Texas Technological College

Dr. Billy Ross, the chair of the School of Mass Communications at Texas Tech University, and a Mass Communications faculty member, Richard Schroeder, went to Pueblo, Colorado, to film German World War II art works which were supposed to be returned to Germany. Ross received permission from the U. S. Army to film the works. Ross wrote down the documentation information that went with each art work while Schroeder did the photography work.

From the guide to the German Art from the Billy Ross Negative Collection, U 329. 1., 1889-1980, (Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University)

Sponsored by the Animal Science Department of the College of Agricultural Sciences, the Block and Bridle Club was an organization made up of undergraduate and graduate students who supported the livestock industry and the Animal Science Dept. Activities included an annual ham and turkey sale, the Annual Little International All University Livestock Show and Judging Contest, a banquet, and presentations of scholarships to members. The national chapter of Block and Bridle Club was formed in 1919 in Chicago, Illinois.

From the guide to the Block and Bridle Club, Records, U 211. 1., 1933-1981 and undated, (Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University)

On July 13, 1957, the Board of Directors held an executive meeting and initiated the dismissals of three Tech faculty members and the ended the Adult Education program. Dismissed was Dr. Byron Robert Abernethy, professor of Government for 16 years; Dr. Herbert Marvin Greenberg, assistant professor of Psychology for two years and associate director of the Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling Program; Dr. Per Stensland, professor of Education and director of the Adult Education program for 5 years.

Both Abernethy and Greenberg had clashed with the Board of Directors due to their political and social views. Abernethy had been active in "liberal" Democratic circles while Greenberg had been vocal on his stance on pro-integration, stating that the Supreme Court decision should be upheld and he had conducted a psychological survey of faculty on their views of integration.

A large part of the controversy was the secretive manner in which the decisions were made. Tech President E. N. Jones was told the terminations were discussed in the June meeting but he himself had been barred from attending either the June or July board meetings and claimed to have no knowledge of complaints against either professor. "I reiterate that dismissal from a college faculty should be done with due process," stated Jones, who worried that Tech might lose its accreditation due to such actions. Other requests for an open meeting discussion of the dismissals were vetoed 8 to 1, with board member J. Evetts Haley ironically being the one member to vote for a public discussion. The board also declined to make public the reasons for the dismissals. Reasons later pieced together point to Abernethy's consultant work income, two student petitions requesting Greenberg's firing and letters of complaint about Abernethy and Greenberg. Stensland, on the other hand, lost his job when Adult Education program was terminated due to financial issues and no complaints seem to have been involved with his ousting.

The loss of academic freedom and censorship forced several faculty members to be unwilling to discuss the situation. Later, the Board of Directors, in response to all the complaints including those of the Faculty Advisory Committee, approved the creation of a committee to consider issues involved with faculty tenure and outside activities.

In an approximately 8,000 word report published as a special supplement to the March edition of the AAUP Bulletin, the American Association of University Professors membership cast a unanimous vote of censure against Texas Technological College on April 25, 1958.

From the guide to the Censure Records, U 38. 1., 1956-1966, (Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University)

Senate Bill No. 103 provided for the establishment of a “State school west of the 98th meridian and north of the 29th parallel,” thereby setting the ground work for the creation of Texas Technological School. Among the purposes of the school was to provide a “co-educational college giving thorough instruction in technology and textile engineering from which a student may reach the highest degree of education.”

Membership of the Locating Board consisted of S. B. Cowell (chairman), W. A. Nabours (secretary), Dr. F. M. Bralley, Dr. S. M. N. Marrs, Dr. W. B. Bizzell, and Dr. William B. Sutton.

The application form specified the role of the Locating Board, as well as the Board's requirement of six copies of each application. Members were not to accept, either directly or indirectly, any gifts, offers or bonuses which could influence their decision.

The applicants were free to submit their proposal in any form or size, as long as considerations such as climatic conditions, accessibility, water supply and location were addressed. 2,000 acres of land which could not exceed the sum of $150,000 was another provision for receiving the winning bid. Thirty-five cities and the county of Panhandle-Plains placed bids for the location of the Texas Technological School.

On August 8, 1923, the Locating Board announced Lubbock as the site chosen for the new college campus. A celebration to commemorate the selection occurred on August 28th, with Governor Pat Neff as the main speaker.

From the guide to the Locating Board records, U 113. 1., 1923 and 1938, (Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University)