SFA’s first celebration of Homecoming in the fall season took place in 1935. Charles Gribble, the president of the Ex-Students Association, had announced back in the summer of 1935, that the preliminary plans were complete for what they proposed to be an annual event. In August, he stated: “Heretofore the ex-students organization has been kept alive through the giving of banquets in the spring. It is thought that more will attend the homecoming day in the fall.” As Dr. Ed Gaston discusses in this week’s Heritage Series, the celebration of the fall Homecoming was a huge success and immediately started a new set of SFA traditions. The fact that the football team thrilled the hundreds of exes with a 33 to 0 victory over the Sam Houston Bearkats did not hurt the setting of traditions, either; the victory “threw the Axemen into a three way share in the first Lone Star football championship,” according to the Pine Log.

Evidence of optimism as 1936 opens

In reviewing the year, the editor-in-chief of the Pine Log wrote: “1935 was a great year at Stephen F. Austin.” What elicited this exuberant statement from the young editor, Victor Fain, was truly a turn around from the previous two years of the Depression. The list of pluses which Fain enumerated were indeed real and impressive: the long desired Women’s Recreation Center had opened and provided a cheerful new location for campus activities; the new Music Conservatory had replaced “the Band Shack;” for the fourth year in a row, the Lumberjacks had won the Long Star Conference; in track and in football there were important championships; the foundations for a new men’s dormitory had finally been poured; enrollment was up; the Stone Fort had resumed publication; there were good Lyceum programs and visits by distinguished scholars and writers; and for the first time ever, the Ex-Student’s Association had celebrated a grand new tradition of a fall Homecoming in conjunction with the Bearkat game. 1936 to the youthful Victor Fain held as much hope of success as the previous year. There was talk on campus of a new athletic stadium and track, a demonstration house for Home Economics, and a new woman’s dormitory.

A survey in the Pine Log, in May of 1936, based on answers from 218 leading colleges and universities, showed that graduates employment chances were the best in seven years and that recruiting from major companies was up.

President Birdwell, while less enthusiastic than the young editor, was also hopeful. In his first Assembly of 1936, Birdwell referred to the previous year as “one of uncertainty, and yet of very definite progress.” Economic conditions had improved, in fact, had been “constant and impressive.” He praised the “various alphabetical organizations in Washington” and the amount of money spent locally by these agencies, but at the same time, he observed, “the machinery of government is becoming infinitely complex.” Always the historian, Birdwell noted the danger signals which he saw in the world context, primarily the rise in nationalism which he said threatened peace. [SFA had received $93,444.33 in appropriation from the PWA in the 1934-35 school year, and another $6,952.40 in appropriation from the FERA for student work projects.]

The difficulties surrounding a new dormitory for women concerned Birdwell. He had documented the need for such back in the late 1920s and had seriously begun work on the project as soon as the programs of the New Deal made the idea feasible. The boy’s dormitory [it was somehow never referred to as a men’s dormitory!] had been a nightmare of politics and bureaucracy; scheduled to open in 1935, its foundation was not poured until then and it would not open until the summer of 1936!

The authorization by the Board of Regents of $225,000.00 for the construction of a women’s dormitory in July of 1936, prompted Birdwell to release a story on the project describing the plans. The Pine Log reported that the edifice was to be three stories and have sufficient facilities for 142 women. The first floor was to have a kitchen, a dining room, a library, a reception room, a writing room, a parlor, a music room, offices, and storage rooms. While every effort was made to make the building as economical as possible, all rooms were to be nicely furnished and have a window on an outside wall. The overall floor plan was a “U” in shape. President Birdwell said, “These facilities would add much to the capacity and service which the college has.” He described it as a splendid project from which the college would benefit “immeasurably, if they are completed.” Birdwell had been through this before. “We feel that the applications are sound in every way and that if any of the many applications are granted by the government, ours will be among them.” In fact, none of the PWA projects were funded in 1936. There would be another two years of waiting before the women’s dormitory project would get under way.

A celebration of history in 1936

1936 was the Texas Centennial Year. Local plans to celebrate the event focused on the Old Stone Fort. Plans for its rebuilding began back in 1934, as the article by Carolyn Spears on the Stone Fort Museum details in this week’s edition, and occasioned many local arguments and opinions. Dr. George Crocket, one of the leaders in the movement to salvage the memory of the Old Stone Fort by rebuilding it and dedicating it as a museum on the SFA campus, died just as the year 1936 began. Dr. Birdwell’s tribute celebrating the life of Reverend Crocket is also part of the edition this week.

Planning for the opening of the Stone Fort Museum began as the building was being constructed. The Director of the Nacogdoches Historical Pageant, Hal C. Worth, actively recruited SFA student organizations and individuals to help in the celebrations which would surround the opening. Dancers, choral groups, tour guides, prop managers, and so forth, were needed. By September of 1936, the plans were solidifying and rehearsals were taking place. October 16, the day for the dedication, was to include a pageant on Birdwell field, a dedication of a granite Texas Centennial Marker for the Mission Guadeloupe on North Street, a luncheon for honored guests at the Redland Hotel, and a ceremony in front of the new Stone Fort Museum in the afternoon.

