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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFaculty and Staff Panel 7Ann Connor interviewing Polly Kent whose husband, Jack Kent, was a math professor at Texas A &M University Oral History Project - February 20, 2000 AC -Ann Connor (moderator) PK -Polly Kent (interviewee) Interview: 1. AC: Polly, where were you prior to coming to A &M? PK: We lived at Russellville, Arkansas and Jack was uh, uh in the math department at Arkansas Poly Technical College there at Russellville. AC: What brought you to A &M? PK: Uh, he got uh umm special, he got an offer to come to A &M that was so much better than what we had uh there at Arkansas Tech that we were delighted to come. AC: Okay and what year was that? PK: This was in 1936 in October. AC: Okay and how was Jack recruited? How did they contact him? PK: They contacted Ohio State, the head of the department did and uh asked for a recommendation. Jack was reviewing his exams for his Ph.D. Now this was at the heighth of the Depression, he had to leave Ohio State and go at once to Jackson, Tennessee to take care of his family, his mother, and his Aunt and Uncle who actually reared him. He had to go and get a job and help them out because his Uncle had been working for John Deer. They had laid off some of their long time salesmen and Uncle Dick was laid off so Jack had to go and help out. AC: So he he went to help out with them and then how did somebody from A &M contact him? PK: Mr. Porter, head of the math department at A &M, called Ohio State and asked them to recommend someone that was near a Ph.D or knew someone and they recommended Jack and that's how we came down here. AC: Okay and what was his salary when he came here? PK: Oh his salary was uh about three hundred dollars a year more than it was at Tech. At Tech he made a hundred dollars a month and when we came down here we made fifteen hundred dollars a year plus he got one summer session of six weeks teaching. This gave him three hundred dollars more making our salary eighteen hundred. AC: So was there any other benefits with this job or was it just strictly salary? PK: There were no other benefits no insurance or anything like that in fact he had a very difficult time finding a place to live. There was one apartment that still stands at the North Gate but it was for bachelor teachers only and so it was all full. So Mr. Porter finally found us a cute little cottage on Dexter St. that we lived in for three years. It was just a delightful little place. AC: Is that still standing? PK: It's still standing. It belonged to Professor Lamar McNew in Civil Engineering AC: Did you have any children when you moved here? PK: No, we were just married in May. AC: Okay. PK: We came here in October. AC: So it was big enough for the two of you at the time? PK: Just right for two. AC: Just right for two, okay. Where did Jack work, what was the name of the building, where he worked? PK: He worked in the Academic building, the one with the dome on top and the bulb sticking way up high. It was called Prexis Moon. The light in the dome could be seen for a distance of almost fifteen miles, coming from Houston from the time you got to Wellborn Road. It was on a hill and you could see Prexis Moon. AC: Okay, of course that's still there on campus? PK: It's still there. AC: Right, how did Jack get to work did he walk, did he ride a bike, did he drive? PK: No he drove from where we were living, he drove most of the time, he could walk, and did walk some or I would take him if I needed the car. AC: Could you describe his work? PK: Yes he taught, now I don't know how many classes he taught but every single class was Freshman Algebra the first year. AC: And so what did he do the next year then? PK: Oh I don't remember. AC: Uh you did tell me in our conversations before here that he had a hobby that he really enjoyed so tell me about that, and how did he use that at A &M? PK: He had an extreme interest in astronomy. He went to Yerkes Observatory, part of the University of Chicago, for two full successive summers and then this led to a weekly radio lecture on popular astronomy at the first radio station in BCS, KORA radio. He was later granted a Ford foundation fellowship to study astronomy (advanced). He spent half his time teaching math and half his time in the Astro Physics department. AC: I know you had mentioned to me also that he had students that would come over to his house and use his telescope, tell me about that. PK: That was a freshman course, a general course in astronomy, where they learned the constellations and about the heavens. They would come atleast twice during the semester to the backyard once in the Fall when they had the meteor shower the Pleides. They drew star maps, put in the constellations and became very familiar with the heavens and really learned a lot of just general astronomy and many of his students followed on through to Astrophysics and went on to work for the government. AC: Hmm, interesting very interesting. Um you also mentioned to me that he used to lecture some of the community. When Jack did these lectures I remember one particular story that he had a theory of life on other planets and what was that all about? PK: He was lecturing I think at the Kiwanis Club to a large group of people. Dr. Gilchrist, who was president of A &M at the time and also a member of our Church, A &M Methodist. He came up to Jack and said "Jack, that was a very interesting lecture but you must be kidding to think that there could be life of any kind on any other planets out there." Jack studied everything he could get his hands on. A lot of