The Register, 1941-02-00

              Cheer The Team
To Victory
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'The Cream of College News'
50th Anniversary
March 6
Vol. XXXV. No. 3
A. & T. College, Greensboro, N. C, February 1941
Price 5 Cents
A&T Choir Heard Over Nationwide Hookup
■:•■
A.#T.
Noted Typist
Visits Campus
On January 8, the members of
the business department had the
chance to see typing at its best.
The world's fastest Negro typist,
Mr. Cortez W. Peters, gave a typing demonstration on a Royal
standard typewriter..
Mr. Peters was born in Washington, D. C, of poor parents. The fact
that his parents were poor was the
instigation of his taking typing in
high school in order that he might
soon be able to help his parents
earn a livelihood. Since he was
taking typing, he thought that he
may as well become a good typist.
Do you remember the quotation,
"Things that you do, do with your
might; things done by half are
never done right?"
He won his first prize in typing
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®    Reading from left to right — Sam Ford, Hubert Gaskin, Alexander®
Queen,  Grady   Smith,  Lorenzo  Collins,  Lefty  Evans,  Arthur  Gooden
Nacky Patterson, Jack Higgins, Joe Evans, Willie Ray.
Ag Association
Present's Program
A double featured program was
given in the Richard B. Harrison
Auditorium by the Agricultural
Association on January 13, 1941.
Arrayed on the stage, which was
decorated "A la King" with flowers
from the horticultural department,
were two distinguished guests along
with the big-wigs of the association. The program arrangements
were in the hands of Mr. Howard
Jones, who handled the assignment
in "big bertha" style.
The first feature of the program
was the conferring of an honorary
membership card to Miss Elizabeth
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Fiftieth Anniversary
Is Announced
Tentative plans for the 50th anniversary program of A. & T. College, which will be observed during
the spring, were announced by
President F. D. Bluford last week.
The program is scheduled to begin
on Thursday, March 6, and continue
through Sunday, March 9, which is
the exact date on which the act authorizing the establishment of the
college was ratified by the N. C.
General Assembly in 1891. The college has progressed to the front
among land-grant colleges in the
United States in every respect and
highspots of this 50-year development will be emphasized throughout the program.
President Bluford further announced that it is his desire to have
every student, former student and
alumnus, friend, and patron of the
institution cooperate with and participate in some phase of the anniversary observance. Many are already playing important roles in
planning the program and others
will be called as program details
progress.
It was also announced by the
A. & T. president that fund-raising
will play a significant part in the
anniversary celebration. A committee headed by L. A. Wise, college
registrar, and A. R. Dees, of Scotland Neck, alumni president, has
already   launched   a   campaign   to
secure   donations   as   part   of   the
anniversary program.
Funds raised as result of the
campaign will be used for the erection of a "Rural Life and Student
Activity Building" on the campus
The building is expected to fill a
great need now manifest as a student activity and recreational activities as well as a home for visitors
to the college campus. Definite and
active interest in the campaign is
being taken by the students under
the leadership of their president,
Glenn F. Rankin.
Also in cooperation with the anniversary program, a separate fund
raising campaign is being conducted by the alumni association for the
purpose of establishing and maintaining a student loan fund.
The anniversary program is
scheduled to begin Thursday night,
March 6, with the presentation of a
pageant which will cover the high-
spots in the 50 years of the school's
existence. Important events and
personalities incidental to its inception and development will be
both lampooned and glorified. Students, faculty, alumni, and friends
in the community will have important parts in the production. The
pageant will be also indicative of
the general life of the community,
the state, and the country at large,
as it affected the college's program
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Negro Officers
Visit A&T
On Saturday, December 14, 1940,
Captains Raymond Contee, Frederick Petite, and Alston Burleigh
spent a few hours on our campus
while enroute to Fort Benning, Ga.
Captain Robert L. Campbell acted
as host.
These officers are going to Fort
Benning for a six weeks' training
period in the infantry school there.
Upon completion of the course they
will go to Fort Devens, Massachusetts, where they will be attached
to the 366th infantry.
During the summer of 1919 Captain Alston Burleigh was a member
of the R. O. T. C. unit from Howard
University and part of the student
company which was composed of 12
young men from Howard and 68
(Continued on Page 6)
Second Coast-to-
Coast Broadcast
even Months
The famed A. & T. College Men's
Glee Club and A Capella Choir was
heard over a nation wide hook-up
on the morning of January 2nd
from 9:15 to 9:45, through the facilities of WBIG.
Comments upon the broadcast,
including one from internationally
known David Mannes, music critic,
were unanimous in the opinion that
it was one of the best concerts ever
rendered by a collegiate musical
group over the Columbia facilities.
Much credit was given by the critics
to Warner Lawson, director of the
group, for "his sensitive musicianship and genuine interpretive ability which accounted for the general
excellence of the group under his
direction."
The A. & T. Choir has made over
200 concert appearances in the last
five years throughout the United
States. The recent concert was its
second coast-to-coast broadcast
within seven months, having presented a concert over the NBC Red
and Blue networks during the past
summer on the National Farm and
Home Hour.
The A. & T. group claims distinction as being one of the most
sought after college choral groups
in the United States. Many of its
engagements are made a year in
advance. The choir has just returned from a very successful tour of
North Carolina and Virginia. A
northern tour is being planned for
March, which will include the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York,
Connecticut and Virginia. This
group will probably travel during
the summer months so that a
crowded itinerary may be extended.
A&T Band Parades
At Inauguration
On Thursday, January 9, 1941,
the A. & T. College Band went to
Raleigh to participate by special
request in the Governor's inaugural
parade.
The three flag bearers and two
color guards led, followed by the
three drum majorettes, Katherine
Howard, and the twins, Mabel and
Inez Scott, and Hamilton Flowers,
high stepping drum major, who directed A. & T.'s representation on
parade. A. & T. could easily be seen
as the class of the affair even with
N. C. State of Raleigh taking part.
While the Governor made his in-
continued on Page 5)
Know A&T
By JOSEPH H. FITTS, JR., '41
This article and those which will
follow in other issues of the Register are designed to acquaint the
people of North Carolina and people of other states as well with the
history, growth, development and
progress of A. & T. College.
March 9, 1891, the General Assembly of North Carolina ratified
an act to establish an Agricultural
and Mechanical College for the colored race. The leading object of
this institution would be to teach
practical agriculture, the mechanical arts, and give academical and
classical instruction. The management and control of the college was
to be in the hands of a board of
trustees, nine in number, who were
to be chosen by the General Assembly. The president and instructors
of the college would have the power
to confer certificates and diplomas
of proficiency, or marks of merit
such as those that are granted by
other colleges.. The college would
admit pupils according to the rules
and regulations adopted by the
board of trustees.
The board of trustees was per-
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