HomeMy WebLinkAboutTexas A&M University - Oral HistoryTEXAS A &M UNIVERSITY
Oral Histroy Report
INTERVIEWEE: Luther G. Jones
INTERVIEWER: Charles R. Schultz
SUBJECT: Interviewee's autobiography with emphasis on life as a
student at Texas A &M
PLACE:
TIME: 1:30 p.m.
DATE: August 22, 1974
CRS: First, Dr. Jones, tell us something about your early life, including
the names and dates and places of births of your parents; something about
your parents, if you can remember, and then the place and date of your
birth, and the schools you attended before you went off to college.
LGJ: Starting in with my parents; Father was born almost in Galveston.
It happened early in New York, City, and his mother had to get down. to
to get into Galveston, where my grandfather, who went to Galveston in
1838 %6' watchmaker, held forth as a defense captain. She was on a
sailing vessel and got into port and they couldn't find him. Finally,
they looked around and found that �in those days, they wore the hooped
skirt he was under the hooped skirt. And the life during the_Civil War
was rather uneventful, but after that, the family, his family, father's
family, moved up into Saratoga, New York, where he had some property and
when I:q° Father got old enough, he went to a college, what was a small
Presbyterian college in Princeton, New Jersey. As soon as he got out, he
came into Texas, because he couldn't get Galveston out of his mind. But,
the competition was so heavy, that he went up to San Marcos, in 1883,
- 1
:r
11
CRS: At one point, they called them casuals.
LGJ: Casuals, yeah.
CRS: So, you had a separate dining area within Sbisa for meals.
LGJ: Yes sir.
CRS: �elieve, I picked up Dim a newspaper clipping in our fiAls, that
you se ed a number of years on the College Station City Council.
LGJ: Yes sir, I was on t e initial organization. Where we met in the
Chemistry Building lectur oom in, the best of my recollection in October
19, 1938. It was either t eSpring or Fall of 1938. We resolved that we
didn't have but one road to get to Bryan, and I had bee ap poin te d to the,
committee, to see if we could get what - ollege
graveled,',we could get to Bryan easier. And the County Judge says,
"Where is the money coming from ?" and I said, "From the county sources
or perhaps Bryan can furnish a little to help get that trade into Bryan. ".
He Said, "We can't spend money on that." So, we met, we got together, and
said we needed - -- another gorcery store, we had one Luke Patranella and
Charlie's at Northgate, then, and organized the City of College Station
and without pay for anybody, John Henry Benny was the mayor, Will Varga
the City Attorney, and we gave Jack Floyd, the stinction of being
deputy. We each forked up a little and got a deposit in the bank o`70 - " -,
dollars.
CRS: You mentioned that you only had one road.
LGJ: We had to go and follow the railroad track, on what is now called
Old College Road.
CRS: and that's the one that you wanted to have graveled?
LGJ: We had a piece of, yes, we wanted that road graveled. Because what
is now College Main didn't extend beyond what is now the complex of apartment
houses about 200 *rds.
CRS: That is the four -laad-portion of College Main that runs between
Skaggs- Alber tsons and the College View Apartments?
LGJ: That didn't exist. That came into existence under Chancelor Gilchrist.
And I remember that distinctly, because I was on the advisory committees
and the county wanted to build a road to directly enter fro what is n_ow�
_.
Bizzell Street, and Mr. Gilchrist stated tha not m g fit too well
into the campus plans that were already made. and it was opened up then
into the present location. It almost coincides. I was also on the school:±
board of Consolidated School, I think in the year of 1939. D. B. Cofer.
John Mitchell, decided that we needed to have a school outside of the
A &M campus which was meeting then in old Pfeuffer Hall, and that wooded
building adjacent to it. And he made the rounds from different people,
;
to try to get enought to buy a little iece of land where we could have v
school. And at that time, amon my other activities, I was one of t
competitors for the Open Hangall competiti "n we held for a c ampionship,.
.ti a
12
ld
LGJ: and Mr. Cofer, and Mr. Mitchell walked all the way dwon to the o
han4ball courts which were in that wooden building and asked me if
I would contribute to buying that old piece of ground. I think I gave
them, what was then, was we thought was the end of the depression, $200.00.