astronomers' visions of life was some kind on other planets. It might be nothing more than just a mass or just something low life. He also lived to see the walk on the moon. AC: Well I bet that was an exciting day for him? PK: Yeah, right. AC: Okay so you had mentioned to me that he did teach in the summer, did he teach all summers or just certain ones? PK: Oh no, he didn't teach all summers, he would teach six weeks. AC: What did he do the rest of the summer? PK: We traveled. AC: Oh you traveled? PK: We would visit observatories on the East Coast and also on the West Coast, and we would talk to the professors who were so pleased that Jack was trying to get the word out to a mechanical and agricultural college that there was more to life that raising beef cows and being an engineer, but it took a long time for it to be accepted here. AC: Okay tell me a little bit about College Station when you moved here. As we know College Station now what was it like, was there any shopping area? PK: Well College Station was more like Snook, not much bigger than Snook I'm just kidding, but compared to what it is now. They had the North Gate for the student, there was absolutely no alcohol allowed in the Brazos County. None! Students were not allowed to have cars on the campus. AC: So, what was North Gate like? PK: It was pretty much what it is now. Loupot's was where it is now. On down was Charlie's Grocery and down from that was a a little Cafe. They had a movie theatre and a drug store across the street. Also there was Holik's Boot Shop that made the Senior boots. PK: Well they had another grocery store down called Luke's Grocery Store, and that was the social meeting place of the ladies in the morning. We went there to get groceries and visit. AC: So is that where you went shopping or were there any other shopping areas? PK: Luke's and the Charlie's those were the only two grocery stores. AC: You didn't go into Bryan? PK: No. AC: Well Bryan would have been where you would have gone as far as clothing. PK: Well Bryan was too far! AC: Oh really? PK: Yes! Well I tell you Ann, we didn't do a whole lot of shopping for clothes. You must remember this was in the height of the Depression and we just made do with what we had, and everybody else was doing the same thing so you didn't realize you were all that poor. You were so doggone happy and you just you forgot about the hardships. AC: So what was Texas Avenue like, in front of the campus? PK: It was a two -lane road one going into Bryan and one coming back. AC: Was there anything on the other side of Texas Avenue from campus or was it just kind of dead land? PK: There was a grocery store and a meat market at the four way stop at University Drive and Texas, where the Shamrock gas station is now. From the grocery store to Eastgate there were little cottages inhabited by employees of A &M. AC: When your children were school age, were they educated on campus or did they go to another school or where did they go? PK: They were educated at Consolidated Elementary. AC: Did you have a choice to send them to Bryan or College Station? PK: Oh yes, we did. AC: You did. Did you work outside the house? PK: I taught school, second grade. PK & AC (together): At Consolidated. PK: Yes and it was where the Community Center is now I think there are still some of the buildings that we taught in being that they were wooden buildings and they accommodated two classrooms per building. We had four second grade teachers so that was two buildings. Then they had built a cafeteria and Mrs. Creswell was the principal. Special Ed was introduced into our school and I was asked to teach it. AC: You never worked on campus yourself? PK: No. AC: What about entertainment on campus, do you know anything about that? PK: Uh they had entertainment. AC: Parties, movies, or anything? PK: Well they had Guine Hall and that was, that's where the student body all met for general meetings and the dram a department would hold plays there not like OPAS. They had a committee in charge of bringing to College Station certain artists and most of them were musicians or singers. AC: Do you remember any plays? PK: Uh no I'm afraid I don't. AC: Well okay was there anything else as far as entertainment on campus? PK: Well of course there was lots and lots of bridge playing and then there was just getting together with the department, some departments were big and they were just like a family. Our department was like a family too but we didn't see each other as much as some of the other departments did. AC: When you did get together what did you do? PK: Well mostly we just visited... AC: Visited? PK: ...Or played bridge. They had a study club, where we discussed books. AC: Did you have dinners together or? PK: Oh yes, oh yes we had lots of that. AC: Was it like a pot luck dinner or did they serve you? PK: Oh uh sometimes it was pot luck and sometimes you brought out your best china and your best linen and it was really nice. AC: Now was that on campus or was it in... PK: No uh it was in the home AC: In the home, okay. What were the holidays like, did people stay here for the holidays or did they go... PK: Oh they left. AC: They left? PK: Yeah AC: Even, I mean like families did. PK: Yeah AC: Really? PK: Well I don't know we always left AC: Oh you did? I guess it was it's kind of like it is now so many people have their families somewhere else. PK: Yeah, AC: I have one question here. The Annual A &M employees campus parties that was in the hall in the YMCA, do you know anything about that? PK: I really don't. AC: No okay, um did you ever entertain students here? PK: Oh yes, oh yes. AC: and what.. PK: Well we did not