aglaes
My entry into the Corps was in the Fall of 1952 ... the first Fish class on main campus since 1947. Even then, we were housed in the northside dorms with a cadre of upperclassmen in each Fish unit, while the remainder of the Corps was housed in the southside dorms. "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." The Pissheads from the southside knew we would have to eventually come out of our enclave to attend class, check our mailbox, go to Northgate, etc., so leaving the Fish area was not without trepidation. Upperclassmen assigned to the Fish units were properly Old Army so our life in the dorm was in keeping with customs. EXCEPT, that during CQ almost every week on a no-notice basis, all Fish were subject to "tail" inspections by officer from the Commandant's office. Simple task, the announcement of inspection was made by the Whistle Jock. All Fish dropped trou in their doorway fanny pointed to the hall and the inspection party passed in review ... looking for discolored butts.
The Fish units marched to all meals at Sbisa. At that time Sbisa was a wide open space ... the largest ceiling in the world with no supporting columns. Meals were family style with 10 persons to a table, and enough tables to seat 4,000. Meal service was by a small army of Fish (Corps) Waiters each assigned 3 tables. One hour was allowed for the noon meal that included formations, march-in, and feeding the 4,000 to a sit-down meal.
Athletes were in the Corps in those days and classmates like Jack Pardee, Gene Stallings,
Billy Pete Huddleston and others endured the same lifestyle as the rest of us.
As for the history of those early times the best source I know of is a book titled "The Story of Texas A and M", written by George Sessions Perry and published in 1951. (McGraw-Hill.) Perry was able to interview directly the principle actors and eyewitnesses and view the source documents in his history. Later books seemed to gloss over some major elements of the A&M story. I depend on Perry's
accounts.
I can assure you, at no time during my four years more than 50 years ago, and in the prior 75 years, was the Cadet Corps a rogue outfit that disregarded college rules or was prone to any other misconduct (other than generally innocent fun named appropriately "good bull."
Cadet officers took their authority and responsibilities seriously and were honorable and loyal to their school, the Corps, individuals in their units and to their own legacy.
Edit: I agree that there is no line of demarcation from Old Army to New Army. For myself, I consider Old Army to be a state of mind, an attitude, that personal feeling that I am a part of something larger than myself with a history of accomplishments and ideals that I want to measure up to. Individually those of us in earlier times were mostly not spectacular or even out of the ordinary of today ... but we were aware of persons and events in earlier times at A&M which gave purpose and direction toward that which we desired to be.
Remember, in the early 50s we had 7,000 cadets in the Corps. When membership became no longer mandatory the Corps began an inexorable decline in size. The guidons of many old time units were retired along with their historical link to former years. Many changes were made by the administration, some good some bad. The Commandant's office became directly involved in Corps every day life where upperclassmen had performed previously. Where seniors had selected their successors in the past, the Trigon took control of unit leadership. Is Old Army dead? No, Old Army still lives with the Keepers of the Spirit ... a bit subdued in comparison to former times but as long as some Cadets are aware of their heritage, it will live on.
[This message has been edited by fossil_ag (edited 7/31/2005 1:52p).]
