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Bears Vs. Razorbacks-Former Opponents in Sports

Dear Friends,

Most people are unaware that the Arkansas Razorbacks and the UCA Bears once competed in football, baseball, men’s basketball and women’s basketball. For the men’s teams, the last time Arkansas State Teachers College (now University of Central Arkansas – UCA) and the University of Arkansas (U of A) at Fayetteville competed in a sporting event; Harry Truman was president, a loaf of bread cost 14 cents, the average new car cost $1,250 and gasoline was 16 cents a gallon. The year was 1948 and the last game played between the Bears and the Razorbacks was baseball.

Competition between women’s teams has been more recent. The UCA women’s basketball team played the University of Arkansas women’s team during the 1977-1978 season. The Sugar Bears lost a close game to the U of A, 59 to 65. UCA and the U of A did not schedule each other every year, but from 1921 to 1948 and then again in 1978 they met in athletic competition, a total of 27 times in four different team sports. It should be mentioned that the 1977-1978 UCA Women’s Basketball Team was in its second year of competition, since 1932. There was a long hiatus in UCA Women’s Basketball that began in 1932 and ended in 1976.

Admittedly, the Bears did not compete very well with the Razorbacks in football and lost all three games. When the first game between the two clubs was played in 1923, the Bears were treated very kindly by the University of Arkansas Boosters Club. After the Bears arrived in Fayetteville they were treated to a reception in their honor and a dance was held for them on Saturday night. The Bears’ coach, Guy “Big Dan” Estes, was very familiar with the University of Arkansas and was a former Arkansas Razorback football star who played for Coach Hugo Bezdek. During his coaching career Bezdek, who was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, served as head coach for the University of Arkansas, University of Oregon and Penn State University. He was admitted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.

It must be noted that UCA’s former cross-town rival, Hendrix College, tied the Razorbacks twice, according to former Hendrix Warrior basketball coach, Cliff Garrison. In 1920 the Hendrix Bulldogs, under Coach Charles R. Woody, fought the Razorbacks to a 0-0 tie. In 1932 Hendrix, now coached by legendary Coach Ivan Grove, tied the Razorbacks again with the same score, 0-0.

While UCA did not win any games against the Razorbacks in football, it was a different story in baseball. The Bears and Razorbacks observed a home and home series and played a total of 17 games, according to Ted Worley, former UCA history professor.

The Bears beat the Razorbacks in baseball the first time they played in 1921, with the Bears winning 4 to 2. The Bears swept all three games with the Razorbacks in 1947, and beat Arkansas 5-4, 10-9, and 9-5.

The baseball series between the Bears and Razorbacks is tied, with the Bears winning 7 games and the Razorbacks winning 7 games and 3 games ending in a tie. While a draw or a tie is certainly unusual in baseball, it could happen under the right circumstances. After the next season (1948) ended, the Razorbacks were never again on UCA’s schedule.

The Bears and Razorbacks also played men’s basketball against one another. The U of A dominated UCA in this sport winning all six games played between the two schools. The scores and year of the basketball games are as follows: 1924 – UA 62 UCA 28; 1924 – UA 34 UCA 14; 1933-1934 – UA 54 UCA 30; 1935-1936 – UA 42 UCA 38; 1935-1936 – UA 66 UCA 27; and 1946-1947 – UA 59 UCA 39.

Currently, UCA and the U of A do not engage in athletic competition with one another. However, in recent years they have played some of the same opponents in at least one sport; Kansas State University, Missouri State University, Tennessee Tech University, University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), Wichita State University, University of Kentucky, University of Oklahoma, University of Missouri, Stephen F. Austin, Southeastern Louisiana, Northwestern State University, Texas State University and the University of Texas at Arlington.

When this author asked about the U of A’s policy regarding in-state opponents, Kevin Trainor, who in 2012 was the Associate Athletic Director of Public Relations for the University of Arkansas, stated in an e-mail, “It has been a long-standing policy of the University of Arkansas Athletic Department to not schedule competitions in team sports against other institutions within the state. The practice began with former coach and athletic director John Barnhill and has been continued in the years following its introduction. The policy has enabled fans from all around the state to be united in their support for the University of Arkansas while also supporting the other intercollegiate athletic programs within Arkansas.”

