PRESIDENTS OF TARLETON
William Herschell Bruce 1899-1900
Edgar Elliott Bramlette 1900-1906
Frank M. Martin 1906-1908
J.D. Sandefer 1908-1909
Elzy Dee Jennings 1909-1911
George J. Nunn 1911-1912
Roswell W. Rogers 1912
James
BIOGRAPHY OF
JOHN
John Tarleton had little formal education and found little happiness in life, but a bequest in his will created two institutions of higher learning and made it possible for thousands of young people to receive an education.
TARLETON
Tarleton was born in White Mountain, Vermont, near the New Hampshire line in November 1808. He was orphaned at the age of 7 and lived with a widowed aunt in Vermont until he was 13, when he left home carrying only a scant supply of clothing in a bag slung across his shoulder. He went from place to place before eventually stopping at Knoxville, Tennessee, where he taught school for a time and later secured employment in the CowanDickerson mercantile firm; he worked there for about 40 years.
During this time he came into possession of many bounty warrants that had been issued to veterans of the War of 1812. In the early 1860s, he “went west” and redeemed thousands of acres of land in Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa and Kansas with his warrants. Having purchased some 10,000 acres of land in unsettled West Texas at 12½ cents an acre, Tarleton decided to move there. He stopped in Waco, where he established his own mercantile.
Soon afterward, a store clerk, who knew where Tarleton kept large sums of cash, reportedly tried to poison him. After recovering, Tarleton confronted the perpetrator and fired him without pressing charges. That episode influenced Tarleton’s decision to move to his pasture lands in Erath and Palo Pinto counties. In 1880, he walked the distance, carrying an umbrella and a suitcase, with his money concealed in his clothes and shoes. He settled in Santo and established a cattle ranch. During his time in Santo, he remained an influential citizen and freely contributed to various church denominations.
Talks in 1895 with J. C. George, lawyer of Stephenville, resulted in Tarleton’s will, which included the endowment of a college to be located in Stephenville. In 1898, the property of Stephenville College, which had operated since 1893, was transferred to John Tarleton College. In 1917, an act of the Texas legislature accepted the college as a state school, then called John Tarleton Agricultural College. In 1949, the name was changed to Tarleton State College.
Tarleton died of typhoid fever at his home on November 16, 1895, and was buried in the cemetery at Patillo. In 1926, his remains were moved to Stephenville, where they now rest in a plot adjacent to the campus marked by a suitable monument erected by the college.
DUCK CAMP GROUPS
Established in 1995, Duck Camp is a transition camp for incoming Tarleton Texans. Duck Camp is designed to provide incoming students with the opportunity to increase their awareness of Tarleton’s unique culture and rich traditions. Duck Camp is held each summer at an off-campus retreat facility. Upperclassmen, called Tarleton Transition Mentors (TTMs), assist the incoming students with college life sessions and other fun activities.
AIRPLANES • BONFIRES •
2X4s
At the height of the Tarleton/North Texas Agricultural College (now UTA) rivalry, frequent bonfire raids by opposing students were common. On November 29, 1939, two days before the annual football game, and in retaliation for the burning of the NTAC bonfire by Tarleton students the night before, an NTAC student and an accomplice flew over and attempted to bomb the Tarleton bonfire. L.V. Risinger, who was one of several students on guard, hurled a 2x4 into the air which struck the propeller and and disabled the airplane.
The pilot glided over what is now the Trogdon House and crash-landed in a clump of trees.
The bonfire has since become a Homecoming Week tradition and has been dedicated to L.V. Risinger.
CANNONS
One of the most famous landmarks on the Tarleton campus is the World War I cannon located in front of the E.J. Howell Education Building under an oak tree. The cannon was brought to Tarleton from Fort Sam Houston in 1922 to be used in ROTC training. It is reported that around 1928, during the early days of the rivalry between Tarleton and NTAC, the cannon was stolen and dumped in the Bosque River. E.A. “Doc” Blanchard and a group of men pulled the cannon out of the river with a tractor and hauled it back to campus. In the early 1930s, the cannon was placed at its present site.
ULTRAs
ULTRA is the sculpture adjacent to the Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center, given to Tarleton by Ernie and Hugh Wolfe. The work is of steel, fabricated by artist John Gregg. It is 18 feet high and weighs approximately 2,000 pounds. Designated as a symbol for “Unlocking Limits That Restrict Achievement,” the tip of the solid white sculpture points due north.
