ANSWERING the Call

From the Butler Archives

“The arrival of the United States Navy Signal School on the campus last spring was the first step toward the revolutionizing of the campus and making the student body acutely war conscious. Over five hundred sailors were stationed in what was once the scene of Butler athletic events, the fieldhouse. Sleeping quarters were constructed in what used to be the gym, the track was covered with asphalt to serve as a place for drilling, and a new and modern kitchen and mess hall were installed…The familiar football field was converted into a signal practice training field. The telephone poles became masts bearing pulleys and gaily colored signal flags. The field itself became a drilling ground for training the men.”1

“As the war effort became the victory effort… the Fieldhouse and stadium again became the center of Butler athletics with Tony Hinkle’s return from the Navy at the end of 1945. Directors hurried reconversion of the Fieldhouse to prepare for the return of the State High School Athletic Association boys’ basketball tournament in March 1946.”2