Steve East, Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations, said that UCA’s Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Teams compete in events where Arkansas might be competing. It is also possible for UCA and Arkansas to compete in golf tournaments and track and field. But there is no direct competition between UCA and the University of Arkansas on a one-on-one team vs. team basis.
Author’s Note: Sources for this article were The Echo, the Scroll, the Log Cabin Democrat, UCASports.com record books for football, baseball, and men’s & women’s basketball that are compiled and maintained by Steve East, “A History of the Arkansas State Teachers College” by Ted Worley, University of Arkansas Office of Institutional Research, Penn State University website, Coach Cliff Garrison, Kevin Trainor and Steve East.

The 1947 Bear Baseball Team swept the Arkansas Razorbacks in a three-game series.

Posted in: Blog on October 9, 2017

The Normal Woods

Dear Friends,

It has been a while since I have written anything about the Normal Woods, or early student entertainment, and I came across some information from 100 years ago and thought you might like reading about it.

The Normal Woods were south of UCA off Donaghey and is the area just across Dave Ward Drive. Business buildings are now located in that area, but in 1917 it was heavily wooded. Students, faculty, and staff made use of the Normal Woods on a regular basis. Walking was the way in which most people traveled to the woods, and they would usually walk in groups.

The Normal Woods was the scene of many bonfires. Bonfires provided the light for other activities such as plays, choral singing groups, initiations for literary societies and later for sororities and fraternities. In 1917, it was a magical and special place for students to go, and get away from school work.

According to The Normal Echo of October 26, 1917, “An initiation service rendered in the woods around our campfire leaves in our minds pleasant memories of our formal entrance into the society, that will follow us through the time when our school days are over. It is a pleasure to have with us representatives of our sisters and brothers from the other societies of the Normal School. We greatly appreciate the presence of those members of the faculty whose duties allow them to respond to our invitation.”

A women’s literary society, the Nikatima Literary Society, conducted their initiation for new members in the Normal Woods. There were only three buildings on campus at that time, the first building that was later called the E.E. Cordrey Science Building, Doyne Hall – residence hall for women, and the Green Building – the model school building. But, the Normal Woods was deemed at the time a more appropriate setting for the initiation ceremony.

According to The Normal Echo, “Therefore, last Friday afternoon when the bell rang for dismissal, all Nikatima girls, some members of the faculty and presidents of other organizations in the school, threw aside the cares and responsibilities of the classroom and donned their sporting togs to enjoy an hour of recreation in the woods. When we reached the grove which we call the “Normal Woods,” we found a campfire laid and ready for business. Merrymaking began immediately. No one was allowed to stay out of the games. Mr. Short and Mr. Denney were kept busy and Mr. Coolidge, our new acquisition to the faculty, was introduced to the delights of Normal Autumnal festivities.”

After the induction of the new members into the Nikatima Literary Society, songs were sung and a charge was given by Miss Mattie Brown, the president of Nikatima and the first person to graduate from Arkansas State Normal School (now the University of Central Arkansas) with a four-year degree.

According to The Normal Echo, “The Nikatima song, ‘Sisters we stand Nikatima!’ yells for the new girls, visitors and faculty, the program ended with the singing of our beloved ‘Normal School.’ Nineteen girls were formally made Nikatimas and we believe that they are strong and enthusiastic and ready to live up to our ideals.”

The Normal School song that the women sang was sung to the tune of “Maryland, My Maryland,” and was written by UCA’s first president, J.J. Doyne. It first appeared in The Normal Echo of May – June 1912. The three verses are as follows:

Thou art my Alma Mater dear,

Normal School, my Normal School!

Thy mem’ry I shall e’er revere,

Normal School, my Normal School!

My steps may wander far from thee;

Thy walls I never more may see;

Yet in my heart enshrined thou’lt be;

Normal School, my Normal School.

