Alumni J-TAC, Homecoming 1996 Page: 6 of 40
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It was then that I fully realized what this college
meant to me. I recalled all the gay times that I
had had, all the friends that I had learned to
love, and all the difficult lessons that I had met
and mastered. My mind shot forward to the
future. What would I be in the future? The first
question I passed over as being unanswerable,
but on the second one I stopped to ponder.
Why, of course, the future of Tarleton would be
as bright and successful as the past had been.
The past - what had Tarleton been in the past? I
stood still with amazement at the sudden
realization that I, who had spent two years in
this college, knew practically nothing about its
history. A sudden longing to know something
of its past took possession of me, and I deter-
mined to go on a search for information
concerning it.GRASL
VOL U 1 E
H SN 0 RC
JO HN 'TL R
AGRICULTURAL
%___/_
1
K2(
dAs I turned to start on my quest, I beheld a
young man of singular appearance
coming across the campus
toward me. I could not
forbear stopping to gaze at
j him. As he came near, he
LI [~Jsmiled and spoke. For a
IX moment I could do
nothing but look at him.
He was a handsome,
stalwart, young man - but
L A 55 his clothes! He wore
ETON khaki trousers, a blue
COLLEG chambray shirt, and a
college cap. Under his
arm he carried a stack of
' 7, - .- books and some me-
chanical tools. As I
watched him, he depos-
ited his burdens on the ground and sat
down. I could not restrain my curiousity
)nger, so I asked,"Pardon me, Mister, but who in the world are
you? You look like a representative of this
college."
"I am that all right," he answered.
"But who are you?" I questioned again.
"I, oh, I am Mr. J.T.A. College," and his voice
swelled with pride as he spoke."But your clothes?" I interrupted.
"Oh, my clothes," he said with a shy smile, "you
see it is this way. I try to represent the different
parts of the college, so I wear this khaki for the
boys, this chambray for the girls, and as the
faculty insisted upon it, I wear this cap to
represent them."
"So, you represent the college?" I repeated.
"No, I am the college," he said empathetically.
I gazed at him dumfounded for a few moments,
then pointing to the buildings, I said,
"They are the college."
"No, you are mistaken. They are but the
buildings wherein I reside. I am the spirit of the
institution. Although I am always present, I
seldom show myself. I reveal my presence only
to those who are interested in me and my
welfare. I know that you are wanting to find out
something about my past life. Ask me what you
will, and I will try to answer it."
I sat down beside him and said, "Tell me
everything that you can think of."
He began his story:
"I came into being September, 1899, when John
Tarleton, a good old miserly man, bequeathed
the major part of his estate for building me a
home. This first building was a long rectangular
wooden structure of two stories. It just had two
classrooms and an auditorium. I was rather
academic in nature then, and children from six
to eighteen years were allowed to come to
school in my home. Dr. Mac Alhaney (sic) was
my first president. Mrs. Chamberlain, she was
then Miss Ponder, taught English. Let's see,"
and for a moment he was lost in deep reflec-
tion. "Yes, Mr. Ferguson and Mr. Gearreald went
to school here."
"What, Mr. Ferguson went to school here?" I
exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, I remember him well. He was an energetic
boy; he came to school in a buggy, and heTarleton Alumni J-TAC
6
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Tarleton State University. Alumni J-TAC, Homecoming 1996, periodical, Autumn 1996; Stephenville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1040247/m1/6/: accessed May 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.