The Pine Log banner read: “STONE FORT PRESENTED TO S.F.A. IN IMPRESSIVE CEREMONY; PAGEANT IS SEEN BY OVER THREE THOUSAND. President Board of Regents Accepts Fort on Behalf of College.” The Daily Sentinel’s headline read: “OLD STONE FORT IN 3-WAY DEAL.” The reporter continued: “The Old Stone Fort replica had three ‘owners’ and all in one hour. The state board of control which built the structure started off as the owners and in turn presented it to the Nacogdoches Historical Society. The Historical Society ‘owned’ for a few minutes when Miss Virgie Sanders, president of the society, accepted it from the board. Miss Sanders in turn presented it to the Stephen F. Austin College." [The Daily Sentinel, October 16, 1936] Col. Thomas H. Ball, of Houston, President of the Board of Regents of Texas State Teachers’ Colleges, accepted it on behalf of SFA.

The program, in front of dignitaries from all over the state, included the SFA and NHS bands, Birdwell’s history of the Fort and praise for the efforts of people (like George Crocket) who had worked to research and save the fort, a tribute from the Regent of the DAR, and the reading of her poem “The Songs of the Forerunners” by Mrs. Karle Wilson Baker.

The Stone Fort Museum was a huge success on the campus. Contrary to the fears expressed that the Fort would be lost and inaccessible to tourists, the new replica was actually at the center of the new tourist attraction for Nacogdoches – SFA. Parents and prospective students were beginning to become a major factor in the pattern of visitors to the city. By June 21, 1937, over 9,000 visitors had been through the Stone Fort Museum; by November of 1937, this figures had gone up to 12,000. Mrs. Lois Foster Blount, the new curator, made sure that the public knew of the increasing volume, too.

Famous Speakers

In March 6, 1936, Will Durant of Columbia University spoke at the SFA Assembly. He had just written The Story of Civilization and, of course, had many other books to his honor by that time. It is interesting to note, however, that he also had come to the campus in 1934. Durant’s visit was part of an important pattern in the mid-thirties at SFA. Famous scholars and writers were commonplace in the period. Robert Frost, at the invitation of Karle Wilson Baker, visited in 1933; Carl Sandburg visited in 1934. Both spoke to enthusiastic audiences in Aikman Gym. In 1937, J. Frank Dobie spoke to Assembly, but not for the first time. Generals, educators, politicians, businessmen, and many others were brought to the campus to enrich the students. Fees were no doubt less during the Depression, but the significant thing to note is the willingness of the college, in hard times, to put a high priority on the importance of bringing SFA students into contact with important minds.

East Texas and SFA mourn

Other than the war, one of the worst tragedies involving SFA students occurred in New London, Texas, in March of 1937. The President, the reporters, and the student body at SFA were obviously shaken by this tragedy. Alton W. Birdwell’s immediate reaction tells the story:

"It is impossible for me to express the deep sorrow caused by the tragedy at London yesterday. Six or seven hundred fine young people killed in a moment of time! They were the pride and hope of their parents; they were receiving the training that insures a better citizenship tomorrow. The loss is irreparable. ... Many of them [the teachers] had been graduated from the college here. They were our children. I had seen them grow; I was proud of them; I loved them. We are all poorer because of their untimely death.”

While first reports were as high as thirty, the Pine Log later clarified the number: ten former SFA students who were teachers died in the explosion.

Budgets and plans

There were many clear signs that the Depression was ending. The largest graduating classes in the history of the college came in 1937 with record attendances in fall of 1937; the number of faculty increased to 67 professors. The Pine Log, April 16, 1937, reported: “With an annual payroll of over $200,000, a physical plant valued at $831,480, an annual expenditure of over $240,000, and an annual enrollment of more than 2,000 separate students, the Stephen F. Austin College today is Nacogdoches’ leading industry. More people depend upon it for a livelihood than any other two single industries in Nacogdoches. ... Students alone spend $500,000 each year here, it is estimated. In 1936, over $187,306.77 was spent for salaries for college employees, J. H. Wisely, business manager and auditor, said.”

In June of 1937, the news got even better. Texas Governor Allred approved a biennium budget appropriation of $520, 394.70, which represented a $237,000 increase for SFA. Everyone had feared that the governor would line-item veto the largest part of this increase which was an appropriation for a new building for Science and Agriculture ($130,000). Birdwell was elated: “The College here faces a new and greater era of growth and service to all East Texas. It is the best setup the college ever had. Salaries will be hiked as nearly as possible to their 1932 levels.” Because of the appropriations, new streets could be paved and new livestock and agricultural equipment could be purchased.

Another sign that the Depression was ending came when the Board of Regents passed a resolution requiring the colleges to initiate long range planning; the virtual absence of money earlier had made this just an academic exercise.

