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

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CONTENTS Students 18 Organizations 56 Greeks 154 Sports 194 Academics 252 Honors 308 Classes 316 Lori L. Baker Editor in Chief Tanya Cunningham Associate and Copy Editor James M. Stotts III Chief Photographer Organizations Joan Steele-Editor Sherry Young-Assistant Greeks Michelle Dewitt-Editor Mary Ann Notter-Assistant Sports Jackie Kennedy-Editor Carol Thumlert-Assistant Classes Kevin McKinney-Editor Kim Austin-Assistant Photographers Bobby Chapman Bob Leonard Hal Lott Marc Morrison Photo by |im Slotts I

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SFA Celebrates 60 Years of Growth This school year marked the 60th anniversary of SFA. It is only fitting that we prepare for the future by looking to the past. Sixty years ago, the student body consisted of 158 students. When the college opened its doors in 1923, a student had to be 16 years old to en- ter college and had usually graduated by the time he was 19 or 20. Now the average age of college freshmen is 18, and most students graduate when they are 22 or 23. No tuition was charged in 1923, but there was a student development fee of $12 for athletics, entertainme nt and student publications. Sixty years ago, students had a choice of joining either literary clubs or musical sororities. Classes were held in the Austin Building where the library, the physics lab and other classrooms occupied most of the space. The 19 steps in front of the building were called The Steps of Opportunity. In 1923, women had to live in ap- proved boarding houses. The dean of women, Miss Ruth May, was strict in her policies. Every young lady had study hours from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. Male visitors were allowed on Sunday afternoons and on Saturday nights until 10:30 p.m. If the man in question did not attend SFA, he had to have Miss May ' s approval to visit one of the women students. The University was founded in 1921 by the 36th Texas Legislature as a state teachers college. The founding president of SFA was Alton William Birdwell, former history instructor and academic dean of Southwest Texas State Teachers College. A local steering committee present- ed to the state legislature a brochure of 23 reasons that SFA should be located in Nacogdoches. Nacog- doches, committee members said, was the most accessible city in East Texas. They claimed that the town had an unusually high moral tone and an exceptional cultural environment. According to the committee, the peo- ple of the city were church going; no immoral resorts were located in the city; the jail was empty and the city had 22 boarding houses which could care for students at a monthly rate of $20 for room and board. Committee members said Nacog- doches was the Cradle of Texas Liberty, its past dear to every Texan and that its present typified Texas progress. Opposite Page: SFA students witnessed the construction of the Ferguson annex. Completion date for the building was set for August 1984. This Page: Autumn leaves fell from a gum tree after a typical Nacogdoches downpour. Photos by lirn Stolls