The only picture John Tarleton ever took.
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Born
somewhere between the years 1807 and 1828, probably in New Hampshire, John Tarleton
lived a short childhood. His parents died within three years years of each other,
just before he was ten years old. His aunt had promised him an education at the
time of their death, but soon fell short on her promise.
Tarleton left his aunts home at the age of thirteen to join the army, but he was
refused because he was too small. Traveling from New Hampshire to North Carolina,
and then on to Knoxville, Tennesse, Tarleton finally went back to school to earn
a teaching certificate. After teaching for a short time, Tarleton then changed
his profession.
While working as a clerk in a dry goods store in Tennessee, Tarleton began purchasing
tracts of real estate. By 1870, he had accumulated an estimated $80,000 in real
estate holdings. Along with the land in Tennessee, Tarleton purchased a 10,240
acre block of ranch land for 12 cents an acre.
Early in the 1870's Tarleton left Tennessee and moved to Waco, Texas where he
bought an interest in the T.N. McMullen and Company dry goods store. While living
there, Tarleton met and married Mary Louisa Johnson. She was the widow of Telephus
Johnson, one of the richest, and by most accounts, eccentric men in Waco.
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The couple married in September of 1876, but, in a little over a year, Mary Louisa moved to St. Louis and shortly thereafter filed for a divorce. The reasons for the divorce seemed to have centered on their dramatic differences in lifestyle. Before their marriage, Tarleton and his bride-to-be had signed a prenuptial agreement in which they agreed to keep their property and estates separate after their wedding. At the time, she believed that the only property of Tarleton was his dry goods store.
When she learned that he owned thousands of additional acres of land in Texas and elsewhere, she asked that she receive some of it so that their respective holdings would be equal. Tarleton refused.
Mary Louisa claimed half of Tarleton's property in her divorce suit. In a panic, Tarleton sped to St. Louis and managed to arrive there in time to present the prenuptial agreement to Mary Louisa's lawyers before the case went to court. After examining the contract, her lawyers dropped the demand for a property division and the court granted Mary Louisa her divorce that same day according to the original terms of the prenuptial agreement. After this brief and disastrous marriage, Tarleton sold his interest in the store and moved to Santo, TX.
In the early 1890's Tarleton met his long time friend and attorney J.C. George of Stephenville, Texas. After a legal dispute with a neighbor, he transferred all his legal business to George's office in Stephenville.
The now aging John Tarleton decided to make out a will leaving his money to found a school. He asked for George's advise on location, and after lengthy discussions, was convinced to establish a school in Stephenville. His request was that it be known as "The John Tarleton College."
Tarleton made a trip to Galveston to improve his declining health and was accosted. When his traveling companion, G.S. Williams, was absent from the hotel several robbers drugged Tarleton and stole seven or eight hundred dollars from him. They took him to a second-class hotel near the city limits and abandoned him there. Williams did not find him until the next day.
The only photograph of John Tarleton was taken the day after his attack. The stunned Tarleton never recovered from the episode.
After returning home, he fell ill and died on September 10, 1895.
After his death on September 10, 1895, John Tarleton was buried in Patillo Cemetery in the southern part of Palo Pinto county. J.C. George began a campaign in 1896 to raise money to move Tarleton's remains to Stephenville and erect a monument to him on the John Tarleton College campus. This goal was met in 1898, when the lawyer and four men reinterred Tarleton's body on the campus of the fledgling college.
A fifteen foot tall granite obelisk, withe the simple inscription "John Tarleton," marked the gravesite. In 1928, Tarleton's body had to be moved again to make room for the construction of the old Auditorium building. The job was performed at night to avoid attracting a crowd.
At this time, Tarleton and the granite marker were moved to a small triangle of
land owned by the college at the southeastern corner of the intersection of Washington
and Lillian streets. He has remained there ever since. This location received
an official Texas historical landmark plaque in 1987. |
Our University: Traditions
Tradition:
It may be right or it may be wrong;
it may be good or it may be bad;
but right or wrong, good or bad,
it has always been done this way,
we like it done this way and
we plan to continue to do it this way.
- L.V. Risinger
The Airplane Incident
Bonfires were the primary objectives, and as described in the J-TAC newspaper, the students were driven by "the desire to cause premature conflagration of the accumulated rubbish."