Mr. Cashion, that was treasurer and went over and bought that piece of land
from the Dobrovolnies and the Holicks.
CRS: That was where?
LGJ: Where the orignial school is now.
CRS: It was what where the three story brick building is that faces Jersey
Street?
LGJ: Yes sir. It's not three stories through, is it?
CRS: Two.
LGJ: It does well to be a good one.and half.
CRS: Well, it was the middle school a couple of years ago, now the middle
school has moved across the street where the high school used'to be, by
the football stadium there.
LGJ: That's te� out first teaching place was.
CRS: Where?
LGJ: The so-called hunk of land going out Bizzell Street into Jersey, you
come right into what was the first piece of land for the school. And
var ci tiz e ns were allowed to volunteer to put in the pavement for the
sidewal and D other shrubs Bp There w a whole ot feeling
- T
Youpo
those days.
CRS: At that point, I would say probably everybody whose children went
to that school was either a faculty or staff member at Texas A &M?
LGJ: I believe it was, yes sir. That's right, faculty or staff members.
That's a good way to put it. There was some folks from the dairies, there
were certain dairy families. Milk production families, their children went
to Consolidated.
CRS: You mentioned something about either getting the road paved to Bryan
or else having to have another grocery store. Did you get that other
grocery store?
;
LGJ: We would up having a grocery store on, or we didn't wind up, -we had
alread inveigled the faculty, I mean the management of the Department of
Physical Plants, to put in a store right next to Milner Hall. And they
did big business. It was very conVentient and helpful, and the other
:
t)�
grovery store that we were talking about was at Jouthgate, and resulted
from that incorporation, as a incorporated municipality.' ; '
n•
.
t
College Station, Tex9ta,
March 13, 1939.
Mr. E. E. Vezep, Chairman,
The Boexd of Trusters,
A. and M. Consolidated School,
Campus . .
Dear Sir:
I£ the Consolidated School Board finds it nezessary to locate the
School off' the Texts A. and M. College c ampus, via, interested citizens
and patrons, believing that the best interests of our Consolidated
School Distrlot will b3 best served by having a choice of sit for tho
location of the eontemplatod now school building, hereby suggest for
your- consideration the following faots relativo to tr:alve acres of land
on - the front part of the Tom Falipk tract:
1. This piece of offered land, which runs 740.� along the road
to iHigtmiy 6 and Mende south along the Oakwood line 736 feet, is a
cani location, and it is most conveniently accessible to the great.�ett
nanber of scholastics.
Z. It is just across the road from the center of scholastic popultt—
tion, a location which the School Board has hoped to receive from 'the
college.
.3. This -HoliA site will be especially convenient to the children
of College Park, bakwood, and Campus; and it will not be inconvanieat to
F i the children of College Bills.
I 4. This location, which is a block or so from the south entrance to
°penoa Stree a street which is likely to become a boulevard 'r=in%
traiK?it.roug2� the College Cswrpus--- affords convenient excess -to the
Collage Caxpu.si. the Collage library, laboratories, and shops.
i 5. Eighty —odd subscribflrs of this twelve —a.ore tract, many of whom
tso Cs.mpus people having children to send to this now school but not
o:mintg a foot of land in either Oakwood or College Park, attest the
.popularity of the location
6' Zito surfece of this Holi k land, as well as its locations, is
axccllont for echool purposes. tt is high and woll drained; it has a beauti sully
!,loping surface; it has naplo round for a;.hlotio field; it has many
,tetluablo tress that will Provo for rmny purposes one of its Uetit aaeots
os1 advantagos.
7. All utilitioo from Oakwood Addition" will be nvn ilablo on this land.
r
9. This tract of twelvo cores vrill bo doncitod to the Consolidated
School by interested patrons.
10. Theno name patrons will. pay for tho moving of hou3 ea off tit is
said tract to plaoes agcoad upon, and will dofray tho cost or r unning tb.3
Byer line to th.3 Oakwood conneotion.
Respectfully submitted,
w _
�_
;J.
W's - -___ —
, V
_ 7-7