Thine inspiration through the years,

Normal School, my Normal School!

Shall brighten hopes and banish fears,

Normal School, my Normal School!

How can I prove to thee untrue;

While former scenes pass in review;

And bring to mind thy charms anew;

Normal School, my Normal School?

Thy purple deep and silver gray,

Normal School, my Normal School!

Aptly thy sterling worth portray,

Normal School, my Normal School!

The bow of promise spans thy sky;

To thee new strength the years supply;

Proudly aloft thy banners fly;

Normal School, my Normal School.

Posted in: Blog on September 27, 2017

1917 & 2017 UCA Football Teams

Dear Friends,

I had intended to write a short article about the differences between the 1917 and 2017 UCA football teams. However, after comparing the two photographs, I think the old saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words” or in this case, ten thousand words, is appropriate.

As many of you know, UCA did not adopt the Bear as the mascot for sports until 1920. During the 1917 football season, sports writers most often used the term “Pedagogues” when they wrote about the Arkansas State Normal School (now the University of Central Arkansas) football team. The term Pedagogues comes from the fact that Arkansas State Normal School was dedicated to one thing, teaching its students how to become teachers. At other times, sports writers also used the terms tutors, teachers, and Normalites. But the two names that sports writers preferred were Pedagogues and Pea Pickers. The moniker of Pea Pickers was due to the farm that UCA maintained for several decades. According to Ted Worley, who wrote “A History of Arkansas State Teachers College” the football players preferred Pea Pickers to Pedagogues.

Sincerely,

Jimmy

1917 Team

2017 Team

Posted in: Blog on August 31, 2017

Arkansas State Normal School – 1911

Dear Friends,

At the beginning of the 2016-2017 academic year, I posted something about G.Y. Short, who graduated from here and eventually served under five UCA presidents. I thought the letter he wrote in 1911 was well done and appropriate, and decided to send it to readers a second time.

106 years ago this coming September, G.Y. Short, namesake for Short Hall, entered the Normal as a student. Like many early Arkansas school teachers, he qualified for a teaching certificate before he graduated from high school, at the age of 17. His first teaching job was at Mud Creek, located eight miles from Middlebrook, Arkansas. He also taught at Choctaw. In 1910 he entered the University of Arkansas for one year and then transferred to Arkansas State Normal School (now the University of Central Arkansas) where he received the Licentiate of Instruction in 1912. He later received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Peabody College and did post graduate work at the University of Chicago.

During his career he served under UCA’s first five presidents; Doyne, Torreyson, McAlister, Irby and Snow.

The attached PDF is a letter Mr. Short wrote to The Normal Echo in October 1911. In the letter he offers his opinion about Arkansas State Normal School. The last sentence in his letter is very heartwarming, and personally, I feel just as he did and hope all our students and employees feel the same way.

Sincerely,
Jimmy

The Normal Echo, October 1911

August 24th, 2017

Posted in: Blog on August 30, 2017

1917-1918 UCA Academic Year

Dear Friends,

This article is about the difficult academic year of 1917-1918. The United States declared war on Germany in April 1917, and the draft took a heavy toll on the male students. Due to World War I, enrollment dropped significantly, and some professors also left their faculty posts because of the war. The female students and female faculty stepped up and did their part during that time period, and that is explained in the article.

While there is currently no war going on with the same magnitude as World War I, there are thousands of Americans serving in war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Additionally, UCA alumni are serving in those war zones.

The photographs used in this article are Courtesy of The Scroll, 1918.

Sincerely,

Jimmy

1917-1918 Academic Year at UCA

August 23rd, 2017

Posted in: Blog on August 30, 2017

The Mirror Room

Dear Friends,

One of the most important venues on the UCA Campus, since 1934, has been the Mirror Room in McAlister Hall. The Mirror Room has long provided UCA students with a formal place to meet other students, as well as their professors. Soon after its construction, the Mirror Room was used as a gathering place for new students to meet the faculty. Typically, at the start of each new school year, a reception was held in the Mirror Room for new students. The purpose was for the new students to be officially introduced to the college faculty.

