Georgia Institute of Technology - Blueprint Yearbook (Atlanta, GA)

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electrical engineering departments. In his will he stated that, ... I believe that the Georgia SchcK)l of Tech- nology is worth more to the State of Georgia than all the rest of her colleges combined. The property con- sisted of real estate near Atlanta consisting of the old home and some lots in Fulton County. In addition it contained some 3,760 acres of land in three Texas coun- ties. Held by the school with the hope of finding oil someday, the land has been used largely for crops and has continually brought the school a profit of from two to seven thousand dollars annually. At the prices of those days the entire bequest was valued at upwards of $160,000 and the later sale of the Brown property in the Atlanta area provided the funds with which was built the Brown Dormitory. Navy R.O.T.C. In 1926, Georgia Tech was selea- ed among six colleges about the nation at which were to be formed naval units similar to Army R. O. T. C. They were to embody, as nearly as possible, the training standards of the Naval Academy at Annapolis and the colleges were carefully seleaed, among them Harvard, Yale, Northwestern, the Univer- sities of California and Washington, and of course. Tech. The decision to choose Tech, though it is not located in a maritime area, was influenced primarily by the high scholastic standards of the school. At first the Naval facilities were in Swann then they shifted to the new Aeronautical Engineering Building when it was finished in 1932. However, these quarters were still inadequate and in 1935, with financial aid from Ferd Kaufman, an alumnus, from C. W. A., from federal authorities and from the Athletic Association, the Naval Armory was built on the corner of Third Street and Techwood Drive. The cost of the building was $130,000 and it included a spacious drill hall, a full size destroyer bridge, fire control and signal apparatus, complete navigational equipment, arms and different ship models. For some time thereafter Tech boasted the finest facilities of any of the newly organized naval units. It might be noteworthy that for a number of years, members of the faculty have been invited to be guests of the Secretary of the Navy on the annual midshipmen summer training cruises. One of th e most interesting cruises ever taken by a member of our faculty was taken by President Brittain during the summer of 1937. He was aboard the battleship Colorado, then the third larg- est ship in the fleet. The cruise was to extend for three weeks while traveling from San Francisco to the Ha- waiian Islands. Upon reaching Honolulu, the ship re- ceived a radio message from President Roosevelt order- ing the ship to take part in the search for Miss Amelia Earhart, who had been reported missing in Pacific waters some 3,000 miles southward. The Colorado took part in the search and before the cruise had ended seven weeks had elapsed but nontheless the experience was regarded by President Brittain as one of his most in- teresting. The Library At this time it would be wise to make note of the library and its standing up to the time of Dr. Brittain. From the time of the construction of the Carnegie Building in 1906 to 1924, Miss Laura Hammond held the position of librarian. During her tenure the library grew from approximately 3,000 volumes to 16,000 and from vir- tually no appropriation to $4,600 annually. In 1927 Mrs. J. Henley Crosland was made librarian, a position she has held since. Under her direction the library has grown in leaps and bounds to put it mildly. Currently the number of volumes in the new library is over 180,000 while the number of periodicals is over 2,400. During her time the book and periodical appropriation has grown from $1,200 to over $44,000. In 1945 Mrs. Crosland was chosen as the Atlanta Woman of the Year in Education and through her efforts Tech today boasts of the finest technical library in the South and certainly an enviable position among collegiate libraries throughout the world. Today she still labors so that new and better things can be had for the students in this magnificent new building. 1929 Rote Botvl Among the sports thrills I have shared one that stands out vividly in my mind is the season of 1928. Coach Alex had put