SFA’s first Ten Year Plan projected material improvements of $680,000.00. The plan included an auditorium and fine arts building ($250,000), a dormitory for women ($250,000), a swimming pool ($50,000), a new athletic field with steel bleachers, a cinder track, and field house ($100,000), and a new Power House ($30,000). All of these projections had been a part of the SFA plans for some time. The auditorium, a consistent request from the late 1920s forward, was to replace the small auditorium in the Austin building which would seat only 450; the school also needed adequate quarters for music and art and social rooms for student uses. The woman’s dormitory, projected earlier and actually approved by the PWA. in 1936, had still received no funding as of 1937. In his notes, Birdwell wrote: “I feel sure that this will materialize. It is very much alive today....”

The curricula expansions concentrated immediately on preparing teachers in the agriculture program to meet the requirements of the Smith-Hughes Act, upon transforming the lower division class by an emphasis on general education and vocational training, and a limiting of the upper division courses. The upper division section read: “Making the two last years of college work very largely preparatory for teaching, and yet with good opportunities for those who simply want cultural degrees. This can be done by requiring not more than two years of education , which should be general and important to any citizen.” A graduate school was projected. At first, the graduate work, which Birdwell admitted was already under way, would be rather narrowly defined as a fifth year of training for teachers. “At present we have a small group-- about twenty--rather highly selected students doing this type of work.” He wanted this graduate school to be well established by the end of the next decade with “strong classes in several fields.” To support this, the report called for a substantial improvement in faculty with terminal degrees and the rank of professor, “with salaries appropriate to such rank.” The hope was that these changes would allow for a student body of approximately fifteen hundred and a curricula that would make the school more attractive to junior college students.

Before the Ten Year Plan was sent off campus in its final format, the administration added: $125,000.00 to be financed through the federal government for cooperative homes for men and women; $5,000.00 for an additional recreational park; and $15,000.00 for a new president’s home. Birdwell argued that the cooperative housing have proved very important at UT and A&M in keeping enrollments up and in giving “an opportunity to select first rate students ... [in] the lower income brackets to secure college training. There is no way to measure the social importance of this movement.” In another place, he continued: “Students that make sacrifices to attend college will make our future leaders and we should help make it possible for them to further their education.”

Concerning the president’s house, the report argued:

“The present home of the President of the College is an old remodeled house. Comparatively little money was spent upon it, and the state has spent no money to furnish the house. I think an electric stove is the only furnishing that has been put into the home at state expense. I and my family have been very happy in it, and we are comparatively comfortable. It is also probable that a new home would be occupied for a very short time by the present President of the College, but it would be a fine improvement to build one in keeping with other facilities of the College and one that would be attractive both on the outside and on the inside. I am including it in the ten year plan and would like to try to secure sufficient money to do this from the next Legislature. It should not cost less than $l5,000.00.

Should Raguet Street be extended through the campus?

1938 was not without a major controversy: The development of the campus, getting under way again in 1937, caused growing pains for both SFA and the city. The fact that the university property extended all the way from North Street to the Lanana Creek did not cause much of a problem as long as the area north of the campus was college related or undeveloped. Once development started again in earnest, access became a key issue. [There was no University Drive.] The students did not want an extension of Taylor Street [as Raguet Street south of the campus was called at the time] through the campus; they called it “the proposed new speedway.” A student petition of over 300 students presented Birdwell with a situation which he was really not accustomed to facing. His response when informed of the student protest, as reported in the campus paper, reveals something interesting about the times and his approach: “I am glad that you children came in to see about this matter, and I am always glad to listen to your pleas, he announced.” When he said their final recourse was to appeal the matter to the Board of Regents, they did. The Daily Sentinel backed the project without considering the student’s opinions and wrote an editorial which infuriated the Pine Log editors. The street, of course, went through, but as a later administration had to admit, the students were right. The street did become a “speedway” and a danger to students changing class and was later closed. The whole incident also led to demand for a student government association to help in organization.

New celebrations

In June of 1938, the new Science and Agriculture Building [now Chemistry] opened. The building, designed by Nacogdoches Architect Hal Tucker, housed the department of Agriculture and the farm shop on the first floor. Biology had the second floor, while chemistry, physics, and physical science had the top floor. There was no formal dedication ceremony for this new building because of the rush to get it finished and open by the start of the summer term. During that same month, the PWA released funds for loans in Texas. Finally, SFA could proceed with the construction of the woman’s dormitory. The opening of the women’s dormitory would not take place until the next year. In October, the largest SFA Homecoming in history took place when thousands returned to the campus for pep rallies, receptions, dances, football, and club reunions.

There were clouds on the horizon, however. Professor L. C. Haring of the History Department, in the Assembly program at the time of Homecoming, warned the students about the talk of war in Europe, about the importance of understanding the nature of propaganda, and the delicate position of the United States in a world full of dictators.