Stephen F Austin State University - Stone Fort Yearbook (Nacogdoches, TX)

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photo by Mdrc Morrison photo reproduced by Jim Stotts books from the Rusk Building into the Paul L. Boynton Library, better known now as the computer science build- ing. Opposite Page: The chief mode of transporta- tion on campus is walking. Here, SFA students enjoy unusually warm January weather between classes. This page. Above: Homecoming King, Mark Bullock, congratulates Homecoming Queen, Angie Lipsey, during the pre-game presentation of royalty. Below: Women participate in a 1929 SFA women ' s health and physical education department festi- val.

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During the Great Depression, SFA was a teachers college with only 499 students. Twelve clubs (non-Greek) served as the college ' s organizations. Students felt the economic struggles of the depression. In the atmosphere of austerity, simple campus events such as a school dance assumed greater importance. Parking didn ' t represent a large problem to the students of the 30s. Because money was in short supply, few people could own the old Fords and Chevys, even though large cars could be bought for under a thou- sand dollars. The same lack of money forced the senior class of 1933 to go without an annual. In 1933, the school song was The Pine Tree Hymn, still read aloud on ce a year at the Early Bird Breakfast at Homecoming. By the time of President Birdwell ' s retirement, World War II had precipitated economic and social changes that would permanently af- fect East Texas and SFA. The war did bring an end to the decade of depression and took more than 250, 000 people from this area for military service and wartime industrial employment elsewhere. President Paul Lewis Boynton suc- ceeded President Birdwell. Boynton was a native Texan who had been serving as chairman of the psychology department at George Peabody College for Teachers in Tennessee. During the first three years of his ad- ministration, he managed to keep the college open, partly by making it a training base for members of the Women ' s Army Corps. In 1949, the 51st State Legislature changed the institution ' s name by de- leting teacher, although teacher education would remain a significant feature of the academic programs. While SFA was changing its name and the Depression was ending, the students turned once again to the outside world. Popular movies of the time were, Cabin in the Sky and DuBarry Was Not a Lady, starring Red Skelton, Lucille Ball and Gene Kel- ly. Cartoons and newsreels from the war played before the features at the theatres. With the end of World War II in 1945, the Gl Bill enabled many former military servicemen to attend school, increasing the school ' s enrollment tre- mendously. After the war, many industries focused on the natural re- sources of the area, and paper mills and other forest-related industries be- gan to grow. The oil industry also af- fected the area. In 1945, Nacogdoches acquired its first woman law enforcer. At that time Griffith Boulevard and Vista Drive were unpaved; College Street was only two lanes. With the men re- turning after the war, once again SFA had a football team, and men again began to join the wartime all-wom- en ' s band. At that time much of the campus construction was being completed. photo by |im Slotts Classroom buildings, a library, a fine arts building and more college housing were built. In 1950, a student center was pro- posed as a memorial to Macon Alston Gunter who had attended SFA before being called to war. Gunter died in Sicily, and his parents donated $20, 000 for his memorial. A new gym replaced the old Aik- man Gymnasium located where the Ferguson Building extension is now being constructed. Shelton Gymnasi- um was completed in 1950 at a cost of $232,000 and contained 3,000 seats. In 1955 the football team moved

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Dr. Ralph Steen, chairman of the History Department at Texas A M, became SFA ' s third president in 1958. The Austin, Rusk, Birdwell and Science Buildings were still the four major classroom buildings, but the new Fine Arts Building was under construction. The Units, Mays, Cibbs, Wisely and Ferguson Halls were the only campus housing at that time. Twenty years ago, Nacogdoches was a dry town, and students were not allowed to have alcohol in their dorm rooms. No member of the op- posite sex could visit in the dorm rooms, and permission had to be granted in order to live off campus. Movies of the decade could be seen for 25 t on what is now called dollar night. Altonia was playing, featur- ing Sophia Loren, Maximilian Schnell, Fredric March and Robert Wagner. Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman starred in A New Kind Of Love. In the 1960s, button-down Oxford shirts could be purchased for $2.99 and a half gallon of ice cream for 69 cents. Maxwell House coffee cost only 55 cents and a five-pound bag of flour could be bought for 39 cents. photo by |im Stotts This Page: Fall gives a different look to the campus Center: An SFA student, posing for Stone Fort photographer Bob Leonard, is dressed to kill for Halloween.