cook out. It was usually one of the astronomy classes because they were small. I think we've had as many as thirty here, and we just we would just buy the chicken already prepared and just two or three huge salads and several kinds of cake and you know tea or punch or coffee, whatever. It was just fun getting together and we would use that backyard a lot. AC: I remember you telling me that since it was an all male school a lot of the times some of the girls from other schools would come here... PK: Yes AC: ... and that you had them sleep here? PK: Well the boys would ask the professors if they had room to keep their girl friend on Saturday night for our dance and then they would have to take them back to school the next day. So this was a pretty big house we hadn't finished the upstairs then but we did have a guest room and we had a roll away bed we called it a studio couch that opened up into a double bed in the library. (Tape ran out) AC: Okay so you were talkin' about the boys bringing their girlfriends? PK: The mothers were very concerned about where the girls were staying since there were no hotels. So the girls would stay in private homes. AC: So you were telling me about the uh cold. PK: Oh I was. AC: I like this story so I want you to tell me about it. PK: The girls wouldn't get in from the dance until one o'clock and they would be just frozen stiff at night. You know they stayed just as long as they could but they had chaperones at the dance too and so they saw that when time came to say uh goodnight they played the goodnight song and they knew to leave. Well I would have a hot water bottle in the bed for the girls AC: I think that's a neat story. What about the football games, were they as popular as they are today? PK: They were very popular but Jack and I also liked baseball. I think it was because of the time of the year, it was just wonderful just sitting on the bleachers watching the baseball game. We bought tickets to everything and we enjoyed the football. It was exciting and I loved to see the band march and execute all of these figures but we particularly loved baseball. AC: Well good, do you remember what teams that they played as far as schools? PK: Well they played Texas, Arkansas, SMU, TCU, North Texas and it seems like they played Louisiana but I'm not really sure. AC: Pretty much what they played today? PK: Yeah, they don't play Arkansas today, the rest of them though, they pretty much do. AC: What was it like during World War II on campus, what, how, did it effect life on campus? PK: Well it was pretty rough. You had to have coupon books for just about everything you bought. You had to ration. It was a somber time. AC: Did it affect the recruiting as far as faculty or students do you know, the war, did it take away from. PK: Oh, that was one of the saddest things I have ever seen in my life. The final review that the seniors made before they were shipped overseas and I didn't know but I was told several of them didn't come back, we had lost a good many. Oh it was just it was dreadful, it was terrible. AC: Was it hard to get faculty during the war or was the faculty still okay here? PK: Yeah it was okay. AC: It was okay. What about Franklin Roosevelt's visit to campus, were you here then? PK: But uh, it was a very emotional time. AC: Now when was this, what year, do you remember? PK: I don't remember. AC: Um what about any news services on campus did they have a newspaper? PK: Oh yes they had the Batallion, it was a good one too. Of course it's nothing like it is now. It's just a real newspaper now and there were lots of things that they didn't print then that they do now. AC: It seems like you were a real part of this area you grew up here when it was nothing and look at it today. PK: Yes it's almost unbelievable. AC: I kind of chuckled when you said that you lived out in the country I don't even think of this as being country. PK: We were really in the country then. AC: Uh so your house was the first one built in here? PK: The first one built in Beverly Estates and it was a surprise when people would be driving around and see the sign saying Beverly Estates and a new gravel road. One Sunday afternoon when they were just driving I remember one time uh a car stopped that just couldn't believe that they had come up on a house and when they stopped there another one driving very slowly was doing the same thing they were just oggoling the house and their bumpers just bumped. AC: Oh my! Do they still call it the Beverly Estates...? PK: Yes AC: I never have heard that, where's that, all I ever hear is North or South Rosemary? PK: It used to be called nothing but Beverly Estates. AC: Oh okay, I didn't know that. Well I certainly appreciate your time and if there's anything else that you think you could add to this, I'd be more than happy to listen. PK: I've talked my head off. AC: You've talked your head off, well you've given us a really good story so I really appreciate it. Thank You very much. PK: Well Thank You Ann. The City of College Station, Texas Memory Lanes Oral History Project INTERVIEW AGREEMENT The purpose of The Historic Preservation Committee is to gather and preserve historical documents by means of the tape - recorded interview. Tape recordings and transcripts resulting from such interviews become part of the archives of The City of College Station Historic Preservation Committee and Conference Center Advisory Committee to be used for whatever purposes may be determined. I have read the above and voluntarily offer my portion of the interviews with (Name of Interviewee) 1 P .L<L,y 2 . 