Eagle sketches

First flight

Down the Corridor

The U.S. Constitution and the first eight amendments to it were printed in the Normal Journal to remind students of their value. ... In renovations to the Physics Building, the lab was moved to the basement, and some students were not happy to have lost their window views. ... The big discussion on campus was about Columbia University's abolishing of "the most popular sport" of football because of its violent nature. ... The patriotism and heroism of Joan of Arc was the subject of the December commencement address, given by senior class representative Ruby Terrill.

Dallas businessmen John W. Carpenter and John Fouts spoke on campus about the Trinity River improvement project. ... Al Jolson's film Big Boy played at the Auditorium with advertisements claiming "Al Jolson is a big joy!" . ... John Held Jr., a cartoonist and caricaturist for national magazines, selected the 1931 Yucca Queen; that year he also selected "Beauty" contest winners at Yale and Purdue. ... Actress Ruth Neely, known for her Shakespearean performances, visited campus. ... 30-year-old Charles Langford, the 1921-23 football player who wrote the lyrics of the North Texas alma mater "Singing Glory to the Green," drowned in Greenville Lake.

A pair of sophomores appeared at events all over campus to dance the Charleston in hopes of reviving Dixieland Jazz. ... Ola Johnson of the biology faculty attended the first International Convention of Human Geneticists in Copenhagen, Denmark. ... The Man With the Golden Arm, starring Frank Sinatra, and its musical score were the focus of Campus Chat articles and editorials, some praising the film for its daring content, others criticizing it for a controversial scene of drug abuse, violence and sexuality. ... The ROTC drill team, the Sabres, marched in the New Orleans Mardi Gras parade for the sixth year.

Topics of interest on campus included the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan, the popular film 9 to 5 and an increase in the price of gas. ... North Texas soccer players John Welch and Frank Monreal were named honorable mention All-Americans by the National Soccer Coaches Association. ... North Texas approved the construction of three new parking lots. ... Big band leader Terry Clark selected five students for his 1981 European tour. ... Bruce Hall students enjoyed the game "Assassin," in which they attempted to shoot their colleagues with rubber-tipped darts, similar to the game in the 1984 film Gotcha. ... Roots author Alex Hailey visited campus to talk about the importance of family and heritage.

10 years ago

The 49-year-old Bruce Hall underwent renovations in preparation for a 50th anniversary celebration. ... MTV's political team and bus from "Choose or Lose 1996" came to campus. North Texas was one of only two Texas schools on the schedule. ... Renovations to Willis Library included the addition of information kiosks, a glassed-in reading room, audio center carrels with recordable CD players and study carrels with computer connections. ... The Board of Regents approved construction of the Environmental Education, Science and Technology Building and a recreational sports field at the Library Annex.