of the Selection Committee ` said "Uncle Bill James is everything a coach ought to be his election was cinched. We 39'ers all agree with that statement. l { As a developer of great linemen he took backs and turned them into All-America and All- Conference performers. Joe Routt (1936-37), Joe Boyd (1939) and Marshall Robnett (1940) made the All-America teams and another 13 Texas Aggies he coached won All-Southwest Conference honors. Before coming to Texas A&M in 1935 he had another nine All-SWC men at the University of Texas. He re years An outstanding end himself on the Praying Colonels of Centre College, Uncle Bill received his BS degree in count 1921. He first coached at North Side High School in Ft. Worth but then joined the staff at TCU for one year. He w He went to Texas as line coach in 1925 and remained there through 1934 when he was persuaded by Coach Nor- to me ton to join the Aggie staff. He remained at Aggieland until 1947 when Coach Norton and his staff all departed. versic In 1924 he married Katherine Hutchings, a Texas co-ed and Aunt Katie to us. She helped him found and operate I Officl Camp Stewart at Hunt, Texas, for many years. They had no children but both considered all their football play- In 19 ers as their own boys and always looked forward to that annual end-of-the-season hunting trip out to Camp is nog Stewart. In 1957 our group paid a return visit when Uncle Bill and Aunt Katie were our hosts for our Second in Gr Reunion. He is After leaving A&M Uncle Bill served as head coach and athletic director at Trinity University briefly but final- is unc ly "retired". Recently he sold River Bend Lodge and leased out Camp Stewart. They still live at Hunt and will welcome any and all Aggies coming that way. He had made his reservations for Aunt Katie and himself for our 30th Reunion but passed away from a heart attack in Kerrville on September 15, 1969. or t'* ' dr. Uncle Bill and Aunt Katie James 1939 1969 WILLIAM MARLAND "JEFF" JEFFREY An All-State back at Thomas Jefferson High • School in Port Arthur, Jeff was one of the prime blue chip players recruited in the 1937 crop of top Freshmen. He was a versatile back playing all four positions, an important factor AV in Coach Norton's future plans. The 1939 setup called for he and Marion Pugh to alternate at quarterback since Cotton Price had suffered severe burns and was not counted upon to play. Price made an astonishing recovery so Jeff be- came a backup at all four posts as originally had been planned. He always had enough time to win his three football letters and added three 1 more as a slugging outfielder in baseball. 1" niversity He received his BS degree in Business Administration in 1941 and also a commission as a 2nd Lt. He served five years coming out as a Captain wearing several decorations. He was with the Jefferson Chemical Co. as junior ac- egree in countant and purchasing agent at their Port Neches plant before joining Gulf Supply Co. in their sales division. one year. He worked for Metropolitan Life Insurance for three years before deciding that Gulf Oil Co. was a better place lach Nor- to make his career and that position in the accounting division has lasted for 17 years and still going. For di- departed. version he officiated high school and college football games for 20 years as a member of the Southwest Football r Officials Assn. operate all play- In 1939 he married Leonide Fournet, of Port Arthur and they had one daughter and two sons. Patricia Lynne o Camp is now Mrs. Gary L. James. She graduated from Lamar Tech and taught at Woodrow Wilson Junior High School Second in Groves for four years. David L. was half through his Junior year at Texas A&M when he went on military duty. He is now married to Clara Lee Gaudet and is attending Lamar Tech. Marty Kurt just finished high school and ~uf final- is undecided on his future plans. The Jeffrey home is at 6478 Val Street in Groves, Texas. and will a heart t z . ro 4 N h % s The Jeffrey Family Leff to right: Pafricia Lynne, Leonide, Jeff, Marty K. and David L. 1939 LEONARD S. JOERIS Like a few others Leonard did not return his biographical data so not too much is known about him since he got his BS degree in Fish and Game in 1942. It is known that he joined the faculty at Michigan State University after WWII t and eventually got a Master's degree and was reported to have completed work for his Ph.D. which his former roomie, the late Joe Parish, wouldn't believe. "Leonard loved Fish Chemistry so much that he took it five times before he finally got that "C" in it," Joe said. When that gigantic wild game relocation program began in Southern Rhodesia, Kenya and other places in Africa Leonard went over there on that project and so far as is known never has returned to the United States. When last heard from he was managing the Central Fisheries at to the Chilanga, Zambia, a former district of the Mozambique province in Portuguese East in 194 Africa. Marty But so much for that. As tackles went in 1938 Joeris was a giant standing 6' 5" and as we weighing over 230 pounds when he arrived on the Texas A&M campus from Schreiner Off SE Institute where he had won All-Junior College honors in 1937, and had been the team captain. Before Schreiner he had made All-District at Abilene High School and Back a served as co-captain there. al Ch can ge He won his Freshman numeral easily in 1938 but when he reached the varsity in 1939 to the and weighing close to 245 pounds he found Ernie Pannell and Joe Boyd firmly en trenched in the tackle slots. He did see considerable playing time but missed lettering Marty then but did get his "T" later. of Wa in prat Those of you who travelled with him may recall that the most important part of in Coli his personal gear was a screw driver and pair of pliers. If anything he wanted was Columl detachable from a Pullman Car or hotel room you could expect to find it in his room once he got back to the campus. Too bad we didn't hear from him because T you always could count on him for something interesting to happen. No picture of him as he is now or the family picture are available. Sorry. 9 Marty Karon i 1939 1969 MARTY GREG KAROW Like the 1937 Freshman crop Marty Karow also " was a 1937 recruiting product. Uncle Bill James, with whom he had worked at the University of - Texas, got him to leave the U. S. Naval Aca- demy at Annapolis and become the Aggie backfield coach in 1938. He remained on the° staff until 1950 when he resigned to go back to his Alma Mater, Ohio State. In addition to his football chores Marty also served as head t baseball coach 1938-41 and 1948-50; head bas- ketball coach 1942 and 1946-50 and head golf 1 , A coach 1939-40. In 1942 he took military leave from Texas A&M to join the U. S. Navy as a Lt. He was assigned to the Corpus Christi NAS as head coach for football and other sports. He was discharged as a Lt. Commander in 1945 in time to get back and help coach the 1945 team. Marty was an All-American fullback at Ohio State in 1926 and won acclaim as a basketball and baseball player as well. He signed to play baseball for the Boston Red Sox chain and remained under contract for five years. Off season he was an assistant coach at Texas until 1936 when he went to Navy. Back at Ohio State Marty's teams are always the champion of the Big Ten or runnerup. In 1966 he won the Nation- al Championship and finished second in 1965. He coached the United States baseball team in the Pan Ameri- can games in 1967 and served as president of the College Baseball Coaches Association. This year he was elected to the College Baseball Hall of Fame. Marty received his BS degree from Ohio State in Education in 1927. In 1930 he married Ethel Lucille (Cite) Hodges, of Waco and a graduate of Baylor U. They had two sons. Wm. G. Karow, M. D., a graduate of Texas A&M, is in practice in Los Angeles, Cal. Robert J. Karow, who also attended A&M, is in the mortgage and loan business in Columbus, Ohio, is the father of five children shown below. The Marty Karows live at 2876 Mt. Holyoke, Columbus, Ohio. ti ,e a,. tX~ 4 .r;.. , ti..... , t . , .,r t gr Marty & Cile Karow-Dr. Billy Karow-The Bobby Karow Family. Bobby's group shows Stewart (5), Steve (9), Twins Sharon and Karon (12) Susan ( 13), Mama Margaret and Papa Bobby. ~ d d r LU W . a sa ~Xd 3 o 0 ~Z ~ v acs , ~ n m Z _a ■ N . i ~'1 o 1 1939 .fir A~ e i jC 1 I JACK C. KIMBROUGH, SR. Jack was the third in a string of five Kimbrough brothers to attend Texas A&M. John First came Ernest and then Bill, a football letterman, then Jack to be followed by 1937. John and Wallace. Only Frank, who won fame as a coach at Hardin-Simmons and asked Baylor, got away. He m winnin Jack came out of Haskell High School where he was an All-District end and also won three letters in track. He was Captain of both his Junior and Senior football teams. That He ri He won his Freshman numeral at Texas A&M in 1936 but an early injury in the to his 1937 season caused him to leave school. When he came back in 1938 he was still credit unable to go at full speed and did not get in lettering time. He did, however, make nobod his letters in 1939 and 1940. At A&M he passed up track. He re Jack received his BS degree in Agronomy in 1941 along with his commission as a with a 2nd Lt. Inf. and then reported to Camp Wolters, Texas. For his next assignment, and was a of all places, was back to the Texas A&M campus as a staff officer in the ROTC program and where he remained want. for the duration of WWII. When he came out of the service he held the rank of Major. In 1941 he married Mary ment Lewis Blundell, a graduate of Mary Hardin-Baylor College and a resident of Lockhart, Texas. They had three chil- last re dren with Jack, Jr., graduate of Delmar College now living in Texas City. Rosemary is now Mrs. Wayne Hicks, WWII whose husband is an Engineering Senior at Texas Tech. Charles is a Sophomore at Lockhart High School. flying to be When Jack left the Army he went to work in the Sales Division of Humble Oil & Refining Co. He moved up the term. ladder at Midland, Albuquerque, N. M., and Abilene where he was the District Manager when he passed away from a heart attack on February 24, 1965. His widow and youngest son make their home at 137 Elm-Apt. 14, In 192 Lockhart, Texas. ball a at Noi We are sorry but no late individual or family group pictures were available. He w into 1 Athlet 1939 JOHN ALEC "BIG JOHN" KIMBROUGH 1959 Big John probably did more to place Texas A&M in the National football picture than any other Aggie player before or since his time and he did it as a big, bruising fullback r n on the 1939 National Champions. Big he was not for he weighed only 212 pounds stripped 41 and the bruising came simply from his power- w pa ful knee action drive. No injury to any player ever was intentional. To John football was not a game he loved as some players do-to him it was only a means to the end of obtaining a college education for himself and his crippled brother, Wallace, who turned out to be almost as valuable as John for as the team tutor he kept them eligible. t is A&M. John had