At the height of the Tarleton-North Texas Agricultural College (NTAC) rivalry, frequent raids by opposing students were common. On November 29, 1939, two days before the traditional football game, and in retaliation for the burning of the NTAC bonfire by Tarleton students the night before, an NTAC student and an accomplice flew over the Tarleton campus and attempted to drop a phosphorus bomb on the bonfire. This was the rivalry between NTAC and JTAC (Tarleton was known then as John Tarleton Agricultural College), to try to set the other schools bonfire prematurely. In their efforts to repel the air attack, Tarleton students on guard threw various objects at the plane. LV. Risinger hurled a 2 x 4 into the air which struck the plane's propeller and disabled the aircraft. The pilot glided over what is now the Hall of Presidents and crash landed in a clump of trees. While the NTAC student and his buddy were launching the air attack, three truck loads of NTAC students were attempting to invade the campus by land.
Both the land and air attacks were repulsed, the NTAC students captured, their heads were shaved in a block "T", and sent on their way.
Because of this incident, the tradition of the drum beating was started. It was created to let NTAC students know that the bonfire is being protected around the clock. This tradition has now evolved into every organization and dormitory hall being assigned one hour to bang the drums, now located next to Alumni Island. 55 gallon steel drums are used and the winner of the yell contest gets the privilege of starting the beating.
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TTS and TTP
During the days as a junior college, TTP and TTS were formed. These spirit organizations for men and women were begun in 1921 and 1923 respectively. They are the two oldest organizations on campus.
These secret organizations have selected membership. Old members select the new members each year. When first organized, the two groups would meet late at night and prepare signs for upcoming athletic events. The basic signs at this time were long signs on canvas which were stretched between trees on the campus. The clubs met in the attic of the old rec hall which now houses the Printing Center.
The identity of the senior members was disclosed in the photo of the groups when the yearbooks were distributed. Senior members stood facing the camera while underclassmen faced away from the camera with various and sundry items placed over their heads. The groups were sponsored by faculty and/or staff members.
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The Plowboys
Upon joining the Texas A&M University System in 1917, the Tarleton athletic teams became known as the "Junior Aggies."
In 1924, however, Coach W.J. Wisdom became disenchanted with the name, which was a throwback to the mother school, and held a contest to select a new mascot The contest winner would receive a $5 prize, and Wisdom would be the only judge. Walking across campus one day and contemplating the fact that Tarleton was basically an agricultural school, the name "Plowboys" popped into Wisdom's head. He immediately adopted the new mascot and kept the $5. The symbol of the Plowboys was a muscular young man in overalls pushing a hand plow. In 1950, the mascot withstood a challenge when four additional names were suggested for a student vote. Plowboys won by a 2-1 margin. With the University's changing image, however, another election was held in 1961 ,and students approved the name "Texans." The horse and rider became the new logo of the University.
In 1984, a group of interested students established a spirit organization on campus and readopted the name "Plowboys." The Plowboys attend athletic events and other campus activities and are familiar to students because of their white shirts, hats, and purple chaps.
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The Grassburr
First published in 1916, the Grassburr is the official yearbook for Tarleton. The Grassburr was named by Roy Meftord who served as the first editor.
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Oscar P
Legend has it that John Tarleton had a pet duck named Oscar P who went everywhere with him. The two were so close that Oscar P is said to be buried with John Tarleton.
At various student activities, the Purple Poo rally Tarleton students by raising the spirit of Oscar P. This is done by kneeling and pounding the ground while calling out "Hey, Oscar P."
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The J-TAC
Originally called the 'Tarletonite', the J-TAC is Tarleton's official newspaper. The first issue was published in 1919. J-TAC stands for John Tarleton Agricultural College. A terrible ice storm struck Stephenville the day students went to the Empire-Tribune to pick up the first issue. The J-TAC was named by Tarleton student John H. Winters who entered the contest to name the paper and won $5.
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The Purple Book
The infamous purple book that outlined the rules and guidelines for all students came into being in 1917. The official book, through about 25 years of existence, reminded students that they must walk to town on Tarleton Street --no riding in cars-- with girls on one side of the street and boys on the other. Many of those rules would be considered Victorian today, but they were accepted practices in their day. Today, a semblance of a purple book--The Student Handbook--exists that sets down basic guidelines for students.
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The Purple Poo
The TTS and TTP were the precursor of the modern Purple Poo. The still-secret organization makes Poo signs each Monday night, which then appear on campus every Tuesday morning. The signs comment on campus political life, student life, but mostly on school spirit. These signs are nailed to trees on campus. Members appear in public dressed in costumes, and their identity is closely guarded.
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