Original campus building were, from left, gymnasium and library, and, right, old science liall. B , ing built is the present administration hall.

Year of Trouble

When became a state in 1907, the University was 15 years old . The sprawling infant consisted primarily of land and few buildings and one of these, the second Ad- ministration Building, burned during a stormy year for the new .

OUR SHOPPING DAYS remained until ploded in the dome quickly caught some and then some-into it. The spring semes- F Christmas . A new year was coming. fresh paint and woodwork, and now the ter that year reflected much orderly devel- It was the time of looking back on one's structure was doomed . opinent. A total of 623 persons were en- mistakes and accepting them, and of won- It was the year 1907. It was the State of rolled, 23 more than the previous year. The dering what next year could possibly bring Oklahoma's first year and the University's faculty was a strong one, including such that the past one hadn't. fifteenth. names as Buchanan, DeBarr, Felgar, Git- Students sat listening to lectures in Sci- This was the second time in less than five tinger, Gould and Holmberg, all of whom ence Hall. Others were in the Library, years that the administration hall burned. so thoroughly influenced their departments studying . A few walked toward the wood- The event seemed to symbolize the past that today department buildings bear their en gymnasium, past new University Hall, several months at the school and all the names. the administration building . The sky was discouraging, disappointing things-gone- of chemistry, had graduated the year before overcast, the day bitter-cold. wrong in them. And this wasn't the end and decided to stay on as an instructor. At that moment was heard a sound like of it; within seven months the institution literature . that of a cannon blast. Teachers stopped in would be struck yet another staggering Vernon Parrington taught English and the middle of a sentence and went to peer blow. served as athletic director. He had once through frosted windows. Strange, the Exciting as it may now seem, 1907 has been coach of the football team as well as dome of University Hall was glowing like been called a year of trouble for O. U. A coach of the student body as to the fads and the star on a Christmas tree! number of good happenings turned up, of ways of other, older schools. Later Parring- In another hour the entire administra- course, but the bad ones looked so dark ton was to receive the Pulitzer Prize for tion building was aglow, and a great pillar that they managed to overshadow most literature . of black smoke drew from it and leaned else. That spring students followed courses in across the sky. Firemen, faculty, students The school was still an infant, but a de- applied science, in the School of Mines, in and Norman residents fought to control the termined first president, David Ross Boyd, arts and sciences, medicine, fine arts and lire, but the gasoline stove which had ex- had pumped all the vigor he could spare- pharmacy. There were four graduate stu-

PAG 1 : 4 SOONER MAGAZINE

dents and more than 300 others engaged in serving for the sixteenth year, a long serv- talking. Three citizens came into the lobby preparatory work. For outside activities ice for a university president in the Middle and informed us that there was to be a they had track, baseball, and a few other West." fight in a nearby building between a bull- sports, and several fraternities and lit- Enrollment was continuing to grow, dog and a badger and asked if we would erary societies. showing an increase of 167 over the previ- like to witness it. We were all eager to see The yearbook, Mistletoe, was well-print- ous year. The school catalog for the first it as none of us had ever heard of a fight ed and frivolously illustrated. One of the time indicated distribution of the students' between such animals, and probably none poems in it reads, in part, like this : "Let homes. Only 9 Oklahoma counties weren't except myself had ever seen a badger . . . us love, little sweetheart, tonight, while we represented at the University, and students "Everybody in the lobby wanted to :;ee may . . . While thy dark eyes, lighted had come from 14 other states. Missouri the fight, and we all arose and followed our softly, are resplendent with love ; While our sent 9 students, Texas 7. guides who conducted us through a saloon lives are sweet with the perfume of youth. at the corner of Broadway and Main Street, To-morrow thy dark hair will fade in the NEW FACULTY MEMBER, Jerome (down some steps to a basement room silver of age . . . Dowd, came from the University of which was to be the theater of the fight. In June 41 degrees were conferred. Wisconsin to be instructor in economics at In the middle of the room I saw a man Summer came. In July the Oklahoma first, and later professor of sociology. Dowd holding by a chain a ferocious looking Constitutional Convention, which had been had keen observation and a broad sense of bulldog, and nearby I saw an inverted dry- at work in spurts for the past eight months, humor. Some of his observations he put on goods box which concealed, as we were in- met again for a short session. Then, al- paper, and they are gems. The following formed, the ferocious badger. We all sat most before anyone realized it, September is his report of a fight between a bulldog in chairs surrounding the pit. In a few arrived again, bringing a new O . U. school and a badger : minutes a crowd of other men descended year. "One afternoon in November, 1907, 1 into the room, several of them, apparently, "The school year opened with a feeling went to Oklahoma City to attend the Na- reeling drunk. They pulled out rolls of of unrest on the campus," wrote Roy Git- tional Convention of the Farmers Union. money from their pockets and began to bet tinger. "The citizens of Oklahoma were The president of that organization was on the winner of the fight. Two of the men in the midst of an active campaign for the Colonel Cameron, a North Carolinian, and got into a quarrel over their bet, one of adoption or rejection of the constitution . there were numerous delegates in attend- them declaring that the other had backed On September 17 the voters approved the ance from that state. Being a North Caro- down when he had agreed to bet two for new constitution . On November 16 Pres- linian myself, I was anxious to meet these one on the badger. They swore at each ident Theodore Roosevelt issued a procla- gentlemen. other in a way that could be heard by peo- mation announcing the admission of Okla- "I took supper at the Huckins Hotel with ple on the streets . Then one of the appa- homa. Rumors were already current that President Cameron and Ben Harrison, the rently drunken men hit the other one and considerable reorganization, not only of the newly elected Secretary of State who had knocked him down. Several men in the university faculty but of the university been a pupil of mine at Trinity College, audience rushed to the scene and attempted itself, might be expected under the new North Carolina (now Duke University) . to pull the men apart. state government. President Boyd, whose "After supper we joined a group of dele- "One of the gentlemen who appeared to work had been amazingly successful, was gates in the lobby and were smoking and be the ringmaster shouted, `We got to stop