lettered at Haskell and Abilene High School and was on the list of the Wanted Forty boys in wed by 1937. However, Tulane also wanted him so when he graduated at mid-term he went to New Orleans. When he ions and asked Coach Red Dawson for a job for Wallace they had a disagreement and John came back to A&M. He was given his scholarship and a job for Wallace was found in the mess hall. Injuries kept him from Iso won winning his Freshman numeral and up to the 1938 Baylor game he had been the fourth string fullback. I teams. That was the game in which he was discovered. Injuries took out the other fullbacks so Big John was born. in the He ripped that Baylor line to shreds and from then on he was No. I on the field and in the press. Much +I to his credit John never basked in this glory. When interviewed or praised at a banquet he always gave was still credit to his mates for making his fame possible. ''Without the other men on the team I would just be a r, make nobody,'' he always declared. He received his BS degree in Agricultural Administration in 1941 and then signed a personal services contract n as a with a New York promoter. This led to many unwanted situations such as endorsing a cigarette although he nt, and was a non-smoker. He also found himself signed to a professional football contract which he certainly did not mained want. This led to the original contract being taken over by the Bing Crosby Enterprises. As part of the settle- Mary 1 merit he did play the final game of the season in New York and then made two Class B movies, which at ree chil- ast report, are still playing throughout the world. D Hicks, ! WWII called him to duty as a 2nd Lt., Inf. but he transferred to the Air Force and was a Captain after flying in the Pacific Theatre until 1946. He then played three seasons for the Los Angeles Dons but retired up the to begin ranching at Haskell where he still lives. He was elected to Texas Legislature but retired after one term. away pt. 14, In 1942 he married Barbara Golding, of Houston, and they had two children. His son, John, played his foot- ball at tackle for SMU and now is doing graduate work in Zoology there. Daughter, Bobbie, is a Junior at North Texas State University. He was the first Aggie to be elected to the National Football Hall of Fame and has since been inducted into the Helms Foundation Athletic Hall of Fame, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame. I 1939 1969 HENRY B. "MAC" McELROY "Mr. Mac,'' a native of Pittsburgh, Pa. arrived at Texas A&M back in 1934. That was the r~. same year Coach Homer Norton also came to Aggieland. Although they never had heard of each other they came in together and went fi r, t I'out together in 1947. ~l I. An experienced newspaperman, Mac got a - student labor job in the Publicity Department and was assigned to the sports beat. He says the most enjoyable time in his 14 years on the Aggie payroll was from 1937 when s the future National Champions of 1939 arrived on the scene and until they played their final game in the 1941 Cotton Bowl. Those were the "good of days'' folks talk about. Including the Freshman year that bunch had a 28-5-1 record with the 1939 icversif al E National Championship and two SWC titles included. The Sophs off the 1939 team added another SWC crown ca in 1941. land appoi In 1937 Mac married Ruby Lee Morrow, a graduate of Mary Hardin-Baylor College and who served as at De executive secretary in the Publicity Department. They never had any children. hired many Although a veteran of WWI nevertheless Mac volunteered for the Navy Seabees as a CM/2C in WWII r and was in the Battle of Tarawa where he received the disabilities which led to his medical discharge in The 1945. He returned to A&M and re-enrolled in classes which led to his BA in Liberal Arts in 1949 and his t until Master of Education in 1950. That year he moved to Houston and for the next 14 years operated his own shoulc public relations agency. When he sold out in 1964 he returned to his home in College Station where he "get and Ruby Lee now live in retirement at 1011 Milner East. He does spot jobs for the Athletic Department team and annually handles the Aggie Athletic Hall of Fame affair. He has been elected to the 1969 Helms Foundation Athletic Hall of Fame as a sports publicist. In 19 one s at TC ' Hub footbr r~ Unive ffl Rlvml. Irk- 9 Once specia Board k ` I ~;kR z• x~.=ra^l~ mfr, 9'l 1.1 fi „fiF,G a e5- - ~r I Mac and Ruby Lee McElroy 1939 HERBERT R. "HUB" MCQUILLAN, SR. 1969 When the Aggie coaching staff began the L building of what was to become the 1939 National Champions out of the 1937 "Wanted Forty'' as the construction materials, they a realized that a solid foundation must be laid. ` ` In other words they must have a strong Fresh- man coach versed in the teaching of funda- -4 < menials of the game. To get such a man they had to look no further than to the staff and the man they selected was Hub McQuillan, who was then varsity basketball and assistant football coach. His background proved he was the ideal man for this construction project. Hub was graduated from North Dakota Uni- e 1939 versity in 1916 following a three-sport career lettering in football, basketball and baseball. His BS was in Phys- ical Education so he began his coaching career at Rochester (Minn.) High School and then moved to Lake- crown land (Fla.) High School where his team won the Florida State Championship in 1924. That fine record led to his appointment as Head Coach and Director of the Department of Physical Education at John B. Stetson University ed as at Deland, Fla. He was still there in 1935 when the basketball job at Texas A&M opened up and Coach Norton hired Hub for that job and to be an assistant in football. And as a scout he had no peers. His spy data won many a game for Texas A&M and later at TCU. p WWII arge in The 1937 Freshmen, no doubt, can recall the countless times they had to go through fundamental moves and his until he and his assistant, Charlie DeWare, were satisfied. How many times he would explain how a play his own should be run and end up by saying, ''See,'' or ''Do you get the picture, boys? Apparently those Fish did ere he "get the picture'' for when they moved up to the varsity they were ready, willing and able to win starting ►artment team berths early in the 1938 year. ' Helms In 1918 Hub had married Altine Knatvold, of Albert Lea, Minn., whom he met while in college. They had one son, H. R., Jr., who now works for his dad in Florida. Mrs. McQuillan passed away while Hub was up at TCU. Hub moved on to greener pastures at TCU in 1942 to become head basketball coach and assistant in i football and was there for 11 years. He moved to loloni. Hawaii for one year and then back to Stetson University in Florida for three more before retiring from that sport and profession. He still did manage to get in some scouting for the professional teams and for colleges on assignment. Once out of the sports field he went to work for the Florida Board of Conservation as an information specialist and is still there telling folks how to land those big fish on a casting rod. He has been with the Board for over 12 years and has no idea of retiring yet. _a .a 1 1939 COLONEL THOMAS B. "BILL" MILLER, USAF 1969 Bill came to Texas A&M from Brownwood High School where he was an outstanding end winning All-State acclaim. He had a great FIF Freshman year but then ran into a roadblock of experienced lettermen ends. While being t held out he joined that famous team known w as Bubba's Blue Boys, the team which played the National Champions five days a week and lived to tell it. He won his "T" before he was through. He was graduated with a BS degree in Market ing and Finance and commissioned a 2nd Lt. at the same time. He went on active duty I immediately and later transferred in rank to the Air Force and decided then to make the military service his career. Ameri, His flying exploits have won for him the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf seconc Clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal and the Army Commendation Medal. His overseas tours have taken him all over Europe, Panama, Puerto Rico and Pacific areas. He is a graduate of the Army and General As a Staff College, the Air Command and Staff College, where he later taught, Air Tactical School and the Air War College. He also had a tour on the faculty at West Point teaching military history. Currently he is When Chief, Department of Professional Studies at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. a 2nd 1 footba In 1941 he married Bernadine Conger, of Waco, Texas, and they had three children. Daughter Bonnie Jean Army is now Mrs. Bill Glover and the mother of Brad and Justin, the Miller grandchildren. Billy is now a 2nd Lt. t Texas in student flight training while Tommy, 20, will be a Senior at Texas A&M this year. Howe Bill and Bernadine now live at 1346 Wedgewood Drive, Montgomery, Alabama, and say they will be glad in ran to see any of the 39'ers who come that way. Texas, becom He die 1 Mose f ,y i f « e Y 4 ~ ~ cj llu;: 9, x lit V RR The Miller Team L-R: Tommy holding Brad, Bonnie, Bill, Bernadine and Billy. Justin is not shown. 0 1939 DERACE "MDSE" MOSER 1942 Following an outstanding career as a triple threat back and trackman at Stephenville m High School Mose followed his brother, Ralph, to Aggieland. His Fish performance was so good that he became one of the two Sopho- mores to make the starting team of what turned out to be the 1939 National Cham- pions. In 1940 and again in 1941 he was a standout when the Aggies repeated for the South- west Conference championships with Mose kr-v I P! being picked on the All-SWC team and as - U16 , a , winner of the Houston Post Most Valuable Back for 1941. He just missed making the All- America team when Bill Dudley of Virginia took the total offense lead away from Mose who had to settle for Leaf second team honors. taken ,neral As a trackman Mose took part in the sprint events winning track letters each year. e Air le is When he was graduated in 1942 with a BS degree in Agricultural Administration he also was commissioned a 2nd Lt. in the Artillery and immediately reported for duty. However, he was drafted to play on the West football team coached by Wallace Wade which was to play the professional teams for the benefit of the Jean Army Relief Program. That team virtually was the 1930 Champions for of the starting team eight were d Lt. Texas Aggies. However, the transfer to the Air Force he had requested came through so he left the team and reported :glad in rank to the Pyote, Texas, Flight Training Center. He moved on for advance training to the Brady, Texas, Flight Training Center. His next transfer was to the McDill AFB, in Florida for final flight training to 1 become a bomber pilot. It was here that he was involved in a training flight when a collision took his life. He died on November 19, 1942. Mose never had married but his mother and brother, Ralph, still make their home in Stephenville, Texas. r AM 1939 ZOLUS CARLETON "MOT" MOTLEY 1969 a " 