DRUMBEATERS
The 1920s marked the beginning of a tradition that is a favorite among Tarleton students — the beating of the drum. At the height of the rivalry between JTAC and NTAC, the burning of the opponent’s bonfire prior to the scheduled celebration was a popular undertaking. During this time, Tarleton students would station themselves around the perimeter of the rock wall to guard the bonfire. A drum was beaten 24 hours a day until kick off of the football game to discourage NTAC students from invading campus. Today, the winner of Yell Contest beats the drum after the Plowboys.
GRASSBURRS
The first yearbook was published in 1916 and was named Grassburr by editor Roy Mefford. The reason he selected the particular title has been lost to history although speculation has been made that grassburrs plagued the land-scape of the early Tarleton campus.
CADETS
The university has a rich military background and a proud tradition of excellence dating back to the Texan Corps of Cadets, which began in 1917. Alumni have gone on to make a difference in their communities, our nation, and the world including Tarleton Corps alumnus Maj. Gen. James Earl Rudder. A life-size bronze statue of Rudder stands on campus to remind students to live the “Rudder Way.”
T-BENCHES
Hidden beneath the trees on the east side of Hunewell Annex residence hall sits a concrete bench in the shape of a block “T.” The bench was a gift to the university from the class of 1942.
OAK TREES
Trees have always been an integral part of the Tarleton campus. Today, the official class ring features an oak tree in its design. Although there were many more varieties of trees on the original campus, at least one tree remains from each of the 254 counties in Texas— although some are not officially classified.
OSCAR Ps
Recent legend has it that John Tarleton had a pet duck named Oscar P who went everywhere with him. The two were so close that Oscar P is said to be buried with Tarleton. At various student activities, the Purple Poo rally Tarleton students and alumni by raising the spirit of Oscar P.
OWLS • KEYS
The O.W.L.S. and the Silver Key Club were among the longest lasting of the early social societies at Tarleton. O.W.L.S., a female organization, was founded in 1924 with the purpose of being a “group of girls who strive to create a feeling of friendship and to promote a closer tie of social relationship among the girls of the college.” The acronym “O.W.L.S.” represented the optimistic words “Owls Win or Lose Smiling.” The Silver Key Club was organized in 1933 as a social club of John Tarleton. The main purpose of the club was to promote fellowship among the club members and fellow students. The club described itself as men who “strive for the betterment of Tarleton’s social life and will cooperate with the faculty in every way possible.” The Silver Keys disbanded in 1942 when all members joined the air corps, but reorganized in the summer of 1945. The O.W.L.S. and Silver Keys were considered brother/sister clubs and organized events for the campus. Both organizations faded from the campus scene by the mid-1980s.
PLOWBOYS
In 1924, Coach W.J. Wisdom became disenchanted with the name Jr. Aggies and held a contest to select a new mascot. The winner would receive $5 and Wisdom would be the sole judge. One day, Wisdom was walking across campus and contemplating the fact that Tarleton was primarily an agricultural school when the name “Plowboys” popped into his head. He immediately adopted the new mascot and kept the $5. The Plowboys, now a campus spirit organization, attend athletic events and other campus activities and are familiar to students because of their white shirts, hats and purple chaps.
PURPLE BOOKS
The original student handbook, known as the “Purple Book,” came into being in 1917. For 25 years, the handbook reminded students that they must walk to town on Tarleton Street; no riding in cars; with girls on one side of the street and boys on the other. Many of the rules were Victorian, but they were accepted practices at the time.
PURPLE PANCAKES
On Thursday night during Homecoming Week, the Student Government Association Freshman Representative Council serves up Purple Pancakes during Midnight Breakfast. In addition to the famous purple pancakes, students enjoy sausage, eggs, biscuits and gravy. Midnight Breakfast began in 1983.
ROCKWALLS
A native stone wall was built around the original 40-acre campus by the Patton Brothers of Stephenville in the 1930s. This wall has been altered over the years to accommodate the university’s expansion; however, it remains an important campus landmark and a trademark of Tarleton. The wall has withstood the desire of several architects to have it removed.
J-TAC HEARTS
In 1926, a rock retaining wall was built bordering the north side of Military Drive. The letters “J-TAC,” encompassed by two hearts, were mortared into the wall immediately across from Hunewell Hall. A block “T” and five-pointed star are located in the wall immediately west of the “J-TAC.”
SILVER BUGLES
From 1941 to 1958, a rivalry raged between Tarleton and NTAC, which was highlighted each fall by the presentation of the silver bugle to the winner of the annual football game. The winner maintained “bragging rights” to the bugle until the following year’s game. NTAC won the final game in 1958, and in the years since, the despised NTAC lost or misplaced the silver bugle. To commemorate this event, a university-wide scavenger hunt to “search for the silver bugle” is held each year during Tarleton’s Homecoming Week.