MAY, 1957 PACE 5

this noise or the police will hear us, and described by Washington Irving as 'an break up the fight and get us all in the anonymous chamber utensil.' police court.' "The crowd nroke up in a roar of laugh- 0 . U. at Statehood "I felt very uncomfortable. It dawned ter." Oklahoma was born 5.7 years ago. on the that it might not look very good In 1907 the University of Oklahoma N NNUAL CAMPUS EVENT was the class for me to appear in the Daily Oklahoman was in its fifteenth year, an exciting regularly as being in this rowdy crowd of drinkers fight. This brawl, which year that deserves to be recalled . oc- and gamblers in the basement of a saloon. launched the football season, usually Many of the facts and some of the sopho- 1 thought what a humiliation that would curred between the freshman and style of this article are from the be also for my distinguished North Caro- more men. Most often it would get going Mistletoe, forerunner of the Sooner before sunrise. At oth- lina friend, Cameron, and for the Secre- rather unexpectedly Yearbook ; from University of Okla- break out in the tary of State, Harrison. er times the fight might homa, a History of 50 Years by Roy end in a free-for- "1 said to the colonel, 'I think we better middle of the night and Gittinger, and from Oklahoma Kick- buildings. But get away from this place at once.' He ail in the top of one of the off by Harold Keith. agreed with me and we arose and started always it was in good fun and a short con- towards the door. In the meantime the test. rowdyism had subsided and the ringmaster The fight of 1906 had been a freshman said, `Gentlemen, keep your seats. We will victory ; while 30 of them engaged the 30 now proceed with the fight.' sophomores, 10 remaining frosh slipped in tra bleachers were built and a fence set up "Colonel Cameron and I returned to from behind and tied the enemy, one by to enclose the field. There was a definite our seats, but immediately another loud one, with rope. By 1907 the strategy was excitement in the air when, three days be- c'amor arose over the question as to who anyone's, and the sophomores found them- fore the event, something happened which was to pull the rope protruding from l"e- selves tied hand and foot to campus trees stunned the University . neath the drygoods box, and supposed to by 54 freshmen. They were caught by the Coach Owen and his good friend John be attached to the badger. After much plan which they had so carefully worked Barbour, a Norman druggist, went quail wrangling, which almost led to another out, as freshmen, in the preceding year. hunting near the South Canadian river in fight, the ringmaster proposed, as a way O. U . won its first football game of the the latter's buggy. At two p.m. they started out, that the privilege of pulling th° bad- season against Kingfisher College, 32-0. A back, because Owen had football practice to ger out be given to some delegate from an- good crowd watched the victory in a drizz- oversee. Two dogs were riding at their other state who had not hitherto seen a ling rain. Boyd Field-where the School of feet. badger and bulldog fight. Journalism and the University Press now "Barbour was driving," wrote Harold "All agreed to this compromise and the stand-was a mass of mudholes that day. Keith, University sports publicity director . ringmaster said that he would give this After beating the Chilocco Indians at "Suddenly one of the dogs started to fall privilege to a gentleman that all Okla- Arkansas City, Kansas, 42-0, the school out of the low-sided phaeton (buggy) and homans were glad to honor-the distin- readied itself for the game against Kansas. Owen, holding his gun barrel in his left sruished Colonel Cameron. The colone' n,) This was to be a special event, the first hand, threw out his right arm to stay the doubt felt flattered, but he arose wit'i :ome Kansas game ever played in Norman. Pre- animal's fall. As he did so the gun sud- re'uctame and took hold of the ro"e. viously the contest was held in Oklahoma denly fired . . . The explosion start'ed "The ringmaster then said, 'All is ready, City, but Coach Bennie Owen and Ath- Barbour ; it bent his gun barrel and grazed Colonel, and when I lift up the box, you letic Director Parrington thought foot- his arm, bringing blood. The mare jumped. pull the rope hard .' ball should be for the students; besides, Barbour didn't realize his companion was He lifted up an end of the box. Cameron they wanted to get away from a 15 percent wounded until he heard Owen say quietly : gave the rope a jerk and out rolled u , )on rental charge in the city. Since this was 'Got me that time, John.' the floor a piece of crockery which was once to be the first really big game at home ex- "Barbour stopped the horse. The shot had entered Owen's arm four inches be- low the shoulder, severing an artery. The wound was bleeding freely ." After making a tourniquet for the arm from his handkerchief, Barbour raced the mare into town. He took Owen to a doc- tor and found him gone-quail hunting. They looked for another. Owen had to walk a block and up a flight of Ftairs the fore he could get medical assistance. Hours before the Kansa; game. Owen's arm was amputated. However, "In a few weeks he was tramping the fields and meadows attain, shootin g one-armed and using a light twenty-gauge Browning au- tomatic. 'And he could hit 'em good as ever," Barbour, who had waited for him, afterwards averred ." Owen has remarked, "Wh:it do you University Hall, the second admini trati-n bnild; n=, bnrns on December 20, 1907, after a gasoline stove exploded in the dome. Paint being heated on the stove spread the flames. Continued page 23

