I’ve been running like crazy all day, still trying to get things squared away after vacation. I had an exhilarating afternoon, capped by a friend opening a small box that much to my astonishment held not one but two Rice ARA Gold Medals:
One belonged to George R. Brown and the other to Alice Pratt Brown. They’re inscribed with an unexpected date: November 11, 1966. For many years the ARA awards were given at commencement and now they’re given at a dinner that weekend. I was curious why it would have been scheduled in November but it turns out that November 11 was the Friday evening before the Homecoming game. (We lost, by the way, a 7-6 heartbreaker to A&M.)
You can see the same box in this picture that was taken at the 1966 ceremony. The presenter is, of course, the one and only Oveta Culp Hobby:
A little while later another, more surprising, medal turned up. This one was for the Hugh Scott Cameron Award, given in memory of the first dean of students at Rice in recognition of a student who has rendered distinguished service to the student body. It was given to George Brown in 1968 and although it normally goes to a current student I don’t think anyone ever deserved it more than he did:
Bonus: Dean Cameron, from the 1950 Campanile. It’s the only picture of him I’ve ever seen.
Extra Bonus: I also happen to have a photo from that 1966 Homecoming game.
Rice University Owls Football 1966 game against Texas A&M, action shot
In a comment to the post for July 14, 2016 (Gold Medal, 1966), George Webb says, “If there is ever a third statue on campus (after WM Rice and EO Lovett), it should be of GR Brown.” That is a great idea and easily accomplished by erecting it at the George R. Brown School of Engineering – or, as Dean Michael used to say, “Sweet George R. Brown”.
That’s the Irish-born Dean Michael Carroll
When Rice can schedule and compete against THAT A&M team rather than the A&M team that is currently on our 2018 schedule, I will be interested in and support Owls football again. Sad to think about how far the program has fallen since those days.
L.V. Benningfield!
Why were we wearing away uniforms at home on homecoming? L V I remember well but the uniform thing I don’t.
From 1957 to 1967 all Rice/aTm games were played in Houston no matter who the home team actually was. Rice Stadium was much larger than Kyle Field at that point so the Aggies could get more fans in the stands that way.
Thanks, Loki. Man, I went to all those games from 1965-1967 and I didn’t even notice. My favorite Owl-Aggie game I actually attended was the one Carl Swierc had the late kickoff return and the Aggies got all the way to the Rice 5 with no timeouts left and inexplicably called two running plays to run out the clock. And then the real fun happened when the Aggie corpsmen surrounded the Rice MOB after the game and they had to be evacuated in food service trucks. What a game.
The 1957 Aggie game, when Rice beat No. 1 TAMU 7-6, was played at Rice Stadium on the normal home-and-home basis, but I am certain the 1058 game was played at Kyle Field. The photos in my 1959 Campanile seem to confirm that. The 1960 game was played at Rice Stadium, confirming part of what Loki says. Anyone interested could look up those game locations. I for one did not remember that Houston arrangement, so thanks, Loki.
I took the dates from Winsipedia http://www.winsipedia.com/rice/vs/texas-am. They say the 1958 game was in Houston. If that’s an error they have a link at the bottom to correct them. Of course if you were really at the 1058 game I’m sure it was interesting…
A missed extra point and missed short field goal were our downfall. I well remember the negative mood of the crowd on the way out of the stadium.
LV with the ball, Rolf Kreuger is the big Aggie (#74) – Much later his son played for O-line for Rice. That’s me on the ground behind LV (#73).