1939 was just not the year for guards to be on the Aggie team unless their names happened to be Marshall Robnett or Charlie Henke. Those two played over 50 minutes per game leaving little time for their under- studies. Motley fit into this category but ~r l~ once those two moved on he came into his own and won his "T" easily. r Mot came out of Abilene High School a year behind Butch Herman and John Kimbrough. There he was a top guard and track letter- man but at Texas A&M he concentrated on football winning his Freshman numeral in 1938. He was majoring in Marketing and Finance and lacked only five hours of electives for his BS degree when Uncle Sam called him to active duty. He got his commission as a 2nd Lt. at OCS and then saw battle service in record North Africa, Italy and other parts of Europe before WWII ended . He won the Bronze Star and the usual Theatre other of Operations Medals before leaving the Army as a Ist Lt. Joe R< Motley never returned to college to get those missing five hours but instead cast his lot with the Humble at t Cei Foundi Oil & Refining Co. in their Marketing Division. He has since served as Merchandising Manager at Abilene; as District Manager at Midland; Operations Manager for the Western Area at Abilene; Assistant to the also se 194 Marketing Manager in the Houston home office; Retail Manager in the Houston District; and now is Retail Marketing Supervisor for Southeast Texas with headquarters in Beaumont. After In 1947 he married Mary Shaw Peyton, of Waco who had attended Baylor University. They had two sons Marily 1953. and a daughter, Mary Carleton, who is now a Junior at Texas Tech. Jeff Peyton is a Freshman at Texas in Gal Tech; and David Marshall is a Freshman at Forest Park High School, Beaumont. The family home is at Shields 5775 Bellaire Lane, Beaumont, Texas. home's When a mot then s berg ~ Coach Colleg f He co ` columr k . home ~ i "i per, .LV b4$ e 4 p~ The Motley Family Jeff, Mama Mary, Papa Zolus, Mary Carleton and David. 1939 1964 HOMER HILL NORTON ` An All-Stater at Birmingham (Ala.) High " School Homer Norton went on to win letters . in four sports at Birmingham-Southern Col-" lege. Upon graduation in 1916 with a BS in n, Physical Education he signed with the St. Louis Cardinal chain. Instead of reporting to the f Columbus (AA) team in 1919 he became head" coach at Centenary College. His 60-19-9 record there led to his appointment at Texas A&M in 1934. i ¢'x= His 82-53-9 record and his 14 years of service both were records at A&M. When he left in 1947 he had seen his teams win a National egree when Championship in 1939; set a National Defense e service in record of allowing but 76.3 yards per game, rushing and passing; win or share three straight SWC titles for an- ual Theatre other record; play in three straight Bowl Games and add another in 1944; produce A&M's first All-Americans in Joe Routt, John Kimbrough and Marshall Robnetf; and see Kimbrough, Routt and Cal Hubbard, whom he coached at Centenary, all be enshrined in the National Football Hall of Fame. His fame won him selection to the Helms e Humble Foundation Athletic Hall of Fame, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame. He t Abilene; ant to the also served as head coach of three East-West Shrine teams and once as an assistant in the Chicago All-Star game of 1941. is Retail After graduation in 1916 he and Mabel were married and had one daughter, Evelyn, and a granddaughter, two sons Marilyn, both of San Antonio. After Mable died he married Christine (Chris) Sheppard, of Galveston, in at Texas 1953. She had received her BS in Home Economics at North Texas State College in 1950 and was teaching ome is at in Galveston. They have three daughters. Donna is attending Blinn Junior College; Sandra is now Mrs. Tommy Shields, of Dallas; and Lorena is still attending the elementary school in College Station where the family home is at 1114 Ashburn Drive. When Homer Left Texas A&M in 1947 he bought a motel in Galveston but sold it in 1952. He then started the Homer Norton Motel in Rosen- berg which Chris still owns. In 1962 he built the Coach Norton Restaurant at the East Gate in College Station and which Chris still runs. He conducted a Houston Post football semi-weekly column for several years before his death at his home on May 25, 1965. t, rimu~urri IIr4~ The Norton Family Seated: Donna and Lorena "Nana" Standing: Chris and Sandra Norton Shields COLONEL EUGENE C. "JEEP" OATES, JR., USA RET'D 1939 1969 Jeep was another of the 1939 group smart enough to stay in the service after WWII ally 1 ended and was able to retire as a Colonel in 1964. He came back to College Station and now is Residence Halls Program Advisor at Texas A&M. , In his student days Jeep was the sports editor of the Battalion who reported all the reporta- ble doings of the team and kept silent those ~ best untold. His sport was left-handed beer a F ~m drinking at Uncle Ed's. , 0` A graduate of John Reagan High School in Houston, Oates came to Texas A&M intend- ing to follow in his father's footsteps as a civil engineer. He switched to Economics but not before he had learned all about the transit. It was this knowledge that revamped firing practices for the Field Artillery and set him up mini for his brilliant military career. he -1 He received his BS degree in Economics in 1941 and went on active duty immediately. Then followed a Star series of schools before he got overseas to take part in the African and Italian campaigns in which he won bert several medals, including the Bronze Star twice. He came home as a Major and it was more schools for enge him. Command and General Staff College as a student and then instructor. A tour of Korea with the Big In I Bertha atomic weapon and then back to the U. S. Army War College. More foreign tours followed up to They retirement. Ernie In 1940 he married Lulu L. Collier, of Houston, who holds a PHT degree. They had a son, Capt. E. C. Oates, III. and i a graduate of Texas A&M, who was killed in Viet Nam in August 1969. They also had a daughter, Shirley A. who is By I attending Texas A&M University. Capt. Oates was survived by his widow Sharon, a Bryan girl. at R pictu In "retirement" The Oates family lives on Route 4 (Whiskey Bridge Road), Bryan, Tex. ~ x f z ta.. ..i ~ ~ far r i p. 4 "a W~ Sharon and the late Capt. E. C. Oates, III, Jeep, Lulu and Shirley 1939 1969 ERNEST W. "ERNIE" PANNELL Ernie was another of those top talents ferreted out by Lil Dimmitt while he was playing at the State Orphans Home in Corsicana. He fol- lowed him at John Tarleton, where EW won "f . two letters and made the All-Junior College_ team. Lil had him transfer to Texas A&M at midterm thereby making him eligible for the 's Freshman team and three years of varsity ball He won his Fish numeral in 1937 and by the third game in 1938 he had moved in at lefts tackle. He made the All-SWC team in 1939-40 and got some Honorable Mention for All- JA A merica. arned Ernie received his BS degree in Business Ad- im up ministration in 1941 and accepted a Navy commission as an Ensign going on active duty immediately. Before he finished he was a Lt. (jg) commanding a PT boat in the New Guinea area and had been awarded the Silver ed a Star along with his other decorations. After discharge he signed with the Green Bay Packers and won a starting berth at tackle with them. He played three years and retired to enter the oil well servicing field in which he was won Is for engaged for several years. e Big In 1941 Ernie married Frances June Golay, of College Station and a graduate nurse at the A&M Hospital. up to They had one daughter, Cynthia Lynn, who now lives in Houston. June passed away in 1963 and in 1964 Ernie married Mrs. Dorothy Rose Prince, of Houston, and they have three grandchildren, Charles, Cristen and Cynthia Elise Prince. es, III, who is By 1965 with the family investments in good shape Ernie and Dorothy decided to retire and settled down at Rancho Contento, Isabel Prieto No. 800, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He hunts, fishes and-see the 1969 picture above. yd . , is-.:.. j -,17 2W 1411111 a a a P. > x ? ~r r LL Ernie and Dorothy Pannell Cynthia Lynn Pannell Grandchildren Charles, Cristen and Cynthia Prince 1939 1964 JOSEPH M. "JOE" PARISH There are some football players who have more value to the team off the field than just sitting on the bench waiting for a chance to play. Such was the case of Joe. The coaches can't coach if the personnel is not eligible and that was where Joe had his strength. He took men about to flunk and by intensive tutoring Alor pulled them up to passing grades. Had it " not been for him several of the 1939 key players would not have been playing to win the National Championship. That was not exactly the way things had been planned. Joe had been an outstanding tackle at John Tarleton Junior College where he as A! made the All-Junior College team in 1937. But his 190 pounds did not measure up to the standard set for he b tackles so he was switched to an end position. While learning his trade at that post he played for the Blue Boys brouc in 1938 and by 1939 the traffic jam at the terminals kept him on the Blue Boys. He did see some action and ment later got his letter. such Clint He was a product originally of Van Alstyne High School where he had won three letters each in football and in g basketball and two in track but at A&M he played only football. In his Senior year at Van Alstyne he was foot- g ball captain and made the All-District team. Then He got into the tutoring field by chance. Some of the boys, his roomie Leonard Joeris in particular, got into I gigan grade trouble and they asked Joe to give a hand. When the grades came up and Dough Rollins heard about it he w he put Joe on the tutoring staff. From then on it was football and books. He generally was a Distinguished half-t red a Student and received his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1940. His first and only job was with the Dow Chemical Co. at Freeport where he designed and built some of Jimm the intricate plant facilities one can see there. He later moved to Baton Rouge, La., back to Freeport and one v finally to the engineering facility at Houston and he had become one of Dow's top men serving in the posi- his w tion as Manager of Engineering for all Dow plants. Joe passed away in Houston in March 1967 and was survived by his wife, Laverne, and two daughters. We were unable to locate Laverne so picture of she and the girls was not available to us. I 1939 JAMES H. "JIMMIE" PARKER 1969 Some men are natural born managers and Jimmie certainly fits that description. A 1937 graduate of Garland High School, he arrived at Texas A&M where he began as the freshman teams manager and stayed the whole way until he got his BS in Agriculture in 1941 along with his 2nd Lt. He transferred in rank to the Air Force in 1942 and when he came out in 1945 he was a I st Lt. Bombadier-Navigator with a DFC, - ` Air Medal with Clusters and European Theatre ` Medal with four battle stars. Once discharged he came back to Texas A&M as