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anpointed copywriter on the creative staff of Srago Lieut. Joe A. Wliecler, '566us, Tipton, has been pelled because the referee thought he was Advertising, Oklahoma City . She has worked for assigned to the First Armored Division at the slugging . the Madill Record and served as assistant editor of Army's Fort Polk, Louisiana. He was last stationed the TV Guide Oklahoma edition. Miss Baldwin ex- at Fort Sill, Lawton . "The decision was so palpably wrong," pects to receive her master's degree from O. U. (:laude Nations, Jr ., '56ed, Oklahoma City, re- wrote Keith, "that for the first time in his in June. cently received a $1,0-10 grant from the National three-year coaching stint at Norman, Owen Kuyk Logan, '55journ, has entered the Army Science Foundation and will use it to study for went on the field to protest. With eloquent and is stationed at Fort Holabird intelligence cen- eight weeks at O. U. during the summer . Nations, ter, Baltimore, Maryland . At O. U. lie was editor an Oklahoma City high school science teacher, gestures of his left arm, the Oklahoma of the Olklahonia Daily student newspaper. After- curlier received another grant which will allow coach was trying to explain the situation to wards he worked for the Daily him to study for ten months at Oklahoma State the official who had ruled (the guard) out. Oklahoman Oklahoma Cily Times and San Angelo (Texas) Standard-T i mes University next year . However from the uninterested look on the referee's face Owen saw that his remon- Gerard Robins, '55geol, Houston, Texas, was honored May 20 by the Hillel Foundation for his strations were having no effect. Then one continuing interest in the group. lie is a past of the Texas players told Owen the official president of Hillel, Norman, and recipient of the YEAR OF TROUBLE was the coach of the nearby Texas School national Hillel award. Continued from page 6 for the Deaf, and was himself deaf and 1956 dumb . This was frustration to which there Luther G. Cowden, '56, Norman, is undergoing think of a dub who'd shoot his own arin could be no appeal . Owen didn't argue pre-flight training as a Naval cadet at Pensacola, He never let the loss of the arm hin- further with the deaf man, but turning on Florida. After 16 weeks in his present phase, he off?" will enter primary flight training at the same base . der him : his finest teams carne after 1907, his heel walked back very fast to the varsity Lieut. Bertram S. Shelby, '56gcol, Oklahoma and today, at age 81, he is as bright-eyed bench and sat down . Varsity players of the City, recently assumed command of the Army's and active as a man could wish to be . era still chuckle over the incident, main- 19th Antiaircraft Artillery Group's headquarters Oklahoma lost to Kansas, 15-0 . taining it was the only time in their lives battery at Fort Myer, Virginia . He was last sta- Then the team lost Harry Hughes, tioned at Fort Bliss, Texas, and before entering ser- its they ever saw an expression of utter help- vice lie worked as an exploration geologist for Ar- fiercest fullback, due to the 12-hour eligi- lessness in Owen's usually cheerful face ." kansas Fuel Oil Corporation in Lafayette, Lou- bility ruling . Days later, on the way to Texas won, 29-10. isiana . Austin for a game against Texas, the team On the eve of one of the games that sea- Miss Noel Sjoberg, '56journ, has joined Hall was in a train wreck. Fortunately no one son, students attempted hold their usual and Thompson, Inc., Oklahoma City advertising to agency . Formerly she worked for the Blackcvcll was injured. At the game itself one of ()k- shirttail parade in downtown Norman . A Join-nal-Tribune and for United Press. lahorria's best guards was undeservedly ex- nightwatchman, not realizing that the