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by people who cannot speak English. Its origin is some- what obscured in my memory. Graduates of 1892 insist that it was first sung in their time while graduates of later years insist that it was first played by the Tech band at the dedication of the Y. M. C. A. Building in 1910. Frank Roman, who direaed the band from 1913 to 1928, wrote the words under his own name and had the song printed, although by then it was generally con- sidered an arrangement and not an original composi- tion. Mr. Roman is also credited with the music of ' Up With the White and Gold ' while Mr. I. H. Granath wrote the Alma Mater in 1923. Greater Georgia After the end of the fist World Tech Campaign War, the large number of return- ing veterans who wished to enter Tech made her facilities almost inadequate. It was then realized that something must be done to relieve the strain then and the predicted strain of future years. Thus started the Greater Georgia Tech Campaign. Its purpose was just what its name implied — a greater Georgia Tech. Largely it consisted of a great public campaign to bring the true meaning and value of technical training to the state administrators as well as the general public of Georgia. The original goal was to obtain some five million dollars but after the campaign ended the result was a little over a million and a half. A short while later the Carnegie Corporation donated $150,000 to the fund and contributions from other sources raised the total. It should be mentioned here also that the State Agri- cultural College at Athens was at this time led by a somewhat powerful president who sought to obtain Fed- eral aid for technical schools for the Agricultural Col- lege. This, of course, led to many letters between the two presidents. The results of the Greater Georgia Tech Campaign, though not as successful as could have been hoped for financially, had cracked the barrier held by many in the state. The barrier, of course, was the partial rejection, or non-realization of the importance of a tech- nical school in Georgia. In this sense the Campaign was truly a success. President Brittain ' s Administration WGST In 1922 I saw Dr. M. L. Brittain become Georgia Tech ' s fourth president. With his entrance into office began a new era at the flats. In 1923 Tech received one of its most valuable gifts — Radio Sta- tion WGST. The station was donated by Clark Howell, then Editor of the Atlanta Constitution. At the time of the donation the value of the equipment was only about $4,900 but in less than ten years the annual income from the station amounted to over $8,000. But with an ever increasing profit and a bright outlook for even greater potentialities for the future, the number of greedy hands that desired to gain contr ol of the station increased. At the outset, Federal aid was promised in the matter and the Federal Communications Commission held to their promise. In 1936 an effort was made to transfer the station from the school to the state. This, however, was averted by the technicality that trust-fund endowments could not be taken from the school by either the governor or the Legislature. Later in the year trouble arose again but this time with the Federal au- thorities. The F. C. C. had changed personnel and they then wished Tech to substitute aaive direction of the station instead of the arrangement with the Southern Broadcasting Company. This was complied with and soon after the school entered into an agreement with Southern Broadcasting Stations, Inc. to operate the sta- tion for Tech on a profitable basis for the school with the understanding that should any attempt be made to wrest the station from the school it would be considered a breach of contract. Since that time there has been no difficulty arising from the station and it has proven to be of more value than ever realized. Texas Lands It was in 1910, however, that I saw Tech receive her first large gift. The Honorable Julius L. Brown left in his will two-thirds of his estate for use in the chemistry and i

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together one of the finest aggregations of football talent ever to step out on the gridiron and rolled to an unde- feated season, the Southern Conference championship and the National Championship after defeating the University of California in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1929. The Tech-California game will long be one of the most talked about of all time, largely due to one of the greatest boners to ever be pulled in an important game. That was the unforgettable reverse run by Cap- tain Roy Riegels of the Golden Bears. It set up the deciding safety that won the game for Tech, 8 to 7. Tech, as was said before, boasted one of the finest teams ever and with such greats as Stumpy Thomason, Peter Fund, who made Ail-American center, Warner Mizell, All-American halfback, and Frank Speer, who also gar- nered AU-American honors. Mizell, Thomason, Speer, Jones, Pund and Drennon made All-Southern in their positions and the only reason Maree, Waddey, Thrash, Westbrook, Lumpkin and Durant didn ' t make it was the fact that the critics might look too bad if everyone on the Tech team made the mythical eleven. When the team arrived in Atlanta, it received one of the most rousing welcomes in the history of the city. Proceeds from the game were used to construct Rose Bowl Field which today is used for practice for varsity sports, drill and intramural sports and stands as a living monument to the fabulous era of the ' Golden Tornado. ' Bobby Jones Without a doubt the Tech alum- nus who achieved the greatest fame in the world of sports is Robert Tyre Jones, Jr. He graduated from Tech in 1922 with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and later went to Harvard and Emory. He shall long be known as the Emperor of Golf, the title he gained in 1926, the year of his renowned ' Grand Slam. ' This in- cluded the U. S. Amateur and Open Championships and the British Amateur and Open Championships. In 1930 he retired from competitive golf and devoted his time to a successful law practice and civic affairs. Presently he is president of the Augusta National Golf Club which is noted for the Masters Golf Tournament and frequent visits by President Eisenhower. Guggenheim Atvard Tech ' s greatest honor came in 1930. It was then that I saw the donation of $300,000 by the Gug- genheim Fund for the establishment of an aeronautical school at Georgia Tech. Previously the only schools to receive Guggenheim appropriations were the Massachu- setts Institute of Technology, New York University, the University of Michigan, California Institute of Tech- nology and Leland Stanford, Jr. University. Tech ' s choice over 26 other Southern schools praaically made our scholastic prestige undisputed in this region. Of course, the contribution allowed Tech to install a first- class aeronautical school on the campus. This donation was the last before the Guggenheim Fund went out of existence but nonetheless careful scrutinization preceded the donation. Captain Emory S. Land, later Admiral Land, was sent to the rwenty-seven schools to determine the best qualified. Finally Captain Land announced that the grant had been awarded to Tech but that there was one question mark, that is Georgia ' s poor reputation for being liberal in her treatment of her colleges and the fact that the plans made possible by the grant might starve to death. A meeting of the Governor, the Mayor of Atlanta, the State Comptroller, the Chairman of the County Board and several other prominent citizens, assured Captain Land that there would be no danger of lack of support. The check for the entire amount was sent immediately. $ 1 00,000 was invested in a building, $50,000 in a wind tunnel and the other half of the grant was invested in five per cent bonds as an endow- ment to safeguard against the financial trouble that loomed ahead. Dr. Brittain is due much credit for the excellent way in which he handled Tech ' s application, especially since he was confronted with some of the most prominent men in the entire South who were also in quest of the grant for their own schools.