Asst. Dean of Men under Dough Rollins for one year but that kind of managing was not to his liking. In 1946 for he bought a Mobile service Station in Dallas and managed that until 1950 when the call of sweaty uniforms Boys brought him to the Dallas Independent School District as Asst. Athletic Director in charge of all fields equip- and ment and public relations. He was due to move into the head job but in 1960 the now Dallas Cowboys needed such a man so at last Jimmie had made it into the professional football ranks. For the next eight years with the and Clint Murchison interests he not only had the football chores but also managed the Expressway Towers office build- ng among other jobs. ot- il Then in 1968 the Ling-Temco-Vought, Inc., decided they needed a new corporate support manager so that into gigantic conglomerate corporation tapped our Jimmie for the job and for the first time in many a year if it he will not be in the athletes dressing room. Now he sits up in the stands and sees what really happens at hed half-time at a football game. No longer need he worry about seeing to it that his players get that shiny red apple he always seemed to have at hand. of Jimmie never married and all his real family have passed on so there is no such picture available. But can any- nd one who knows Jimmie think he does not consider the group below as his very own family. He took them under osi- his wing in 1937 and made them great. He now makes his home at 3445 Purdue in Dallas. We 4 } w r a The Jimmie Parker "Family" 1939 CHARLES WALEMON "COTTON" PRICE 1969 Cotton came to Texas A&M from New Castle High School where he had won three letters 0 each in football, basketball and track along with two more in tennis. At A&M he stuck to football only winning his letters in 1937-38 39 " and was co captain with Joe Boyd and Herbie Smith of the 1939 National Champions. Coach Dough Rollins once said of Price that he had ice water in his veins in place of blood ~ so cool and composed was he under severe pressure. He cited the time in the TCU game P1 in Fort Worth of 1938 when during a blinding rain storm Cotton went in to try the extra 1 point which meant a tie, 7-7. He made it and when he came off the field he told Dough, "You thought I couldn't make it didn't you? Well, I knew I could so 194 never worried about it." Then again there was the Summer of 1939 when he was severely burned in a gasoline cha fire. It was thought that his playing days were over but Price said he would make a comeback and he did. He Wa ended his career in the Sugar Bowl by kicking the extra point which meant winning, 14-13 and then played ball control for the last nine minutes of that game so Tulane would have no chance to score. In M.E In 1940 Price received his BS degree in Physical Education and shortly after that he was in the Navy serving in Dr. both Atlantic and Pacific Theatres. When he came out he played one year of professional football with the Detroit Lions and then two more with Miami in the new AFL. Upon retirement he settled down in College Wh Station where he opened an insurance agency handling all forms of risk. After 12 years of operation he sold out Co. and moved to Odessa where he has another large insurance agency with a branch located in Midland. yea Sec In 1946, while playing for the Lions, he married Mary "Mae" Crystal, of Detroit and they had two children. David just is now a Sophomore at Texas University; and Margaret Ann is a Senior in Permian High School in Odessa. The elec family lives at 3534 Maple in Odessa. and 1 5 Nt, ifls' ; vt' q ~ a n k 6 . z y ~ The Cotton Price Family Pappa Cotton Mama "Mae" David Margaret Ann { 1939 1969 MARION C. "DOOKIF PUGH, SR. g An All-State quarterback at Fort Worth North Side High School Dookie became the first ; to sign up for the 1937 Fish team which was I'destined to become National Champs. He p won four freshman numerals and then added three varsity letters in each football and base- ball. He was voted Most Valuable in football f in 1940 and made All-SWC in baseball in 1941. He got in one year of pro football with the New York Giants in 1941 and another in ® 1945 but jumped to the Miami Sea Hawks for his final year in 1946. He received his BS degree in Sociology in could so 1942 and went into the service as a 2nd Lt. with the Tank Destroyers and moved up to Captain before his dis- gasoline charge in 1945. Before going to Europe he played forthe West team of Army All-Stars coached by Col. Wallace did. He Wade. In battle he won the Purple Heart three times, the Bronze Star twice, the Unit Citation three times in all. yed ball In 1941 he married Helen Ruth Braselton, of Fort Worth and they had one son, Dr. M. Condy Pugh, Jr., M.D., who married Dr. Dub Sibley's daughter Sharron Ann. They have two sons, King and Kyle. Currently rving in Dr. Pugh is serving with the U. S. Coast Guard as a Lt. MC. with the College When he quit pro football in 1946 Dookie came back to College Station to found the Pugh Construction sold out Co. By 1949 this had expanded into the Marion Pugh Lumber Co., and the Pugh Realty Co. He served eight years on the College Station City Council and is a director of the Lumbermen's Assn. of Texas, the General Security Life Insurance Co., of Bryan, and the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce. He has ri. David just been elected to the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame Selection Committee, the group which finally sa. The elects those inducted into the A&M Hall of Fame. He also is a member of the '39ers Executive Committee and serves as Secretary-Treasurer. 7 40 t y E ,a .4 ve ro OWN Aff S` `bum b';~ k r. ..o a n Helen and Dookie Pugh M. Conde Pugh, Jr., M. D. and Sharron Ann, Sons Kyle and King Pugh k 1939 Rpm i T~ S Y_ LEON F. "BABY" RAHN and Leon, the twin brother of Lehman, was the one attending college when the 1939 mine. National Champions were being assembled back in 1937. The two brothers took Dog turns attending college while the other one worked. It so happened that Leon then had been attending Lamar Junior College where he had won his letter as a guard. He was impressive enough for Lil Dimmitt to offer him a scholarship and he made good on his chance. While never able to move Charlie Henke out of his spot as ? Bubb the starting right guard he did play enough time to win his letters in 1939 and squac 1940. ti but y turne He won his Freshman numeral in 1937 but needed more development in 1938 sit on so saw little playing time. At the start of the 1939 season he was well down on Althc the reserve guard list but after the opening game he moved up to be the No. Thom backup for Henke and by late in the season was close to splitting time with him. Thom and Leon originally came out of Dayton High School, where Lil first found him. There the c he won three letters each in football and basketball and made the All-District two s, football team in 1936 before going to Lamar. In IS In 1941 he received his BS degree in Rural Sociology majoring also in Marketing. Floric Shortly afterwards he went into the Coast Guard and when he left the service he Antos held the rank of Lieutenant, USCG. He was on duty in Hawaii when he received an injury which led to his discharge. He r Store Upon return to California, where he was discharged, he .decided to settle in San knows Francisco's suburb of Walnut Creek. It was here that he met his wife, the former Betsy Chem Fitzgerald, a graduate of the University of California Law School. They have one son, Michael, who graduated from Stanford University and now is attending the For fi University of California Law School. Mrs. Rahn serves as a Judge in Walnut Creek. other The family home is at 2073 Strand Road in that city. Sorry Leon went into the real estate and mutual funds business immediately after his dis- charge and still has his own Rahn Investment Co. in Walnut Creek where he also is active in civic affairs. i 1939 1959 JOHN R. "BUBBA" REEVES As the self proclaimed Captain of the Blue Boys Bubba Reeves never was one to hide his light under a bushel basket. He probably still Ast contends that had it not been for his Blue Boys J, the Aggies never would have won the 1939 7" National Championship. He probably is right for they played the Champs five days a week and got them ready for the upcoming game., It wasn't easy to make Captain Bubba's Blue Boy team either. Remember the time Dog 10 Dawson was demoted from a White Shirt and assigned to the Blue Boys because Coach Nor- ton thought he was sluffing off? When Dog re- ported to the Blue Boys Bubba got all over him and said, "Listen, you big so-and-so, if you can't make Coach Norton's team you sure as Hell can't make mine. Now go back and tell him I don't want you and why I don't." It was hard to tell who was the more surprised, Dog or Coach Norton when the message was delivered. Dog was switched back to the White Shirts and from then on he never had to face Bubba again. He put out to his full extent from then on. j Bubba also was very unselfish. Remember the time he asked Coach Norton to take him off the travelling squad for a West Coast game and instead take Howard Shelton in his place. "You aren't going to need me a but you might need Howard." Again Norton was astounded but complied and he was even more so when it turned out that Shelton was needed when the other centers were injured. All Bubba would have done was sit on the bench. Although only 5'-7" and weighing but 173 pounds Bones Irvin had recommended that this San Antonio Thomas Jefferson High School product be given a scholarship for even at his size Bubba had won All-District and All-City honors twice. In addition he was Texas State High School diving champ. Lil Dimmitt bought the deal and never regretted it for at A&M Bubba was invaluable as a leader and won two football and I two swimming letters. a In 1941 he married Marian Brockhausen, of San Antonio, and they have two sons. Eddie, now 23, lives in Florida, and Blair, now 18, just finished high school in San Antonio. The Reeves home is at 402 Thorain, San Antonio. He received his BS degree in Sociology and went to work for the King Furniture Co. which became a Stowers Store in San Antonio but after about 10 years with them he and his brother started an exterminating firm known as Reeves Pest Control in the mid-1950's. They since have expanded into the sale of agricultural chemicals. a For fun and a bit of profit Bubba is still working as a football official in Southwest Conference, Lone Star and other conferences. j Sorry but no Reeves family picture is available. 