It was a very elaborate affair and the male faculty wore tuxedos and the female faculty members wore long evening dresses. The new students were very impressed that the reception was being held in such a proper setting, and they were also impressed that the faculty wore tuxedos and evening dresses. The students wrote home to their parents and told them about the formal reception and the elegance of Arkansas State Teachers College. Due to Arkansas being primarily an agricultural state, and the vast majority of the students were from a farm background, the reception that took place in the Mirror Room was a new and positive experience for those students.

The Mirror Room has been immensely important to UCA for many decades as a gathering place for male and female students. Countless married couples first met in the Mirror Room; as is the case with my wife’s parents, who first met there and were soon married.

Equally formal was the dedication of McAlister Hall, which was a rather lengthy and elaborate ceremony. During that time period, building dedications were important social events that were taken quite seriously and lasted for about two hours.

McAlister Hall was dedicated on May 20, 1934. U.S. Senator Hattie Caraway, the nation’s first elected female U.S. Senator, gave the dedicatory address. Senator Caraway was introduced by Arkansas Governor Marion Futrell to the crowd of over 2,000 people.

Music for the dedication came from several sources, including the band of the Arkansas National Guard’s 153rd Infantry. Frances Burt performed at the dedication by playing Mendelssohn’s “Concerto in G Minor.” Other musical selections were performed by the College Chapel Choir, directed by Homer Hess, and by the Girls’ Orchestra, also known as the String Sextet, under the direction of Mrs. W.C. Thompson. The dedication program ended with the singing of the Arkansas State Teachers College (now University of Central Arkansas) alma mater by the female residents of McAlister Hall.

The photographs below are of the College Chapel Choir, the Girls’ Orchestra, Senator Hattie Caraway and Mrs. W.C. Thompson – violinist and director of the Girls’ Orchestra, also known as the String Sextet.

THE PHOTOGRAPH OF SENATOR HATTIE W. CARAWAY IS COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS LIBRARIES SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT.

The photographs of the Chapel Choir, Mrs. W.C. Thompson and the String Sextet, are Courtesy of The Scroll.

—

August 18th, 2017

Posted in: Blog on August 30, 2017

1970s UCA

Dear Friends,

Attached to this email are two items of interest that were created in the early 1970s.

One is a statement from the president of State College of Arkansas (now the University of Central Arkansas) that was in the SCA Undergraduate and Graduate Bulletin. President Snow stressed the friendly atmosphere of SCA. As a student, Snow’s statement resonated with me, and I believe at the time it was a very apt description of the college atmosphere. I still believe it to be accurate.

The other is from The Echo and is a photograph of a sign that used to sit at the Tastee Freeze, just east of the railroad tracks, and where the Fish House is located today. UCA’s slogan at the time was, “The Friendliest College in Arkansas.”

July 17th, 2017

Posted in: Blog on August 30, 2017

Letter From King George V

Dear Friends,

This year, 2017, marks the 100th anniversary of the entry of the United States into World War I. Several members of the Arkansas State Normal School (now the University of Central Arkansas) faculty participated in the Great War.

One of those was Heber McAlister, who later became UCA’s third president. McAlister had accepted a teaching position at UCA in 1917 and was to begin his duties in September 1917. However, World War I intervened and as a member of the Arkansas National Guard he was activated in August 1917, and later sent to France. He entered the war at the rank of captain, but was quickly promoted to major. One year later he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

While serving in the war McAlister received a letter written by King George Vth, King of the United Kingdom and British Dominions and Emperor of India. Many U.S. soldiers received the same letter, which was distributed to show support from the King. The UCA Archives has President McAlister’s letter. We scanned the letter and it is attached to this email. Please feel free to print this letter on a color printer. King George signed his name, George, R.I. The R.I. stands for Rex Imperator, or King and Emperor.

After the war ended, McAlister finally began his career at UCA and was the first head of UCA’s Extension Department.

