Rice History Corner

Back in the day this was how Rice students celebrated a big victory:

Rice 7, Texas A&M 6.

I’m not suggesting this, by the way. Don’t do this.

I mean it.

This made me laugh.

I was particularly amused that it was in a Lovett College “newspaper” which contained nothing that could reasonably be called news and which also was, hilariously, not dated. The general tenor of this publication was so berserk that it surely must have been produced in the early 1970s.

Things are looking up. First, in the comments from yesterday’s post is this nice piece of work from Cameron Cooper, who I believe has located the handball courts in the 1946(7) aerial:

There’s definitely an elevated rectangular structure about where the handball court is shown to be. Look just above and to the right of the bridge (on “the road back”) that passes over the gully (“the blue danube”) right outside the old stadium. A pale rectangle casting a shadow. Hard to say with the overexposure, but probably a flat roof. Matches perfectly with the handball courts.

Doesn’t look that big next to the stadium, but it’s a decent-sized building. About as wide as the Baker old wing. Appears to be a light-colored path (gravel?) going down to the main path, a little left of center. There also appears to be an ad hoc path running to it from the “West Hall”.

Next, looking through old Threshers I found this fall 1945 article about the rifle range that is so perfect it almost can’t be true. It not only tells us exactly where it is–hidden, as we suspected, in the trees just north of the handball courts near the top curve of the stadium–but also describes the interior and the activities that took place inside it:

I kept turning pages and up popped this article from February 1945, evidence that all that practice paid off:

Finally, between Grungy and Marty I think we’ve established that the mysterious oval where the BRC is today was indeed a pony ride. I’d be able to rest easy if I only knew who Mrs. Hardy was.

I’ll show you the 1956 aerial next week. I didn’t expect so much progress in one day–it’s not normal.

I’ve recently been spending some time looking for photos that might shed some light on this 1944 map I talked about the other day:

In particular I’m interested in finding the rifle range and handball court just east of the stadium. This afternoon I was looking through a box of oversized materials–and I really mean big–and came across this aerial shot I hadn’t seen before. It’s dated 1946 but I suspect it was really taken in 1947. The quality is pretty bad and I can’t see either the range or the building with the handball court, which I suspect are hidden by trees. And yet I’m still interested in it:

Zoom in and look to the left of the stadium, at the corner of University and Main where the BRC is now. What the heck is that big oval? It’s visible in photos over many, many years and I’ve never been able to understand what it is. It looks kind of like a small race track. Anyone?

Tomorrow: A similar shot ten years later.

Bonus: An especially alert reader sends this sign of the season. I would make a joke about How the Grinch Stole Christmas but that would be impolitic.

Here’s an image so unusual it left me momentarily disoriented:

At first glance I thought it was the front of Lovett Hall, but where’s the parking lot? In fact it’s the back side but taken from a really unusual spot–all the way across the quad where Fondren now sits. I can’t recall ever having seen such an image before. I’d guess it was taken sometime in the early to mid-1930s. Here’s a 1933 aerial shot of the quad in which you can clearly see the trees from above. Their position and size seem to be about the same:

I’m struck by the way they used trees to create a quad without buildings. They surely knew that those trees would eventually have to go. It’s hard for me to imagine planting trees intending to cut them down, but I suppose an institution that built its original buildings with lumber money wouldn’t be overly sentimental about such things.

Update: On second thought, I don’t think Willie is there. This makes it pre-1929.

Update Number Two from the Comments: Yeah, he’s there, just hard to see against the building.

Bonus: 

I think this photograph is utterly glorious. It’s undated (of course) but I feel certain one of you can tell me when it was taken, at least approximately. I hardly know where to begin here–the go-go boots? the cars? the temporary buildings? or the guy in the white shoes and belt watching the passing show so intently?

And these two are almost as fun–they’re on the same sheet. Whoever took them couldn’t decide if he should focus on the flag or the girl, which should have been an easy call.

What is that insignia on the top left corner of the flag, by the way?

Bonus:

A scholar’s work is never done.

Fondren, c1990

I can’t remember why I was looking through issues of the Thresher from the fall of 1975, but I’m sure I had some good reason. Whatever it was, much to my surprise I found this from the week before Thanksgiving:

I had completely forgotten about this phenomenon and this clipping jolted me into some vivid recollections of finding a ride home for the holidays using word of mouth and a bulletin board in the Memorial Union at Iowa State. I had a couple of very strange trips before I managed to acquire a car of my own. I’m not sure but I don’t think this is done much anymore.

I also noticed some familiar names from the comment section in the Thresher photo credits that fall.

FYI: I’m taking the day off tomorrow. I’m going to need all my energy to deal with the relatives. See you Friday.

Bonus:

Some of this is mystifying, but some of it does feel familiar and all of it is a nice snapshot of life on the ground at Rice in the late ’60s. I believe the author was Thomas Cantrell of the Chemistry Department but I don’t really know much about him.

Bonus: If you had to guess, how many anvils would you think were on campus? Just off the top of my head I’d put the number somewhere around 4, I think. This one is in the art shop.

A January, 1957 visit to Dow Chemical in Freeport! I really like both these images. First, here’s President Houston in his safety goggles (good form, sir!):

And here’s a shot of the Rice gang enjoying a treat in a Dow conference room. Houston is at left with a very young Chem E professor Tom Leland next to him. To the right is a fellow by the name of Lee Estes, who would have constituted the Public Relations department at this time. (This is the only image of him I’ve ever seen, by the way.) And finally, seemingly transported by his delightful coffee and muffin, is Holmes Richter (’26, ’27, ’29) who was both Chairman of the Chemistry Department and Dean of Graduate Studies at this moment.