1969 1939 DR. LESTER S. "LES" RICHARDSON ' Les got to Texas A&M via Houston's Milby ` High School and Marshall Junior College r ` where he was All-Conference. A bad foulup~m in the transfer of his credits kept him from ` playing in 1939 although, as it turned out, he was eligible and this cost him his final year w n of eligibility. That year, however, he was one of the starting guards on Bubba's Blue Boys. He was a standout in the 1942 Cotton Bowl (Alabama) where he was sworn into the U.S. Navy Seabees at halftime. But for the clerical error it is quite likely that he would have be- come the fourth All-America product of Uncle Bill James. lec Before leaving for duty he and Becky Keathley, of Houston, were married in 1942. Les made Chief Carper- In ter's Mate in the Seabees while serving in the Pacific Theatre. Once back from service Les returned to Texas th, A&M to get his BS degree in Industrial Education. While coaching and serving as principal at A&M Con- C, solidated High School, he completed his work for a Master of Education degree at Texas A&M. Then by fo commuting to Houston at night and on weekends he finished the work to earn his Doctor of Education degree from the University of Houston. Meanwhile Becky was working on her degrees at the Houston school and H, now teaches in the Bryan High Schools. Br ou Les served as Superintendent of Schools at A&M Consolidated School District and at Cuero and Brazosport 1 SL for over 20 years. He also taught at the University of Houston and currently is a full professor at Texas x A&M. He came here in 1966. six he He and Becky had two daughters, Anne and Jean. Jean is married to Lt. (jg) Joe Natale and they have a he son, Michael David. Anne is married to John Parkin D. V.M., and they have a son, Thomas Scott. Les and Tc Becky make their home at 1212 Berkeley in College Station, Texas. He is a member of the '39ers Executive Ir Committee. V-1 k n w c t a r V a ifs. r a Les and Becky Richardson Baby Michael, Jean and Lt. (j.g.) Joe Natale Anne, Baby Scott and Capt. John Parkins, DVM 1939 MARSHALL FOCH "FOXEY" ROBNETT 1964 It has been said of Foxey that he could have made the 1939 team at any position and been All-American in doing it. We all recognize his greatness and deeply regret his passing. Marshall came to Texas A&M out of Cooper 1 High School although his home was in nearby e Klondike where he now is buried. In high y school and as a freshman he was a crashing fullback but Uncle Bill James made a guard of him in 1938. He majored in physical education in the hopes of becoming a coach but he never was able to finish the work toward his degree. In 1941 he married Edna Marie Rushing, of Crockett t 1 and a graduate of Crockett Business Col- lege, but this marriage ended with a divorce in 1948. They had no children. Carpen- In 1941 he played center for the then Chicago Cardinals and was named the Rookie-of-the-Year. He to Texas then entered military service but after one year of service and just before he was to enter Officers Training M Con- Camp his Fordham football knee injury led to his medical discharge. He rejoined the Cardinals and played Then by two more years before his other knee was torn up ending what promised to be a brilliant professional n degree football career. hool and He settled down in Bryan and went to work as a brick and masonry contractor. When a building slump hit Bryan he moved to Dallas where he continued in that field until he no longer was able to work strenuously owing to cancer of the lung. razosport at Texas Surgeons in the Veterans Administration Hospital in Dallas finally removed one lung and gave him less than six months to live. When told his chances were one in three he replied that he was the one. He made good that bet for he lived two more years. Finally after attending a 1939 Team reunion at the 1967 Baylor game he returned to the VA Hospital where he lived to see the Aggies play Texas on TV. A few days later he y have a passed on. Co-captain Rev. Joe Boyd conducted his funeral services and 19 of his old teammates were there. Les and To them he was the greatest. Executive In 1969 he was elected to the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame. V " - k T : ~ -f y 6 vti r. # `c 9 r : 4 ~ - gin„ .R $ ' t. John The Robnett Family-Sisters Naomi and Myrtle; Brothers Ed, Marshall, Carroll, N. J. and Hoyle. 1939 1969 WILLIAM EDWARD "ED" ROBNETT, SR.' Ed, brother of Marshall, was a double duty player working at guard and as blocking back on the 1939 National Champions to win his p° ) letter. At 5'-9" and weighing 190 pounds he had to be great to No. 2 at both spots. Although the family lived at Klondike he came out of Cooper High School with three letters each in football and basketball. He won his ' Freshman numeral as a blocking back but did not try basketball. Although eligible he did not return to school in 1940 but went to work in- stead. He did not reenter college until after WWII when he attended Texas Tech and won his two letters as a fullback. He received his BS degree from Tech in 1947 and then played one season pro football with the San Francisco '49ers. In 194 he way He taught school briefly and then joined the Soil Conservation Service but resigned to enter business for himself as a dealer in agricultural supplies. In 1956 he began contracting to build underground irrigation systems and has In of A 191 expanded that field. Currently he is a designer of irrigation, water, flood control and salt water disposal systems of Mit and still deals in agricultural supplies. In 1943 he married Doralene Flanagan, of Lubbock and a graduate of Texas Tech. They had three sons, one I From daughter, now Mrs. Nancy Elizabeth Bizzell who teaches in elementary grades. William Ed, Jr., is in his Junior year now F at Tech; Stephen Webb is in Midland High School; and little Jeffrey Todd is in elementary grades where Mama This y Doralene now teaches. The Ed Robnetts live at 1116 Ainslee St., in Midland, Texas. of Fan F h r k. `M 4, a , The Ed Robnett Family Front Row: Papa Ed, Mama Doralene and Jeffrey. Back Row: William Ed, Jr., Mrs. Nancy Bizzell and Stephen. 1939 1969 CULLEN J. "SLICK" ROGERS ~ Slick was the third of the Rogers family to win their letters at Texas A&M. Uncle ''Lefty'' won his as a baseball pitcher in 1923-25. x" Brother Owens won his football letters in 1936- 38, and our Slick got his two in football in 1941-42 and three in baseball in 1941-43. He made Class B All-State as a Mart High School quarterback but had the misfortune to reach varsity eligibility only to find Price, Pugh and Jeffry all stacked up ahead of him so he was held out in 1939. i He did quarterback the Blue Boys and each week took a beating as the next opponent's signal caller. It was a tough schedule he played. in 1947 In 1942 he received his BA degree in Liberal Arts and shortly afterwards went on active military duty. When he was discharged in 1945 he held the rank of Ist Lt. himself and has In 1945 he married Doris Barganier, of Marlin and a graduate of Baylor University. They had three children systems of which Jim, the eldest, is a Senior at the University of Texas. Johnny is a Sophomore at the University of Mississippi and sister Beth is a Senior at Mart High School. The Rogers home is at 516 Sunset in Marlin. ions, one From 1948-1958 Slick had a wholesale gasoline distributorship but finally decided to switch to insurance. He for year now has his own general insurance business at Marlin and has developed quite a sizeable agency. e Mama This year he was elected to a two-year term on the Selection Committee of the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame. AAL- Xim A W4-* ry, e gag k I '4. Mama Doris Papa Jim Slick Rogers Johnny Beth is shown above J 1939 1969 Ldp G JOHN WESLEY "DOUGH" ROLLINS v: If ever any football team had a second father 1 Ole Dough would have to be that man. Whether it be love or homesickness, low grades, misbehavior, or you name it you ' know you could count on Dough to help you out in times of need. In those lean financial years he doubled as° Business Manager of Athletics, football end coach, head track coach, scout and father confessor for all his boys. Who among us never had need for his kind counsel and help? As a back himself he made the 1916 AII- SWC team and was one of the Class of 1917 Joe re sworn into the Army as a 2nd Lt., Infantry in WWI, instead of taking the final exams. He also got his His ac BS in Agriculture at the same time. He made Captain after service in France. Belgium and Germany. A Croix bear for punishment he went back in WWII in the Tank Destroyers and was a Lt. Colonel when he was separated from the service in 1945. When Agricu Back at Texas A&M he became Dean of Men and held that job until the big blowup in 1947. He returned to for Br East Texas State University as Dean of Men and still was on that job until retirement caught up with him in county 1963. and tF quarte In 1920 he married Bessie Mae Chancey, of Hondo, who was attending Wesley College in Greenville where Dough was the coach. They had one daughter, Betty Jack "Jackie," now Mrs. Robert H. "Bobby" Taylor, In 194 Jr. The Taylors have a daughter Lila Bess Warley and a son, Robert, III, and all live in Houston. Dough and Bess is now live at 2311 Mayor in Commerce, Texas. 3703 S Dough came to A&M from East Texas State in 1935 and coached until WWII in 1942. He says he is justly proud of all his boys but for pure guts that pound for pound little Herbie Smith was the greatest man ever to play football. Anyone disagree? o.F . v. ,mom r~ Jackie Bobby, Jr pii r. rt I A.. Dough Bess Lila Bess Bobby, III The Dough Rollins Clan 1939 1969 n • JOE H. "HONDO" ROTHE Here was a guy who liked to live dangerously. w As a blocking back and linebacker on the Blue Boys Hondo was one of two men on that team who could bring down Big John Kim- brough without getting killed. Bubba Reeves. ' was the other. At Hondo High School Joe was a three sport man winning letters in football, baseball and track, captaining all three teams and mak- ing All-District in each and added All-Regional in baseball. At Texas A&M he also was a 1 standout in baseball. i Joe received his BS degree in Agricultural Economics in 1942 and his 2nd Lt. commission at the same time. got his His active duty in WWII found him in Europe and when he came back he held the Bronze Star and the French nany. A Croix de Guerre and was a Colonel. More living dangerously. he was When he came out of the service he joined the Texas Agricultural Extension Service as an Assistant County Agricultural Agent in Lavaca County. He was there one year before being promoted to be County Agent rued to for Brown County and was there until 1954 when he was appointed District Agricultural Agent for a two- him in county area with headquarters in the Research and Extension Center at Weslaco. He stayed there two years and then moved to Richmond to be the District Agent. In 1962 he returned to the College Station Head- where quarters of the Extension Service to become State Agricultural Agent. Taylor, In 1944 he married Lee Humphries, of Columbia, S. C. and they had a son and a daughter named Judy, who nd Bess is now Mrs. Jim Chiles. Joe M. is now attending Bryan High School. The Rhode family makes its home at 3703 Sweetbriar St., Bryan, Texas. s justly n ever * s b: Jr. r ':s r:. III Joe M. and Papa Joe H, and Mama Lee Rohe. Mr. & Mrs. Jim Chiles 1939 1969 WILLIAM O. "CHIP" ROUTT f 22 1939 was not the year for promising right tackles to win a starting berth at that spot since a guy named Joe Boyd was there and was destined to win All-America honors that° year. Chip did win the understudy role and won his second football letter. After 1939 he took over and no prospect ever moved him out of his lob. His rough and rugged lob. play < was reminiscent of that which won All-America ~S honors for his brother Joe at guard in 1936 and 1937. Although the Routt ranch was in Chapel Hill he attended nearby Brenham High School where he won three football letters and made could All-District as a Senior. At Texas A&M he won his Freshman numerals and three varsity football "T" 's. differ In 1941 Chip received his BS degree in Physical Education intending to be a coach but WWII interfered Pann, and he went on active duty in the Air Force. By the end of the war he was a Captain and since has risen letter to Lt. Colonel in the Air Force Reserve. In IS When he came off active duty in 1946 he went to work for the Longhorn Portland Cement Co., as a sales bein( representative in the Houston area. He resigned to join Halliburton Portland Cement Co. in 1952 and Most trop although that firm sold out to Centex Cement Corp., of Dallas, they must have sold Chip along with the other assets for he is still with them. He has his headquarters in Victoria where he has been for the past 20 Follo yea rs. 1942 In 1942 he married Mavanee Warner of Bryan. They had two children. Their daughter, Mavanee, is now Mrs. the Wilson Lee Hudson. The son, Joe E. Routt, is a student at Tech College in Provo, Utah. The Routts live at is sti 2703 North Ben Jordan St., in Victoria, Texas. Whe to ( up c COIL He port ondi x Sinc any deta j Am,x; 101" _ ail 01 ~'11W1~ I 1 •t •I 1 1. I I.