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. In view of the scholarly value of this research material, I hereby assign rights, title, and interest pertaining to it to The City of College Station Historic Preservation Committee and Conference Center Advisory Committee. Interviewer (signature) Date 1 . 1 / - 9 A nn l Y1 vlar Interviewer (Please Print) I hereby give and Station, Texas, for w contents of this oral original photos, doct Interviewee releases, claims, demands, and thereof, for any injury any person, whether t parties hereto, and any hereto or of third parti, Interviewee provision o action in whole or in pal HIBTORTr A Y Cil nQ Interviewer (Please Print) Signature of Interviewer D23 5, 12OSP vrlGru Place of Interview List of photos, documents, mans, etc. r %please print) Signature o0 I Ate rviewee" Name /� vg 6, 1 Se rr'a,r 7r � r�G Address P /6- 5 4z/ L/ Telephone Date of Birth 9 - / 9 "` 9 Place of Birth INTERVIEW STATUS: Completed Interviewee agrees to and shall indemnify and hold harmless CITY, its officers, agents and employees, from and against any and all claims, losses, damages, causes of action, suits and liability of every kind, attorney's fees, for injury to or death of any person, or for damage to any property, arising out of or in connection with the use of the items and information referenced aboved by CITY, its agents, representatives, assigns, invitees, and participants under this grant. Such indemnity shall apply where the claims, losses damages, causes of action, suits or liability arise in whole or in part from the negligence of city. Date Initial In progress 6 xe-lx) Remarks: City of College Station Memory Lanes Oral History Project Oral History Stage Sheet Memory Lane: Interview No. Name dill Interview dae d /a0 IW Interviewe Mlti // L1/' Interview length Interview - lace -, hie Special sources of information i . • !„ ) ; zU ? /t i i r 5 Date tape received in office of to • es marke • I Date MO/0 Original Photographs Yes No ' # of photos Date Recd Describe Photos Interview Agreement and tape disposal form: / 1 , if7 Given to interviewee on Received - S Yes _ Date Signed /0/449 Restrictions - If yes, see remarks below. Yes _ Transcription: ` First typing completed by &IitM 1(4 0/1 Pages 4,6 Date name) First audit check by it Pages .i% (name) Sent to interviewee on q/U /Od Received from interviewee on Copy editing and second audit check by Pages (name) Final copies: Typed by Pages Proofread by: 1) Pages 2) Photos out for reproduction: Original photos returned to: Indexed by: Sent to bindery by Received from bindery Deposited in archives by: Pages Where to: Date: Date: Date Date Date Date No No Date 3 f /d Date Date Date Date Texas College century lay. Life h few of tanda rd it was. y and owever College Bryan. beca me still live over 21 -view for campus o at the >ra cious s with faculty emory emory Neither ive of its life -style ing and g with , f Texas s well as s in the hrough rca 1915 Dozier, dix r University Archives es Mrs. Hensel Arrived on Campus - 1913 fitness to Vast Changes Ara Lee Jones, a native of Temple, came to the A &M campus with misgivings in the fall of 1913. Midway through a six -month course of study at a Waco business college, she had been pressured by the owner of the school to accept a secretarial position in the agronomy department of the college. Having borrowed money to go to school, being 18 and coming from a strict family the idea of coming to A &M was questionable and somewhat frightening. Permission was granted by her family only because she had a close friend in Bryan in whose home she could stay. SHE RECALLS a trying period from September 1914 to February 1915 when she and everyone at the college, in- cluding the president, worked but received no pay. The state of Texas was without funds and until money could be appropriated no one at A &M received paychecks. However, she said, it was a shared ex- perience and everyone survived because credit was extended by Bryan businessmen. She remembers the great rejoicing when paychecks — including the back pay— arrived. In 1914 , she met Frederick William Hensel, always called `Fritz' by all who knew him, who had been on a year's leave to take a master's degree at MRS. F. W. HENSEL Cornell. She and Hensel married one year later. Following a brief stay in a Bryan apartment the Hensels moved into campus housing provided by A &M for faculty members. THE HENSEL HOME was located where the Memorial Student Center now stands and while not lavish was more than adequate and comfortable. The six room house with small servant's space rented for $25 per month including utilities and maintenance. In 1939 the college announced that within two years all campus housing for faculty members would terminate. The Hensels built a home as close to the campus as possible because "Fritz didn't want to be one foot way from the campus." It is Hensel, then a professor of floraculture and landscape architecture, who receives much of the credit for the abundance of trees and landscaping on the campus. For example, it was his model for planting of the present main entrance to the school that was acceptd by the board of directors when the Systems Building was constructed on land previously housing livestock barns and pasture. MRS. HENSEL remembers some objections to the small live oak seedlings planted by her husband. However, he main- tained they were planted for posterity with beauty rather than quick growth but short life. Looking back to her early years on campus she terms the time a quiet, happy way of life. There was little entertainment except being with people but there were not many problems. "We had the happiest life. We didn't know we didn't have everything."