Howell Presidency Marked by Growth return to four-year Programs

A campus-wide building boom and transformation into a four-year school were the hallmarks of the administration of Tarleton President E.J. Howell.

Howell, a Texas A&M graduate, former registrar and Commandant, served in World War II, commanding officer training schools.

His military expertise translated into a highly successful run in charge of a booming John Tarleton Agricultural College.

Under Howell’s guidance, Bender, Ferguson and Hunewell halls were erected to handle an unprecedented influx of students. Prior to the flurry of additions to student housing, Howell had to prove his resourcefulness to give his students campus living space.

A shortage of materials had resulted in a post-World War II building ban but that did not keep Howell from finding space for students. While prevented from building new dorms, funds were available for repairs to existing buildings. The Tarleton president used renovation and repair dollars to transform several campus buildings into temporary dormitories.

Additionally, he contacted a naval air station in Fort Worth and arranged for the college to accept donation of two wooden barracks. The Federal Housing Authority also lent a hand by giving the school 52 trailer houses.

Student housing was not the only construction going on as the moratorium was lifted. Tarleton’s face was ever changing as Howell’s projects were completed—a science building, an agriculture building, a women’s gymnasium, a library, a student center and Memorial Stadium.

Besides adding tremendously to campus resources, Howell returned the school’s curriculum to pre-war standards, adding education and psychology departments and was instrumental in changing the name to Tarleton State College, converting the two-year institution to a four-year school.

In honor of Howell’s success during his 21-year presidency, the education building, built in 1919 was named in his honor in 1997. The building, which has undergone four renovations, originally housed the college administrative offices, then the agriculture department and the department of fine arts.