~ Chip and Mavanee Rout+ 1939 MARTIN O. "RUBE" RUBY - When Martin Ruby failed to make the start- ing team in 1939 everyone should have known . that the Texas Aggies must be headed for the National Championship. Today it is hard to realize that this future twice All-America and :r All-Pro tackle couldn't move Ernie Pannell or ter Joe Boyd out of those spots. Any team that Ruby couldn't make just had to be great. ` Rube was a product of Waco High School where he won his letters in football, basketball and track making the All-District teams in both of his main sports twice. At Texas A&M he was the standout Freshman lineman in 1938 and in the 1939 Spring training the coaches couldn't see how he could miss being a starter. One thing they overlooked was that Ernie and Joe had different ideas about anyone moving in on them so Ruby had to be content to serve as the first backup for interfered Pannell at left tackle and still couldn't move him out in 1940. In both years, however, he did play enough to has risen letter. In 1941 there was no question as to whom would play that position. He not only moved in but ended up as s a sales being named to the All-Southwest Conference team, got some All-America recognition and was named the 952 and Most Valuable lineman in the SWC by the Houston Post along with teammate Derace Moser, who won the with the trophy as the Best Back. The team elected him and Marshall Spivey as co-captains. past 20 Following his great college career he joined the Air Force and played for the Randolph Field Flyers in 1942 and made All-America for the first time. He also played in the January 1, 1943 Cotton Bowl in 1now Mrs. the 7-7 tie game with the University of Texas. He was named to the All-Time Cotton Bowl team and is live at is still on it. He later starred and made All-America at March Field. When he left the service he signed to play professional football with the Los Angeles Rams but later went to Canada to play for Edmonton. He stayed there until his ultimate retirement. Meanwhile he had built up considerable business interests in Canada and still lives there at Route I, Box 8, Salmon Arm, British i Columbia. He returned to Texas A&M off-season to complete the work for his BS degree in Physical Education and re- ports were that he later got his Master of Science degree in the same subject planning to coach in the sec- ondary schools. Since he did not return his biographical data a complete rundown on him is not available, nor are there any recent pictures of him or the family. Perhaps we should have sent his old roomie, Bubba Reeves, on this detail. 1939 1969 J. HOWARD PARD SHELTON An outstanding center at Hillsboro High School, Shelton arrived at Texas A&M when E All-Staters were available at nearly every , ' position. Most of his first year was with the - Blue Boys as the center on "next week's team." rt, He took his lumps and then moved up to win r his letter. In his Senior year he served as President of the T Association. A brilliant student he had extra team worth as a tutor in tough math courses. He received his BS degree in Electrical Engineering in 1941 and also became a 2nd Lt. and headed for i active duty. When he came back he was a Lt. Colonel with the Bronze Star, Combat the r Infantryman's Badge and several Battle Stars for his service in Europe. plays P j i plays Upon discharge he and Jake Fawcett (SMU) were partners in a business firm in Hillsboro and when they verte sold out Howard entered the banking field with the Federal Land Bank with service in Hillsboro and Houston. In 1959 he became Asst. Vice-President of the Bank of the Southwest in Houston covering their Snri correspondent banks. In 1963 he became President of the Texas National Bank in Temple and in 1966 moved he si on to be President of the Gateway National Bank in Fort Worth where he still is. letter In 1962 he married Nan Blasdel, of Richmond and a graduate of the Texas Women's College School of Nursing In 11 at Denton. She and Howard have two girls now. Mary Katherine (Kathy) is attending Arlington Heights High He ~ School and Carolyn Ann is attending kindergarten and dancing school in Fort Worth. They live at 6454 Sumac Clot[ Road in Fort Worth, Tex. in Bra Howard is president of the 1939 National Champions group and has been ever since it was formed. In 1' had EF ~r fi M1 Standing: Nan and Kathy-Seated: Carolyn and Howard Shelton 1939 EARL BAMA SMITH 1969 Many players make the All-America teams » y but how many can you name who caused the Football Rules Committee to rewrite the 1 Rule Book? Bama did just that when he was the receiver on the hideout play that Texas A&M pulled on the Longhorns in the 1939 game. It was the play that was the turning *,,r 14 point in the game that was 0-0 at the end of the first half. r ~ For those who have forgotten or never knew, ` the Aggies, for a change, elected to receive to open the second half and Barra had been subbed in at an end post. Cotton Price re ceived and was downed on the A&M 30. On the next play Bama did not join the huddle but stood inside the sidelines and onside the line. The snap went to Price and he passed deep to Bama who finally was overhauled by Gilly Davis on the Texas 26. Three plays later it was Price to Jim Sterling, who had subbed back in for Bama, for the TD. Rock Audish con- n they verted to make it 7-0 and break the game open. and 13 their Smith came to Texas A&M from Frisco City (Ala.) being recruited by a friend of Homer Norton when moved he saw some of Bama's great play there. At A&M he won two football lefters and added three track letters as a sprinter. ursin In 1941 he received his BS degree in Physical Education but was off to WWII before he could take a job. High He was a Ist Lt., Infantry, when the war ended. He came back to Bryan and for a while worked for W-S-D Sumac Clothiers but left them in 1951 to open his own Smith's Phillips 66 Service Station at 507 Texas Ave., in Bryan and still is there. In 1942 he married Katherine Mousner, of Bryan, who is now teaching in the Bryan schools. They never had any children and make their home at 2805 Tabor Road in Bryan, Tex. g A` r ^ 77 9 # I ~ ~ o Zoom Bama and Katherine Smith 1939 HERBERT EVERETT "HERBIE" SMITH "Pound for pound Herbie Smith was the greatest end football ever saw,'' is the way he has been described by football historians. In his final game played in the Sugar Bowl against Tulane, January I, 1940, Herbie really put the frosting on his cake. His performance that day won him a spot on the All-Time Sugar Bowl team and Arl* he is still there. . Although his program weight showed 173 pounds Smitty never topped 160 and the day of the Sugar Bowl game he went on the field weighing only 150. Also remember that he stood only 5'-10'' which was very small for an end in his time. He was a midget in stature but a giant in ability and determination. On New Year's Eve the team had attended a dinner party in Biloxi. The menu included shrimp which did not agree with Herbie and he was up all night vomiting. Enroute to New Orleans the next morning the bus had to stop several times when he became sick again. That sickness carried over until he went on the field and there was a question of up e playing him in his weakened condition but he did play and how. Man Facing him on offense was Tulare's giant 6'-5", 235-pound All-America tackle, Harry McCollum, who had I whet boasted all week about how he would pulverize ''that little guy.'' What happened was that after Dog Daw- ter . son kicked off Smitty subbed in and played all of the remaining 59 minutes of the game. What happened year to McCullom was that after the first few plays Herbie turned to Ernie Pannell and said, "Ernie, you get that linebacker. I can take care of this big SOB all by myself,'' and he did. McCollum was so helpless In I that he was jerked from the game and in all played only 22 minutes. The question- Who got pulverized? in PI the Smitty caught four of the five passes thrown to him good for 37 yards and three first downs; recovered Mrs. a blocked Tulane punt; returned a kickoff for 30 yards; and blocked Tulane's try for the extra point burn after their second TD thereby avoiding what could have been a tie game. His final pass reception for 11 yards was lateraled off to Big John Kimbrough who went the other 16 yards for the tying score. The suc- Sina cessful conversion by Cotton Price made the winning score 14-13 and cinched the Aggies No. I Team and rating. Dep Smith was a product of San Angelo High School where he made All-District twice and in 1935 made the All- State team. He made three letters at Texas A&M, was tri-co-captain of the 1939 team and was selected for the All-Southwest Conference team that same year. He received his BS degree in Physical Education in 1940 and went on active duty at once. He transferred in rank to the Air Force to become a fighter pilot but was killed when his training plane, which had been disabled in the air, crashed within a few hundred yards of the landing strip at Middleton, Pa. on Septem- ber 22, 1942. He never had married so left no family of his own. He lies buried in San Angelo, Texas, where the Smith-Bryant American Legion Post is named in his honor. His name is in nomination for the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame. Some day he will be accorded that honor also. N 1939 1969 MANNING FARR SMITH A Little All-America back at Centenary under Coach Homer Norton, Manning came to Texas ► A&M with