Sincerely,

Jimmy

King George V, Letter, 1918

July 14th, 2017

Posted in: Blog on August 30, 2017

UCA Circa 1910

Dear Friends,

This photograph shows the office of President J.J. Doyne, who is seated on the left in front of what appears to be a roll top desk. To the right is his administrative assistant, sitting in front of a typewriter. On the table is a small set of scales to measure postage and a large journal typically used at that time (circa 1910) for bookkeeping purposes. The two basket trays are probably marked IN and OUT.

On the far right is a leather upholstered sofa with a large coffee table in front and on the wall on the right side of the doorway is a wall mounted telephone; the only telephone on the campus at that time. Note how the administrative assistant is dressed as well as the female students in the library.

The room in the background is the Arkansas State Normal School Library.

The photograph is circa 1910.

June 5th, 2017

Posted in: Blog on August 30, 2017

Summer School at UCA in 1927

Summer time was always busy at Arkansas State Teachers College (now the University of Central Arkansas) during the early years. In fact, more students attended UCA during the summer than in the fall and spring semesters.

Public school teachers from across Arkansas attended UCA to further their education and either receive the Licentiate of Instruction (L.I.) or the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Education. For those teachers who had no credentials the L. I., a two-year course of study, was greatly valued.

There were two summer sessions held at UCA during 1927, and 1,165 students were enrolled during the first session and 426 students were enrolled during the second summer session. By comparison, the enrollment for fall 1927 was 905 students, with 2,245 students enrolled in correspondence courses.

The courses that were offered during the summer session of 1927 included courses in agriculture, history, drawing, education , English, expression, foreign languages, home economics, manual training, mathematics, piano, public school music, science, and New Testament Bible. The Department of Education offered the most courses of any department including educational psychology, mental measurements, high school administration, observation and plans, standards and measurements and several methods courses.

The reason so many teachers were coming to UCA during the summer months was because the vast majority did not have a degree of any kind. Statistics for white teachers’ qualifications were compiled on 16 rural counties in 1927, regarding teacher education for the elementary schools. It was determined that of the class “A” elementary schools (class “A” schools were considered the best) only 11% of teachers had four years of college training, 11% had three to four years of college training, 47% had two to three years, 21% had one to two years, and 10% had one year of college training.

In class “C” elementary schools only 1.4% of teachers had four years of college training, .5% had three to four years, 20% had two to three years, 25% had one to two years, and 52% had one year of college training. The principals of class “B” and class “C” high schools were only required to have two years of college training.

The progress of African American public high schools was slow during the 1920s, and it was 1924 before African American high schools in Arkansas were inspected and given a classification. The vast majority (98.2%) of the 110,853 African American students enrolled in Arkansas public schools during the 1927-1928 academic year were enrolled in grades one through eight. Only 1,976 students or 1.8% of African American students were enrolled in the high school grades. Records show that 494 African American high school age students were enrolled in private schools.

A situation that was problematic during the 1920s was the number of agencies that awarded teacher certificates; there were 78 agencies that granted teacher certificates in Arkansas. Each of Arkansas’s 75 counties had a certificate requirement, as did the University of Arkansas, UCA, and the State Department of Education. To complicate matters further, there was no uniformity in the qualifications required to grant teacher certificates. The 1928-1929 Biennial Report of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction included an article that asked the Arkansas General Assembly to create legislation that would place teacher certification under one central agency, thus creating a certificate system that was uniform in nature.

UCA continues to stay busy educating students during the summers. According to the UCA Office of Institutional Research, during the summer of 2016 there were 4,665 distinct students enrolled in at least one summer session.

Sources for this article included: Biennial Report of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1926-1930; Arkansas Department of Education; A History of the Arkansas State Teachers College by Ted Worley-1954; and the UCA Office of Institutional Research.

This photograph is from the 1927 summer school at UCA. Due to the size of the group I suspect it’s from summer session one, which was the largest with 1,165 students taking classes.

Additionally, the photograph appears to have been made by a camera that took photographs as it rotated. The several photos were then put together into one big photograph.

Posted in: Blog on May 17, 2017

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