The Age of Computers Begins 155
automating not only factories, but automobiles and almost every machine in use. The Men of Might in the October 1951 Sooner Shamrock were as follows: Sam Wilson, ChE, Norman; Bill Farris, GeoE, Comanche; John Rowland, PE, Roswell, NM; and Bill Schofield, ME, Lake Charles, LA. Sam Wilson, who had been elected the outstanding Junior Engineer, the year before, was business manager for the Sooner Shamrock, President of the Engineers’ Club, and served in many other leadership positions. He later earned his MBA at Harvard and founded a successful industrial gasses supply business in Austin,TX. He served on the College of Engineering Board of Visitors and was an avid supporter of both the College and the University. In December, the list of recognized students included the following: R. C. Doremus, ME, Pompton Lakes, NJ; William H. Moody, ChE, Galena, KS; Carl Weatherford, PE, Stroud; and Jack Wilson, Monticello, MS. All were veterans of military service. In January 1952, the Navy reactivated the South Base and 7,000 men were moved into the base. This caused some problems for the University; but fortunately, the North Base was not repossessed by the Navy and the decreased enrollments with the new dormitories, eased the housing problems. In March 1952, the five Queen candidates wooed the engineering vote with booths constructed on the lawn in front of the Engineering Building. There was free coffee, cigarettes, cookies, conversion tables, book matches, cokes, and reportedly a few kisses given away campaigning votes. In a close vote, Ernestine “Ernie” Smith was elected Queen. She was an education major and a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority from Guthrie. Sam Wilson, President of the Engineers’ Club, announced that a pact had been signed with the lawyers that there would be no funny business and that the Queen would be left unguarded. K. Gene Mitchell, ChE senior from Seminole, was elected St. Pat for 1952.
Sam Wilson
On Thursday afternoon, before the annual dance, Queen Ernie received a call at her sorority house that John Vanderpool, her campaign manager was on his way to see her and that she was to wait in a downstairs room. About 3:30 p.m., she was seated in an anteroom when suddenly a hood was