Sul Ross State University - Brand Yearbook (Alpine, TX)

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r Texas Legislature Approved Sul Ross College in 1917 It was no accident that Sul Ross came into exist¬ ence and was located in Alpine, Texas. The story of the origin of Sul Ross State College is truly one wor¬ thy of recollection. It is an example of the courage and the ability of the pioneers of West Texas to pro¬ cure their necessities. Alpine was originally a ranch town, but since Sul Ross College was established, it has become the center of culture and education in the Big Bend Country. The profound effect of Sul Ross College on Alpine and the Big Bend Country is immeasurable. The idea of a permanent institution of higher learn¬ ing originated from the Summer Normal which was first held at the Jackson-Harmon Ranch, present site of the W. T. Meriwether Ranch, northwest of Alpine. The late J. D. Jackson was one of the greatest pioneers in the history of the Big Bend; he was the father of Sul Ross State College. Jackson had very little formal education, but he realized the import¬ ance of education. Even though he was one of the highest tax-payers in the area (Jackson owned ap¬ proximately 192,000 acres in Brewster County) he still fought for educational improvement in the Big Bend Country which would inevitably increase tax valuation on ranch land. Jackson was virtually the founder of Central School in Alpine. Even though he was ridiculed for it, he supported the bond issue which financed the school. In 1910, when Central Ward was built, the Summer Normal was transferred to it. The Normal was held there until 1920, when W. B. Hancock donated 100 acres to the State of Texas to serve as the site of Sul Ross State College Sul Ross Normal College was opened. The opinion of the people who remember Jackson is that he spent more of his private funds than any other man to se¬ cure Sul Ross College for Alpine. The first attempt to establish a permanent insti¬ tution of higher learning in Alpine was the campaign of the Alpine Commercial Club in 1917. As soon as the Alpine Commercial Club started its campaign, several other towns joined to try to secure colleges in their towns. The Sul Ross Bill was presented to the Senate by Senator Claude Hudspeth after he had received word from Dr. Benjamin Franklin Berkeley (another of the leaders in this great movement was Berkeley, who came to Alpine from Kentucky in 1897) to do so. The bill had no trouble passing either the Senate Com¬ mittee or the House Committee. The Senate Commit¬ tee unanimously approved the bill for consideration, and there was only one dissenting vote in the House Committee. From 1910 until 1920, the Summer Normal met in Central Ward School. This structure is presently being utilized by Alpine Public Schools as a junior high school building.

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Activities

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The Executive Committee of the Alpine Commer¬ cial Club, composed of J. P. Wilson, F. E. Gillett, J. L. Crawford, and E. R. Bentley, sent Berkeley and Jack- son to Austin to support the bill. They also asked for the support of the surrounding towns, from which more than fifty telegrams were sent to the Legislature in Austin, emphasizing the pertinence of the bill. The Sul Ross Bill, No. 397 in the Senate, was passed March 11, 1917, without opposition in the Senate. At this time in his address, Jackson invited all of the State Senators to the Jackson-Harmon Ranch bcrbecue. Sam Harmon and J. D. Jackson were ranch partners, and they held an annual bar¬ becue at the ranch headquarters. The Sul Ross Bill was No. 677 in the House, and when first considered, it was defeated 42-30. The principal reason for the defeat was the small popu¬ lation in the area. A representative from Odessa asked Berkeley to take his place in the House de¬ bates. Berkeley pointed out to the House of Repre¬ sentatives that his section of the state paid more taxes than it received in return for education. Dr. B. F. Berkeley carried the Sul Ross fight to Austin. The bill was then passed in the House by a vote of 77-33 after an amendment allotting 100 acres for the school in Alpine instead of 50 acres was added. W. B. Hancock donated the 100 acres for the school. On April 4, 1917, Governor J. E. Ferguson signed this bill which provided not only for Sul Ross, but also for two other normal schools to be built at later dates. It was reported that Governor Ferguson said he didn ' t know where the money was going to come from to establish three new normals, but because of his friendship with Jackson and Hudspeth, he signed the bill. In a San Antonio newspaper, several citizens of Alpine noticed that the Board of Regents had de¬ cided to build the school in Kingsville before build¬ ing Sul Ross. When the Conference Committee of the Legislature was settling its differences in the dying hours of the 37th Legislature, a rider was placed on the bill that the school would be built in Alpine be¬ fore the other two schools. Dr. Berkeley was sent to Austin as the represen¬ tative of the citizens of Alpine. He went to see A. C. Goethe, president of the Board of Regents, and ex¬ plained why he thought the Board of Regents had made a mistake. Goethe said that the Board of Re¬ gents had acted with the advice of the attorney gen¬ eral, and hey felt that they were on firm ground. Berkeley told Goethe that the attorney general had made a mistake, and that he was going to that office next. Berkeley went to C. M. Cureton ' s (the attorney general) office and explained the Board of Regents ' error to him. He also pointed out the original legisla¬ tion. Cureton stated to Berkeley that he thought that the Doctor was mistaken, but that he would take him to the best man in his office. Cureton explained the problem to his subordinant and asked him to look into it. The lawyer told Berkeley to return the next morning at 10:30, and he would have had time to consider the question. At 10:30 the following morn¬ ing, the lawyer told Berkeley that he had been over¬ whelmed with too much work and hadn ' t had time to look into the problem. He asked Berkeley to return at 11:00 the next morning. When Berkeley arrived at the lawyer ' s office, the lawyer said he had not had time to thoroughly appraise the problem, but said, Old Boy, I tell you one thing. Alpine has got them skinned. Thus it was that the Sul Ross Normal was assured. Even though the Sul Ross Bill stated that the school must be ready for occupancy not later than October 1, 1919, it was not until June 14, 1920, that the buildings were completed. The reasons for this were World War I and the poor fiscal conditions of the state. This was prior to the time when Texas was oil rich. During these delays, a bill was introduced in the House of Representatives to repeal Sul Ross, but it and all such bills since have been met ad¬ versely. Construction was started on the Administration Building in 1919. So it was that the headlines of the January 16, 1918, Alpine Avalance, Sul Ross Normal College Is now Assured, let the people of West Texas know that their effort had been to great avail. —The material was borrowed from the Alpine Avalance, Vol. 70, No. 39, June 28, 1962. 19