North Carolina State University - Agromeck Yearbook (Raleigh, NC)

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ent The campus (above) began to resemble its present ap- pearance in Overton ' s day. As a student he considered a car on campus to be a luxury (left). Overton spent the sum- mer of 1930 at ROTC camp (right) in Fort McClellan, Alabama. Student Life 15

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L.H. Overton, Class of 1931 When Lemuel Hill Overton entered State College in 1927, he was required to wear a freshman cap — a red beanie — to signify to the community at large he was a freshman and inferior to the up- perclassmen. The North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering was 38 years old when Overton started atten- ding. The total enrollment for the school was around 1,800. During my first two years I knew prac- tically every student by either his surname or nickname, 72-year-old Overton recall- ed. As new students arrived it became im- possible to learn the names of all the newcomers. About two weeks after he came to State he was walking between Holladay Hall and College Court and saw the president of the college. As they passed each other the presi- dent said, Hello, Mr. Overton. I didn ' t know how he knew who I was, Overton said. He still doesn ' t know. Overton now resides in Matthews, N.C., with his wife Lucille. Their son. Hill Jr., graduated from State and two of their grandchildren are currently undergraduates at their Pawpaw ' s alma mater. But Overton ' s college years were very different from his grandchildrens ' . Everyone ate together in the dining hall for $18 per month. The dining hall was Leazar Hall but was sometimes called Bull Hall or Lizzard Hall by students. On Sunday lunch, Overton said, you got a brown bag for supper that would be suffi- cient to hold you till 7:30 breakfast. What we call work-study today was call- ed self-help in Overton ' s day. Self-help students worked at the dining hall, he said. On (ROTC) drill days they ' d have to change from their blouse to an apron and wash their hands, I hope, to earn their board by waiting on tables. Because State was a land- grant college, all physically fit freshmen and sophomores had to take ROTC. Our shoes were issued to us, he said. Our first year we were issued World War I surplus uniforms. What is now the Court of the Carolinas was the drill field for the 3rd Battahon, ROTC, according to Overton. We drilled two times a week and also had ROTC lab, he said. On rainy days a flag was flown to signify an assembly to discuss matters of general military interest. Overton was among the small percentage of students who went on to advanced ROTC. The ad- vanced students were accepted on the basis of fitness and grades. In advanced ROTC we were measured for a tailored uniform to wear our junior and senior years, he said. We were also given the U.S. Army allowance of 30 cents per ration, which paid for half of board in the dining hall. 14 Student Life

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Being in advanced ROTC required a six-week training camp in the sum- mer after the junior year. I rode in a Model ' T touring car to Fort Mc- Clellan, Ala., as a cadet, Overton said. (He first met the future Mrs. Overton at a dance for the cadets while he was at camp.) As far as transportation in those days, not many students owned cars. There were a few stripped- down Model T ' s and one Austin, he said. On weekends most students went home by air — with their thumbs in the air, that is. Some went to Eetsie- Teetsie — East Carolina Teacher ' s College — to see their sweethearts. Of course, other State boys had girlfriends in Raleigh. I never did stop at St. Mary ' s school but I used to see them Meredith gals on the bus or at the First Baptist Church. Mrs. Overton added that the boys used to walk back and forth in front of Raleigh ' s girls ' schools just hoping to see a girl. When the students had free time, some of them would go to the Grand Theatre on Fayetteville Street, which featured touring vaudeville acts com- plete with comedians and dancing ladies. We thought they were pretty well stripped down, Overton said. State students sometimes went to the Sir Walter Raleigh Hotel. They ' d have bands and fancy people to watch, he said. His wife said that the State boys ' girlfriends would get let- ters on stationery stolen from the hotel ' s mezzanine. Letters in those days were mailed with a 2-cent stamp. never did stop at St. Mary ' s school but I used to see them Meredith gals on the bus or at the First Baptist Church. And of course, sporting events were popular. There was a heavy turnout for football games at Riddick Stadium, Overton said. Football and basketball had freshman and varsity teams. Other team sports included wrestling, boxing, swimming, track and cross country. The rivalry with North Carolina had already begun by the late ' 20s. State students had started calling Raleigh ' s The News and Observer the Nuisance and Disturber. They felt State only got bad press from the N O while all the complimentary news came out of Chapel Hill, accor- ding to Overton. Beyond team sports, physical fitness has always been stressed at State. Students then had to take six credit hours of PE in order to graduate. If a student happened to be caught up with his classwork and needed some extra money, he could pick up a job assignment at the YMCA. Overton said a student could spend an after- noon doing yardwork, scrubbing, painting or floor polishing for pro- fessors ' wives, and so pick up an extra two or three dollars. The YMCA building was on the campus back then. Overton noted how much the campus has changed over the years. I lived my first year in 1911 dormitory, he said. He joked that his old room is now a men ' s room. The 1911 Building got its name becau.se the hazing of freshmen was banned by that class. Overton graduated from State in 1931. His son and grandchildren have carried on the red-and-white tradi- tion. Two of his grandchildren entered State two years before his 50th reunion. But despite all the changes that have taken place at State, L.H. Overton, class of ' 31, will always be a Wolfpacker. — Ann Houston 4 16, Student Life