The Animal Pavilion is a building on campus that all recent graduates will find familiar ... although most are still puzzled about how the structure housing Student Registration and Student Activities got its name.
When the Animal Pavilion was constructed in 1917 it truly was an animal pavilion. In those early days of limited transportation, it was more practical to transport livestock for teaching purposes to a central location than to shuttle a gaggle of animal husbandry students. So from those days for the next 60 years student workers in the various livestock centers were the taxi crews that brought cattle, hogs, horses and sheep to the Animal Pavilion for courses involving livestock.
This is an early picture of the Pavilion. (The Animal Industries Building in the background was built in 1932.)
The Animal Husbandry department owned the Animal Pavilion until about 1977 when the Kleberg Center and the Dick Freeman Arena were constructed west of the tracks. It was used for many activities through that period as long as livestock were involved in some manner. The Pavilion was not an open barn ... it had six rows of concrete bench seating that encircled the dirt floor arena ... and could accommodate a crowd of about 1000-1200.
Livestock judging was a typical activity.
For years State 4H and FFA Livestock Judging Contest were held in the Pavilion. That was quite a sight ... the floor sectioned off for various animal groupings to be judged, along with a thousand or so youngsters milling around poking and prodding and judging the quality of the various animals.
For many years A&M students participated in a livestock show of their own in the Pavilion. It was called the Little Southwestern and it was sponsored by the Saddle and Sirloin Club and the AH Department. Students were allowed to go out to the College herds and select an animal they wished to prepare and show. They were given a month or so to spruce up and train their selection for the show ring and then compete in the big event. It was quite an event that attracted a number of outside visitors curious to see large numbers of A&M livestock in show condition. And the ex-4H and FFAers reveled at having another chance to demonstrate their skill in a showring.
Another activity that grew up in the Animal Pavilion was the All-Aggie Rodeo. The first rodeo was held in the Pavilion in 1919. That must have been a hoot ... goat roping, greased pig chases, sack races between faculty and Ag seniors. But as time went on and rodeos were becoming more organized in the outside world of Texas, the A&M rodeos in the 1920s adapted to the events we recognize today ... bull riding, bronc riding and calf roping.
Originally sponsored by the Saddle and Sirloin Club, the Rodeo continued to grow through the 40s and 50s. In 1949 the Rodeo Club built its own arena to have more time for their sport than working around the schedule of the Pavilion. And not satisfied with just in-house competition, the club president that year, Charlie Rankin ('50), teamed up with fellows at Sul Ross to invent a new college rodeo organization ... the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) with Charlie Rankin as its first president. Not content with just simply organizing, the fledgling group even had its first College National Finals Rodeo at the Cow Palace in San Francisco in April 1949. Today, that activity that had its origin in the old Animal Pavilion has 200 collegiate teams nationwide with more than 2,000 competing members.
Tracing the history of the old buildings and departments and individuals has always intrigued me. There is never a single story to tell that has a beginning and end ... but a collection of events and personalities and activities that weave in and out into an endless fabric.
I have a lot of memories of that old Pavilion and the great times and people that crossed that dirt floor.
[This message has been edited by fossil_ag (edited 10/5/2006 5:28p).]
When the Animal Pavilion was constructed in 1917 it truly was an animal pavilion. In those early days of limited transportation, it was more practical to transport livestock for teaching purposes to a central location than to shuttle a gaggle of animal husbandry students. So from those days for the next 60 years student workers in the various livestock centers were the taxi crews that brought cattle, hogs, horses and sheep to the Animal Pavilion for courses involving livestock.
This is an early picture of the Pavilion. (The Animal Industries Building in the background was built in 1932.)
The Animal Husbandry department owned the Animal Pavilion until about 1977 when the Kleberg Center and the Dick Freeman Arena were constructed west of the tracks. It was used for many activities through that period as long as livestock were involved in some manner. The Pavilion was not an open barn ... it had six rows of concrete bench seating that encircled the dirt floor arena ... and could accommodate a crowd of about 1000-1200.
Livestock judging was a typical activity.
For years State 4H and FFA Livestock Judging Contest were held in the Pavilion. That was quite a sight ... the floor sectioned off for various animal groupings to be judged, along with a thousand or so youngsters milling around poking and prodding and judging the quality of the various animals.
For many years A&M students participated in a livestock show of their own in the Pavilion. It was called the Little Southwestern and it was sponsored by the Saddle and Sirloin Club and the AH Department. Students were allowed to go out to the College herds and select an animal they wished to prepare and show. They were given a month or so to spruce up and train their selection for the show ring and then compete in the big event. It was quite an event that attracted a number of outside visitors curious to see large numbers of A&M livestock in show condition. And the ex-4H and FFAers reveled at having another chance to demonstrate their skill in a showring.
Another activity that grew up in the Animal Pavilion was the All-Aggie Rodeo. The first rodeo was held in the Pavilion in 1919. That must have been a hoot ... goat roping, greased pig chases, sack races between faculty and Ag seniors. But as time went on and rodeos were becoming more organized in the outside world of Texas, the A&M rodeos in the 1920s adapted to the events we recognize today ... bull riding, bronc riding and calf roping.
Originally sponsored by the Saddle and Sirloin Club, the Rodeo continued to grow through the 40s and 50s. In 1949 the Rodeo Club built its own arena to have more time for their sport than working around the schedule of the Pavilion. And not satisfied with just in-house competition, the club president that year, Charlie Rankin ('50), teamed up with fellows at Sul Ross to invent a new college rodeo organization ... the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) with Charlie Rankin as its first president. Not content with just simply organizing, the fledgling group even had its first College National Finals Rodeo at the Cow Palace in San Francisco in April 1949. Today, that activity that had its origin in the old Animal Pavilion has 200 collegiate teams nationwide with more than 2,000 competing members.
Tracing the history of the old buildings and departments and individuals has always intrigued me. There is never a single story to tell that has a beginning and end ... but a collection of events and personalities and activities that weave in and out into an endless fabric.
I have a lot of memories of that old Pavilion and the great times and people that crossed that dirt floor.
[This message has been edited by fossil_ag (edited 10/5/2006 5:28p).]