AN OKLAHOMA U. RING 14e 4oxAal 4 a e ow4~ue _U4Zaell PIak

QUEEN'S WARE dry WEDGWOOD

The Oklahoma Memorial Union presents this set of Dinner Plates with four in dividual scenes of the campus . Etched in soft crimson, the off-white, l0-inch Wear always the distinctive ring which plates have scenes of the Administration Building, The Oklahoma Memorial Union, tells the world you are proud of your col- The Memorial Sladium-Oven Field, and Bizzell Memorial Library. lege, proud of your class-with your class fin c htdrs handling year on the sides and school name en- A set of four plates is $11 .50. and sales tax) circling the stone. STONES AVAILABLE Send This Form With Your Check Onyx (black)-Sardonyx (red) Synthetic Ruby (red)-Synthetic Sapphire (blue) Oklahoma Memorial Union Topaz (yellow)-Amethyst (purple) University of Oklahoma Tourmaline (green) Faculty Exchange Massive 10K gold $48 .00* Norman, Oklahoma Standard 10K gold $36.00* Ladies 10K miniature $29.50* Attached is a check (money order) in the amount of $ for *Plus 107o federal tax. sets of University of Oklahoma Commemorative Wedgwood Dinner Plates . To be State name of school, finger shipped express collect. size, class year, stone desired. Mail Plates to : COLLEGE SEAL and CREST CO. 236A Broadway, Cambridge 39, Mass . Manufacturers of College Jewelry Since 1875

MAY, 1957 PAGE 23

group had the mayor's permission for such a demonstration, objected and formed a posse to back him up. A scuffle occurred ; the posse hit the students ; the students over- powered the posse, and some sat on the men while the rest of the students continued with their parade. No one was hurt, and afterwards things were straightened out. Soon afterwards University Hall burned. But President Boyd, clear-headed and a hard worker, arranged for emergency sub- is for stitute classrooms and when the pupils re- turned from the holidays not a day of classwork was inissed . And as 1907 came K11 OWATTkOUR to an end, there was much to remember, much to think on . (1000 units (watts) of elec- What no one could possibly know for tric energy working for one certain, however, was that the year had hour. Your electric bill is served as preparation for one of the hard- for "kilowatthours" used est set-backs the school would ever know. dur- by all your appliances For when Oklahoma became the 46th state, ing the month.) remember, there were those who predicted that its new administrators would make a changes as far as the state university long some few So that you may know how was concerned . of your electric appliances will work be- They were correct. When the school fore using a kilowatthour of electricity, year of 1907-08 ended, so did the reign of below are some interesting figures : President 13oyd. He and 22 other members of the faculty were summarily dismissed, Approximate among them the brilliant Vernon Parring- length of time Watts used was that of the state's first Appliance per hour it takes to use ton. The act I kilowatthour governor, Charles N. Haskell, who wanted hours to rid the school of Republican-appointed Light bulb 4f1 watts 25 shocked and hours men. Other faculty members, T i ght\ bulb ion watts10 discouraged, resigned, one of them refusing hours ("lock ? watts 500 raise. hours a $300 Radio30 watts 33 For years the prestige and scholarship of Television 2,05 watts 5 hours () . U. did not recover from Haskell's act. Tron 1000 watts 1 hour But like an infant struggling to master the Blanket 175 watts6 hours art of walking, it learned to get back on its Washer (auto .) 400 watts21/2 hours legs after falls such as these. The state's Se wing machine 75 watts 13 hours year that was charged with hope and prog- ress was, paradoxically, the University's The average cost per kilowatthour of year of "memorable misfortune." electricity in OG&E served homes is 3.21 cents which is a very low wage, par- ticularly when you consider that the THE NORMAN TRANSCRIPT energy expended in one kilowatthour of 67th Year! is 1/3 more than could be ex- Thorough Coverage of electricity " NORMAN NEWS pended by a strong horse working 1 " UNIVERSITY NEWS hour . . . or 1 strong man working about " ALL O.U . SPORTS 28 hours. Member of the Associated Press So when you pay your electric bill please realize that you are paying for work that has been performed for you, tirelessly and efficiently . . . and for a very, very low wage.

OKLAHOMA GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY

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