SNAKEDANCERS
Students assemble on Rudder Way, after Yell Contest, lock arms and snake their way to the drum beating site. This dance is led by the cheerleaders and goes through the campus to the Barry B. Thompson Student Center amphitheater to begin the beating of the drum.
TEXAN RIDERS
In 1961, there was an election for the changing of our school’s mascot and name. The students approved the name “Texans.” The new athletic mascot became the horse and rider, better known as the Texan Rider. The student who holds the title of Texan Rider is selected by the Tarleton Athletics Department.
TIME CAPSULES
A Sesquicentennial time capsule was placed next to the Pearl Mahan Rock in 1986 in recognition of Texas’ 150th anniversary of statehood. Items in the time capsule were placed there by the Tarleton Sesquicentennial committee to be opened during Texas’ Bicentennial in 2036. This is one of four time capsules currently on Tarleton’s campus.
TTS • TTP
Formed when Tarleton was a junior college, the Ten Tarleton Peppers (TTP) and Ten Tarleton Sisters (TTS) are the two oldest organizations on campus. These spirit organizations for men and women were formed in 1921 and 1923 respectively. These groups later evolved into what is now known as the Purple Poo. The still-secret organization gathers to make Poo signs each Monday night. The signs appear every Tuesday and occasionally comment on campus political life and student life. Purple Poo members appear in public dressed in costume to conceal their identity. At commencement, graduating members pass a purple pig to the university president as they cross the stage.
THREE PENNY TRIANGLES
The “island” located just north of the Administration Mall used to be a popular place for students to gather and socialize. It was ideally located between the women’s residence halls and the old dining hall. Campus social clubs and organizations enhanced the area by donating benches and in the center of the island the benches formed the outline of a triangle. The story goes that while cement was being poured in the triangular-shaped area, a group of students placed newly minted pennies at each of the points. The 1974 pennies that are currently located at the triangle are not original to the site, but their date does match that first investment.
SMOKESTACKS
Built in 1923 at a cost of $4,500, the smokestack is located on the northeast corner of campus and is one of Tarleton’s most recognizable landmarks. Legend has it that a student from NTAC flew over the campus and threw a brick inside the stack. The smokestack is no longer in use and was restored in 1998 with “Tarleton” painted down the side. A single brick was unearthed from the bottom of the smokestack during a maintenance inspection in spring 2009. Each year during Homecoming, the smokestack glows with purple pride.
86ers• RED TIES
Tarleton’s gym is named after coach W.J. Wisdom who led the men’s basketball team to the most astounding achievement in the school’s athletic history. While under his watch, the team set a national record by winning 86 consecutive games between 1934 and 1938. Legend has it that a piece of luck played a role in Wisdom’s undefeated streak.
According to the famous story, an unknown WPA worker gave Wisdom a twenty-five cent red knit necktie in 1934, just prior to his first game of the season against San Angelo.
Wisdom wore the red tie that night and won the game, launching his winning streak. He wore the tie at every game thereafter until it finally became so “faded, raveled, and stringy” that the Erath County Coaches’ Association bought him a new one (and a matching pair of red socks) in late January 1938.
BANDSTANDS
The Hunewell Bandstand was a gift from the classes of 1926, 1927 and 1928 and was constructed by Tarleton staff and students with rock quarried and hauled from the college farm. The Bandstand provided a stage for the bands of D.J. Hunewell for more than 30 years but was razed in 1963 to make room for the current Tarleton Center. The Hunewell Bandstand was reconstructed in Heritage Park and dedicated in 2005.
CANDLE CARRIERS
The Silver Taps Ceremony, honoring those faculty, staff, students and alumni who died during the previous year, is held each spring semester. During the ceremony, current members of the Tarleton family hold a single candle for every person who has died in the past year. The candle represents the person’s “Tarleton flame” which is ignited during convocation, and that flame is extinguished at the end of the Silver Taps Ceremony.
TEXAN TRANSITION WEEK WHERE
YOUR JOURNEY BEGINS!
Texan Transition Week marks the start of the freshman year at Tarleton State University and is the incoming class’ first taste of life as a Tarleton Texan! Hosted by returning student leaders, Transition Week helps freshmen settle into their new home. First-year students will experience move-in day, build a sense of community with their peers, learn about expectations both in and out of the classroom and to meet new people. By the end of Transition Week, new students will better understand how to be successful in college and how Tarleton State can help in that journey.
