The Battalion - February 7, 2019

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2019 STUDENT MEDIA

PROVIDED

Courtesy of Cushing Memorial Library and Archives

The Cadet Slouch comic was created by Jim Earle, Class of 1954, and ran in The Battalion for over 25 years. Earle’s comics offered humorous commentary on many aspects of campus life.

Remembering ‘the Aggie’s Aggie’ Jim Earle, former student, professor and creator of long-running comic strip ‘Cadet Slouch,’ dies at 86 By Sanna Bhai @BhaiSanna James “Jim” Hubert Earle passed away in College Station on Monday, leaving behind lasting memories with his family and friends. Born and raised in the small town of Jacksonville, Texas, Earle didn’t always know he wanted to be an Aggie. However, the traditions, especially the Corps of Cadets, drew him in. Immersing himself into the culture of Texas A&M, Earle fell in love with the place. And over the years, Aggieland fell in love with him too, through his long-running comic, Cadet Slouch. His passion for art began during his time at Jacksonville

High School with his first caricatures. A man of many talents, he was also a champion boxer, a track athlete and a football star. At the end of high school, he packed up and moved to College Station, where he would spend the majority of his life. Starting in 1953, while Earle was a student at A&M, he began to publish comics in The Battalion. The character of Cadet Slouch, who started off making occasional appearances, soon became a daily addition to the paper. Earle’s wife of 61 years, Teresa Gatlin Earle, said Cadet Slouch was an everyday Aggie, just like Earle himself. “He found the humor in everything,” Gatlin said. “He was not a military Aggie, he was just an Aggie’s Aggie. He was in the Corps, he loved that part of it, but he still was never a rah-rah Aggie.” During his time at Texas A&M — both as a student and later as a professor — Earle became widely recognized for his work on Cadet Slouch, who went through various timely changes from 1953 to 1985, when Earle’s last comic was pub-

lished. Earle’s signature character gained immense popularity with both the students and the administration, leading to the creation of an entire comic book and even handmade Cadet Slouch dolls created by Earle’s mother. A&M administrators even approached him to create a resource that would encourage students to attend and pass their classes. Soon after, the university published Earle’s booklet titled “How to Flunk,”which offered a comedic account of common academic mistakes. Though he was Class of 1954, Earle graduated in 1955 after completing a five-year degree in architecture and headed to officer training school at the Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, where he met his wife. “He met me and he said ‘You’re a mighty pretty little girl; I might marry you,’” Gatlin said. After the couple’s wedding on December 23, 1957, Earle returned to Aggieland to complete his Ph.D. in education and teach in A&M’s engineering design graphics department, EARLE ON PG. 4

Meredith Seaver — THE BATTALION

Sophomore guard Chennedy Carter leads the Aggies in points on the season, with 415 in total and 21.8 per game.

Meredith Seaver — THE BATTALION

Texas A&M head football coach Jimbo Fisher is welcoming the highest-ranked recruiting class the Aggies have had since A&M made the switch to the SEC in 2012.

Looking toward the future Final members of Fisher’s team sign on for 2019 season, rounding out Texas A&M recruiting class By Angel Franco @angelmadison_ Since most of Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher’s class signed their letters of intent in mid-December, the 2019 National Signing Day was mostly focused on adding the last members of the class and looking forward to spring football. Fisher’s recruiting class is ranked No. 3 overall according to ESPN. Ahead of the Aggies are SEC opponents Alabama and Georgia, both of whom A&M will face during the regular season in 2019. Rounding out the top five teams were Oklahoma at No. 4 and Texas at No. 5. According to ESPN, this will be the first time since 2014 that the Aggies have had a class ranked within the top five.

After spending a full year recruiting in the state of Texas, Fisher said the coaching staff always aims to recruit players from within the state, but also looks forward to bringing out of state talent to Aggieland. Of the 25 members of the class, 16 are from Texas and nine are from out of state. As one of the newest coaches to come to a major program in Texas, Fisher said he understood that recruiting players would be a challenge. However, Fisher said it was much like recruiting in the state of Florida. “It has such a large volume of players and numbers of players — everybody in America recruits here,” Fisher said. “All the other states that don’t have that large volume have to go somewhere where there is a surplus of players.” With Texas being such a fertile ground for recruiting in terms of player talent, Fisher said it was no surprise that both Florida and the Lone Star state are some of the most competitive places to land some of the best athletes in the nation. NSD ON PG. 2

Aggies to face road test in Mizzou Tiger territory Blair says team should focus on Thursday game as tough late-season challenges loom ahead By Dylan Poitevint @Poitite The Texas A&M women’s basketball team is looking for another victory over a conference foe as they prepare to travel to Missouri to face the Tigers on Thursday. The Aggies have improved to a seven game winning streak after they defeated the Ole Miss Rebels on Sunday 72-60. In order to keep their winning streak alive, A&M will have to prepare for a difficult test with a road win against a talented Missouri team. The Tigers are 16-7 and rank fourth in the SEC standings, just one spot behind the Aggies. Missouri is a talented team and can attribute much of their success to their shooting. When shooting from beyond the arc, they rank second in conference in threepoint shots made and rank third in three-point percentage. A&M head coach Gary Blair is focusing in on what he believes will be a pivotal game for his team this season. “The whole key is Missouri,” Blair said. “We’ve set ourselves W. BASKETBALL ON PG. 2


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The Battalion - February 7, 2019 by The Battalion - Issuu