Norton in 1934 as an assistant coach x and backfield demonstrator. Primarily that title+ included teaching hipper-dipper running and ef- fective punting but it grew to include sketching' up the plays, cutting the stencils, running them, - . , assembling the play books of the week, drawing up those big play placards used on the field, running the movie camera on game days and then operating the projector at the meetings during the week. When "not busy" he was work- ing on his MS in Chemistry. To measure his ability as a punting coach just recall how the imes ball had to come back belt high with the laces n of up and then kicked toward the coffin corner to prevent long runbacks. Less than 50 percent were returned. Manning remained on the staff until the 1947 upheaval which put him and Nita into the dance school business. b had when the Navy sent in a contingent of radar students they also froze Manning on a physical fitness program. Af- (Daw- ter the Navy program ended he did get to see a little service in the Merchant Marine. During the WWII :fened years he also coached the varsity basketball team. p get pless In 1939 he married Juanita (Nita) Cowsert, of Junction and a graduate of the University of Texas with a BS zed? in Physical Education. They had a son, Manning DeWitt, a graduate of Texas A&M and now a career Captain in the USAF assigned to NASA projects. "Dee" has two daughters. Their daughter, Helen Sherrill "Sherry", is now yered Mrs. Laurence Frisk and she and her husband are both Seniors at Texas A&M. Manning and Nita live at 1 104 Ash- point burn in College Station, Tex. br I I suc- Since leaving A&M Manning and Nita have operated their dance school which features square and round dancing ~eam and have won international renown. They have made several trips abroad with some sponsored by the U. S. State Dept. All- fed " rred }peen Ifem- 4 i xas, lded At L Y e d % Manning and Nita Smith "Dee", Stacy Ann, Amy and Karen Smith "Sherry" and "Larry" Frisk 1939 1969 MARSHALL SPIVEY M An All-State blue chip back from Lufkin High t y " ' School, Marshall chose Texas A&M over about" K. any school you can mention. Coach Norton held him in such high regard that he assigned _ ti Dick Todd's No. 25 jersey to him. Before he fin- f ished his career he. had justified that early 131 judgment winning three football and one,track letter as a sprinter. Although not a 1939 start- er he did break in as an understudy to the III I~ Moser-Conatser combination and lettered. In 1941 he and Martin Ruby were co-captains. He received his BS degree in Agricultural Eco- nomics in 1942 majoring in Marketing and Fi- nance. He also was commissioned a 2nd Lt., QMC and went to duty at once. He served in Europe and had risen to Major before his discharge in 1946. more That year he married Etta L. Mitchell, of Lexington, Ky., a graduate of Mary Washington University. He also en- Sterl tered the Texas University Law School where he received his L.L.B. degree in 1948. He first entered practice with Coui State Senator Bill Moore in Bryan but after two years moved to Tyler where he is now a member of the firm of the I Wilson, Miller, Spivey and Steger with offices in the Peoples National Bank Building. He ~ Etta and Marshall had two daughters, Sharon, the older, is a graduate of the Texas University School of Nurs- In IS ing and is a RN. Marsa Carol is a Freshman now at TCU. The Spivey family lives at 1709 McDonald Road in CON Tyler. ried Fred He has served on the Executive Committee of the 1939 National Champions group ever since it was organized and is its counsel without pay. Jim cons w f~* v R" 4 WE 4, 4 a n a Mama E#a Sharon Marsa Carol Papa Marshall Spivey shown above. 1939 JAMES R. "JIM" STERLING 1969 Coaches Homer Norton and Dough Rollins saw 7 such bright prospects in Jim that they moved him up to a starting end over several more ex- ; perienced lettermen. From the 1939 Villanova x game no one was about to take that job away. r. " Proof is that he missed All-SWC in 1939 but did make it in 1940-41. Jim came to Texas A&M with high credentials from Panhandle High School where he had been 1"`"r4 a five-sport man lettering in football, basket- ball, baseball, track and tennis and making All- ?tin State Class B in football in 1937. At A&M he played only football passing up all the others. He and Derace Moser were the only two Sopho- 1946. mores to make the 1939 starting team although there were several on the squad who won their letters that year. 9 en- Sterling received his BS degree in 1942 majoring in Animal Husbandry and Agronomy planning on becoming a 9 with County Agricultural Agent but during WWII his ideas changed. He was commissioned a 2nd Lt. and headed for n of the Pacific Theatre where he served with the Ist Cavalry Div. which did great work in the Philippines and Japan. He was a Major when he came home well decorated. urs- In 1947 he married Sparky Roberts, of Panhandle who had attended Colorado University and West Texas State in College. They have three children with Dan, the oldest, now a Senior at North Texas State University and mar- ried with a son, Kenny. Mark is in the Corps and a Junior at Texas A&M; and Jean, the only daughter, is a Freshman at Southern State College at Magnolia, Ark. The Sterling home is at 3904 Olive, Texarkana, Texas. ized Jim is Vice-President and General Manager of the H. E. Wright & Co., of Texarkana, Texas, a firm engaged in the construction business. a n a t a d Jim Sparky The Sterlings Sandy, Dan and Kenny Mark Jean 1939 1969 JAMES NEAL "JIM" THOMASON - After Lil Dimmitt signed Jim Thomason out of `i x;_, Brownwood High School he became a key man ;s. x~} e ~ in recruiting that 1937 crop of blue chip fresh- " t men. His itch was, ''Let's all o to Texas A&M where they have nothing. If we stick together we can win the Southwest Conference cham- pionship.'' With such help A&M got 37 of the 40 boys they sought. Those who did come through did even better than Jim promised. They won the National Championship in 1939 and the SWC title in 1939 and 1940. Jim wound up as All-SWC blocking back in 1939-40 and was co-captain with Vaughn of the 1940 team. He is still honored as Best Blocker in the on tc Cotton Bowl. so gr Jim received his BS degree in Accounting and Statistics in 1941 and was commissioned 2nd Lt., Inf. He transferred tains in rank to the Air Force and flew 62 combat missions in bombers in Europe and the Pacific. He came out as a Captain with the Purple Heart, Air Medal with six Clausters and many other ribbons for his chest. He transl si He played one year of pro football with the Detroit Lions but quit to get started in his insurance and accounting a Caf career. He did graduate study in Insurance at the University of Houston while living there. There In 1947 he married Marilyn Maddox Routt, of Houston and former student at the University of Houston. Recent- Gran] ly she has been studying at Blinn JC in Brenham and got her Licensed Vocational Nurse certificate this year. over They are the parents of five daughters. The eldest, Mrs. Marilyn Locke is the mother of two and lives in Conroe; ton v Mrs. Rosanna Devemark now lives in Los Angeles, Calif.; Jeaneal is with the telephone company in Brenham. In 19 Elizabeth is a Junior in Brenham High School; and Margaret (Meg) is in elementary school. This year Jim was elected to the Selection Committee of the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame and also is in nomination himself. Kay i in He u " 1, "All r r r.~ bra" Seated: Jim & Marilyn Thomason Grandchildren Leanne and James Locke. Standing: Janeal, Elizabeth and Mary Margaret 1939 TOMMIE "NOISE" VAUGHN 1969 Defense quarterback at center and sparkplug of the 1939 National Champions, Tommie did so well in diagnosing plays and calling the proper defense that the team set a new Na- tional Defense record allowing the opponents but 1.71 yards per play run. Of course the other 10 men did their share of creating that record. Tommie came to Texas A&M from Brownwood High School because his buddy, Jim Thomason, asked that he be given a scholarship so the I two could stay together. It was either Vaughn or Stewart Clarkson for the second center to be signed so Noise got the call. Clarkson went on to become Little All-America at Texas A&I but at no time would the Aggie coaches have swapped even up so great was Vaughn. He deserved the high honors which never came to him. He and Thomason were co-cap- =erred tains of the 1940 team. ~ut as He received his BS degree in 1941 majoring in Marketing & Finance. He also was commissioned 2nd. Lt. Inf. but transferred in rank to the Air Corps. When he left the service after five years including the Pacific Theatre he was inting a Captain and a much decorated one as well. There seemed to have been a Ford in Tommie's future for as soon as discharged he took over a Ford agent at _ Granbur. , Tex. and was th y lcent y ere three years. The Ford Company convinced him to move to Los Angeles and take year. over the Lincoln-Mercury dealership there. Seven years away from Texas was enough so he came back to Hous- >nroe; ton where he set up the Tommie Vaughn Motors-Ford dealership and after 13 years it is still growing. sham. In 1943 he married Helen Jean Kiker, of Houston who attended both Rice and Texas. They had two daughters. t was mself. Kay is now Mrs. Frederick J. Boone, and they have a daughter, Alicia. Jean Ellen is attending Lee High School in Houston. The Vaughns live at 5513 Russett Drive. a Ii0 sue! f f ~ rtj ~ 4 a + I OFF `ills iA f" f; w y l l E Ss, .ww.,..~ n t ~ a cr r ~ Jean Ellen, Tommie and Helen Vaughn. Kay, Alicia Kay and Frederick Boone 1939 COLONEL THOMAS EUEL "PAPPY" WESSON, USA 1969 Pappy Wesson came to Texas A&M from Tem- ple High School in 1938 as the No. I blue chip footballer of that year. Standing 6'-4" and weighing 225 pounds he had made his All- Districtteams for three years and was unanimous choice for All-State in his Senior year of 1937. In addition to his football record he also was a good track man and basketball player. There was hardly a college which did not do its best to recruit this big boy. Although he had been a fullback that job at A&M was filled up so Uncle Bill James drafted Pappy for line duty. Not sure as to where he could use Wesson's size to the best advantage he worked him at end, tackle, guard and center but it was as a tackle that he won his three letters. On more than one occasion he was sent in as a back and also did punting and kickoffs. His 47.8 punt average work was tops in the SWC but he did not have sufficient punts to qualify as No. I. In IS In 1942 he received his BS degree in Sociology and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. FA and went on active duty USN immediately. After 27 years he is still there. Only difference is that now he is a Colonel and Chief, Force Struc- pine ture Division, Operations Directorate, Hqs. US Army Europe. You mention the place and Pappy probably has Navy been there. He has attended and taught at all the Army Advanced Schools including the Army War College. That His string of medals and decorations is most impressive. with The same year he got his degree and commission he also got himself a wife, the former Nora Nettles, of Temple Quin and graduate of Temple Junior College. They had one daughter, Ann, who is now attending Texas Christian Mule University in Fort Worth. Current Wesson address is 31 South Gettysburg (Patrick Henry Village, Heidelberg, signs Germany.) APO New York, N. Y. 09403. own he s 1; r d and ~a I nk v ~ Nora and Pappy Wesson with Ann in the picture between them. 1939 FINIS L. "MULEY" WHITE 1969 Muley was one of those 37 blue chip high school gridders the Aggies got in the 1937 harvest. He played at Cleburn High School where he won three letters each in football as an end and in baseball as a catcher. He was a starter at end on the North team in the Annual Texas High School Coaches All-Star game.