“Before I came to Tarleton I had only a vague idea of what school spirit really means. I had no definite conception of just how much a school could mean to me. But I had been here only a short while until I became a small part of the school, and the school a large part of me.”
–J. LOUIS EVANS
CANDLE LIGHTING
Each fall, Tarleton State University freshmen participate in one of Tarleton’s most symbolic ceremonies — Candle Lighting. This emotionally moving program marks the official initiation of new students into their lifelong membership into the Tarleton family. During the ceremony, each student lights their candle and is presented with a key ring bearing a replica of the official Tarleton Class Ring. The candle’s flame will symbolically burn until their life is finished and their Tarleton brothers and sisters lay their flame to rest at the annual Silver Taps Ceremony.
SILVER TAPS
Silver Taps is an annual observance to honor members of the Tarleton family, including students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends, who have died during the previous year. The ceremony takes place in the spring during Founder’s Week. During the roll call of names, volunteers carry a candle to represent the individuals who have passed away. The ceremony culminates with the placing of a wreath and purple and white flowers at the base of the John Tarleton Statue at Alumni Island. The flames of the fallen sons and daughters of Tarleton are extinguished following the playing of TAPS and a 21-gun salute.
DUCK CAMP CHANTS & CHEERS
Flee
Flee Fly
Flee fly flo
La vista
Cuma la Cuma la Cuma la vista
Oh no, no not la vista
Enniminnideciminniooo ah ooo ah naminni
Deciminnisalaminniooo ah ooo ah
JOHN TARLETON
The Poo, John Tarleton, and the Texans, too I said uh-huh, I go to Tarleton is the best, I said better than the rest Whatchagonna do, dance the two step, too T stands for Tarleton T-S-U
The awesome mighty Texans gonna sock it to you Yeah sock it to you!
BANG BANG
Bang bang choo-choo train,
Come on Texans do your thing
Get it, get it, get it, get it – got it, got it, got it, got it
UH! And let it roll . . .
clap clap, clap clap clap, clap clap clap clap, clap clap (repeat 3 times)
THERE WERE SOME CAMPERS
There were some campers Who walked/danced/yelled like this, And then they went to Duck Camp, And they WALKED/DANCED/YELLED like this!
SCREAM/SHOUT
We’re gonna SCREAM SCREAM SCREAM, We’re gonna SHOUT SHOUT SHOUT, We’re gonna SCREAM, we’re gonna SHOUT for TSU
When the gates are open wide gonna shake from side-to-side
We’re gonna SCREAM, we’re gonna SHOUT for TSU!
YELL A LITTLE LOUDER
We are the Texans, couldn’t be prouder, if you can’t hear us, we’ll yell a little louder! (Yell it 3 times)
HEY TEXANS!
Hey Texans, how do you feel? We feel good, oh we feel so good. Uh! Double Up!
Uh-Uh!
Triple Up!
Uh-Uh-Uh! 7-Up!
Uh-Uh-Uh-Uh-Uh—Uh-Uh Oscar P Style! Make ‘em say “Uh!” na-na-na-na
COAST TO COAST
From coast to coast
Duck Camp is the most
I said from coast to coast
Duck Camp is the most
Na NaNaNaNa
From east to west
Duck Camp is the best
I said from east to west
Duck Camp is the best
Na NaNaNaNa
From camp to camp
Duck Camp is the champ
I said from camp to camp
Duck Camp is the champ
Na NaNaNaNa
(Repeat 1 time)
SCHOOL SONGS
FIGHT SONG
On Ye Tarleton, On Ye Tarleton Break right through that line Ever forward, ever onward We’ll get there or die
On Ye Tarleton, On Ye Tarleton, Fight for Victory Fight, Texans, Fight, Fight, Fight! and win this game.
COLOR SONG
Oh! Our hearts with joy are thrilling when the Tarleton Colors wave, And our Spirits rise with rapture when the Tarleton sons are brave; Fight for Victory, Fight for Honor, And success will crown the fight; ALL HAIL the proud defenders of the Purple and the White!
CORE VALUES
Tarleton Texans pursue greatness in all e˜orts, promoting a spirit of leadership, adaptability, and innovation for exceptional outcomes and a better world.
Tarleton Texans hold to the highest ethical standards and commit to serving others through transparency and accountability in everything we do.
EXCELLENCE INTEGRITY RESPECT
Tarleton Texans create an inclusive community by embracing diverse perspectives with civility, honoring tradition, and promoting teamwork so everyone thrives.