` At 5'-11" and weighing 210 prounds he hardly fit the blue print specifications for an Aggie ' end so Uncle Bill James took him over for development as an interior lineman and held him out in 1938 for this purpose. He worked at letters. tackle and guard but also did some occasional work as a blocking back on the Blue Boys. erage In 1941 he received his BS degree in Sociology and accepted a U.S. Navy commission and was a Lieutenant duty USNR when he left the service. He was on station in the Pacific area participating in four battles and the Philip- Struc- pine Liberation. He was awarded the Purple Heart along with the other decorations he received. He left the ly has Navy in 1946. Ilege. That same year he married Lela E. Sims, of Los Angeles, Calif., and a graduate of the UCLA School of Nursing with a degree as a Registered Nurse. They have had no children and now make their home at 1604 South 'emple Quincey St., Tulsa, Okla. lb D, Muley's first job was with Cabell's of Dallas, working out of McKinney as Field Superintendent. In 1949 he re- signedto move to Tulsa, Okla., where he got into the sand and gravel business. Three years later he formed his own company, the Mohawk Rock and Sand Co., of which he is owner and General Manager. As a sideline he says that he and Lela enjoy their cattle ranching activities near Tulsa. I "tA , } J Muley and Lela White 1939 COLONEL JOE R. "JO-JO" WHITE, USAF, RET'D 1969 Jo-Jo, a product of Amarillo High School, was a standout in football, basketball and track but played only football at Texas A&M. 1 He won his letters in 1937-38 at end and was - counted upon as one of the starters there in 1939. The injuries he had received in 1938 slowed him down and by the time he was ° r• ready his old job had been filled. He didg much backup duty to win his third letter with the 1939 National Champions. He received his BS degree in Petroleum Engi- neering in 1940 and that same year married Marjorie Jones, of Bryan who had attended Baylor University. They had two sons and one daughter. Captain Tom is a graduate of West Point and current- The e ly working on his MS in Math at Rensselear Polytechnic Inst.'Lee is with Westinghouse in Baltimore, and daughter ing u1 "Kim" is now the wife of Lt. Russell Hanna stationed at Ft. Belvoir. He graduated at A&M. a lett Upon graduation Joe went to the Far East oil fields but the Army called him to active duty as 2nd Lt. FA. He ra He later transferred to the Air Force and was a Colonel USAF when he retired in 1966. In his career he served Unive as Chief Engineer, Air Force Construction Agency-, Director of Maintenance, Hqs. USAF, among the many assignments. He also took time to acquire his MS in Aeronautical Engineering at Princeton. His medals include In 19, the Legion of Merit twice, six Commendation Ribbons and as he puts it "other fruit salad" for his service. of Ec doing Since retirement he is a life, underwriter and a consulting engineer for Spencer J. Buchanan & Associates in Bryan. Rand The family home is at 703 Hereford in College Station, Texas. He says he also fishes a lot now. Pinke, invest t AM 4 As d S Marjorie and Jo-Jo White 1939 GEORGE "PINKIE" WILLIAMS, JR. 1969 When the Aggies landed Pinkie Williams from Eldorado High School they got the player named as Most Valuable on the South All-Star team in 1938. As a triple-threat tailback he was F to be the successor to Dookie Pugh who worked - with him. Here was a blue chip with All-Amer- . NN ica potential. He was great as a Freshman but then came the 1939 opener with Oklahoma A&M. Early in that game all hopes of that great career ended for Pinkie. He had a severe shoulder , injury requiring surgery and was out for the _ rest of 1939. It was expected that he would recover by 1940 but that was not to happen. :urrent- The end of the line had come for him as a player. His scholarship would have been continued without show- iughter ing up but he wouldn't have it that way so he became an assistant to Lil Dimmitt. Such devotion eventually won him a letter. FA. He received his BS degree in Agricultural Education in 1942 and later added his Master of Education at Trinity served University while serving as coach-teacher-administrator in the San Antonio schools. many include In 1946 he married Dorothy Lee, of San Antonio who had earned her BS in Education at Trinity and her Master /ice. of Education at the Incarnate Word Academy. They had two sons and a daughter. John Lee, A&M Ex, is doing graduate work there in Chemistry. Gayle Karen, the daughter, is a Junior at Texas University and George JBryan. Randal is now a Fish at Texas A&M. The Williams family lives at 3102 Hitching Post Lane, San Antonio. Pinkey has quit the field of education for his own general insurance firm and keeps busy with some other investments he has in San Antonio. DIY FRI` e , Seated: Dorothy & Pinkey Williams; Standing: John "Rocky", George "Randy" and Gayle Williams. 1939 JAMES MAURICE "COTTON" WILLIAMS 1944 Cotton landed at Texas A&M via Marlin High School and Texas Military College after being an outstanding athlete at both of his schools. At TMC he was the captain of his football team and named Most Valuable Athlete in his Senior years. He arrived at Aggieland in 1939 but he lacked sufficient credits to be eligible that year so was assigned to the Blue Boys. He had the perfect specifications of an end at 6'-2" and 192 pounds in weight and it was end he played. Each week he portrayed the upcoming op- ponent's top pass catcher and always gave the Aggie defenders a busy time attempting to break up or intercept passes intended for him. A normally quiet man, Cotton liked to kid Champs that it Byro was his part in developing them that led them to make 28 interceptions that year. He was eligible in 1940 his L but the end posts were well filled by lettermen but he did get in a fair share of relief duty. He lettered later. form of J( In 1942 he received his BA degree in Liberal Arts and was commissioned a 2nd Lt. Inf. going on active duty immediately. He served with great distinction with the 313th Infantry of the 79th Division in Europe winning the Mari Silver Star and Purple Heart. He gave his life for his country on June 19, 1944 after having landed in France Have with the D-Day invasion forces. Lelia After graduation in 1942 he married Norma Jo Smith, of Bremond. They had one son, Michael "Mike" Keith Wil- She liams, who was born after Cotton was sent overseas and never had the chance to see his father. He is now a computor-programmer in the Texas State Comptroller's Office in Austin and makes his home at 5000 North Byro Lamar in that city. Wat' i I tb; r AM ,F 4 - ~ s Ail Michael "Mike" Keith Williams 1939 GEORGE BYRON "LEFTY" WINSTEAD 1969 Ever since Byron departed Texas A&M in 1947, another casualty of the big blowup, his itinerary M11- must have been booked by a travel agent. He first bought into a radio Station in Corpus Christi but sold out to the USDA. He i 77 worked in Mexico combatting the hoof and mouth disease in cattle for three years. In 1951 he moved over to the State Depart- ment and his assignments took him to Nica- ragua assigned to the U. S. Information Agency. Subsequent stops were back to Wash- _ ington, Guatemala, Paraguay and Port of Spain, Trinidad. He is now back in Washington awaiting retirement in 1971. Byron graduated from Heights High School in Houston in 1918 and then went to Texas A&M where he received his LA Degree in 1922. He then worked for several newspapers before landing at Texas A&M as Director of In- formation in 1938. In 1932 he married Louise Folk, of Houston, and graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism with her BS degree in that field. They had two daughters, Majorie Louise and Lelia Katherine. Marjorie married a Cuban and until Castro took over, she and her husband, two sons and a daughter, lived in Havana. They all escaped to Miami where she still lives but is now Mrs. Devel Veerkamp. I Lelia is now Mrs. Gene Brooks, whose husband is with the A. I. D. program and currently is stationed in Bankok. She is the mother of two girls. They anticipate a return to Washington this Fall. Byron and Louise now live at A-811 Columbia Plaza, 2301 E Street NW, Washington, DC., where he is Senior Watch Officer, Operations Center, USIA. Sofia Sariol Ernest Sariol z ~ tF . £ I 1 dt .p t Marjorie and Billy Sariol Lelia & Jenifer Brooks Marcy, Lelia and Gene Brooks and Louise Devel Veerkamp Winstead Papa Byron shown above ( f( 1969 1939 FRANK Mr ((FIM(( WOOD, JR. Following a brilliant career at San Angelo High ro` School where he won his letters in track and ' football Fim ended his Senior year by being x p+ elected Cactain of his football team and mak-`ing All-District selections. Another pair of stars - on this team where the late Herbie Smith t (A&M) and Bobby Kellog (Tulane). ~ ,.tom At Texas A&M Fim's weight of 173 pounds u was a definite handicap as a fullback so he A 'A -A found his nick as a punting specialist. In 1939 he led the SWC with an average of 50.0 per kick but unfortunately the substitution rules did not allow for him to be in the game with any regularity. Also backing up Kimbrough at full- back did not allow for much playing time. He did win his letter as a specialist, however. Fim received his BS degree in Animal Husbandry in 1940 and went out to West Texas to begin ranching. WWII came up and he was called to active duty as a 2nd Lt later transferring to the Air Force and when he left the service he was a Captain. He spent his entire military career as a trainer of pilots. Following his discharge he returned to West Texas and resumed his business of cattle and sheep ranching and is still in that same enterprise out at Sanderson, Texas. In 1940 he married May Helen Ede, of San Angelo, Texas and a former student of TCU. They have four children with Joan, the only daughter and oldest of the four, now Mrs. Robert Grimes, wife of a career USAF pilot. Mike is a Junior at Texas A&Mi Boyd is attending San Angelo State College; and Jack is still in high school at Sanderson. The Woods live on their ranch outside Sanderson but Fim says if you will give him a call he will direct you how to reach his Box 203 address. 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