THE HOPEFUL YEARS--1920-29

The current Communication Program at Sul Ross State University began as The Department of Reading, a branch of the English Department, first appearing in the second year of the operation of Sul Ross Normal College, 1921-1922, under the direction of Miss Grace Vandiver. At that time speech was called "reading." Miss Vandiver, with the title of Associate Professor of Reading and Education, offered seven courses in reading during the long term of 1921-22. From the beginning, drama was an equal partner in the development of the Speech Arts-Drama Department; however, for purposes of this history, discussion of the drama program will be limited.

Speech activities began at Sul Ross during the academic year in which the college was formally opened, November 16, 1920. A group of student debaters entertained Alpine citizens and Sul Ross enthusiasts, April 11, 1921, arguing the issue, "Shall Campus Lovers Be Abolished?" Negative team was declared the winner, but both sides were commended for their skillful gestures, which they had practiced faithfully for six weeks. The Big Bend Literary (Debating) Society with fourteen members, all men, was organized during the 1920-21 academic year, followed by a Supreme Court of Justice, organized in 1922-23, which met every Wednesday night to try two or three cases. Acquittals were few, due perhaps to the brilliance of Prosecuting Attorney A.B. Chancey and the efficiency of Sheriff Bernie Willhaite, who had an "honorable record... (of) not having a single person escape."

These early activities were followed by the organization of a new society whose aim was to promote oratorical and debating interests on the campus, and which established a tradition through several years of continued performance: The Jefferson Literary Society. An early issue debated by this group was, "Shall the United States Annex Mexico?" John Prude of Fort Davis was a member of this club in 1924, and he became class president in 1925. Another Jeffersonian, who was voted most popular Sul Ross boy in 1924 and class president in 1925 was Wilton C. Williamson of Meridian. These young men established a tradition of persuasive leadership which led to legislative careers (in the 1950s and ?60s) of such men as Congressman J.T. Rutherford and State Representatives Gene Hendryx and Jesse George.

In the early years all classes were held in the administration building, the only academic building on campus. The auditorium was on the third floor, and had a very small platform rather than a stage. It was used mainly for assembly programs. Miss Vandiver offered a course in dramatic art, but this was not in the presentation of plays, but merely the study of plays as a classroom activity. According to Knox Reid, an early graduate, when performing plays on the third floor stage, actors had to climb out a window, crawl along a third story ledge, then enter another window in order to get from one side of the stage to the other.

Mask and Slipper Dramatic Club, organized 1921-22, was sponsored by the Reading Department. The club members entertained at "chapel" on March 4, 1922 after initiating fourteen members on March 1 (all girls). The badge of classic Greek mask and modern ballet slipper remain the drama club symbol to the present. Dramatic activities, however, had begun earlier. On November 19, 1921, the Speech 30 class appeared in By Way of Secret Passage. On December 3, 1921, Miss Vandiver presented (monodrama) Madame Butterfly, and the faculty "put on" Green Stockings, February 3, 1922.

Miss Vandiver was the first of several gifted women, who with the highest qualifications and professional training, directed the speech and drama programs for 50 years. Miss Vandiver attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (New York) and Miss Eva Sweet, who followed her, studied at Curry School of Expression (Boston). These professional schools offered the prestige graduate programs in the United States during the 1920s.

In 1923 Miss Vandiver was replaced by Miss Eva Sweet. She was the first speech teacher at Sul Ross who placed emphasis on drama rather than on the oratorical and elocutionary arts. It was during the time that Miss Sweet taught that the first record of dramatic presentations appears in the Skyline in 1923. In the summer of 1923 Miss Sweet presented three one-act plays on the lawn in front of the administration
building.

Programs of 1922 show Miss Eva Sweet as director of an impressive program of poetry reading (An Afternoon with Browning) in the college auditorium December 20, 1922, presented by the Expression Department; a program of one-act plays (February 17, 1923), starring Winifred Terrell and Susybel Bunton; and a tableaux The Other Wiseman, reader Susybel Bunton, settings by Knox Reid and prominent actor, Rudolph Mellard (College sponsored Christmas program) in Chapel, December 15, 1923.

The department name was changed to Department of Speech Arts in 1926 at which time Miss Nell Miriam Smith replaced Miss Sweet. In the fall of 1927 the Bulletin lists Miss Mary Vernita Stewart as instructor in speech. She was replaced in the summer of 1928 by Miss Laurine Shields.

THE EXCITING YEARS --1930-55

Annie Kate Ferguson, daughter of a pioneer Texas family, became instructor of Public Speaking at Sul Ross in the fall of 1929, and a new era began. Miss Ferguson, who was chair from 1929-1947, received the Master of Arts degree from the University of Iowa. For 25 years her leadership dominated the department; even after her tragic, early death in 1947, her influence was continued in extensions of her policies and programs, as well as in the minds of her students and faculty colleagues.

By this time courses were no longer "reading" courses, for the speech department had come into its own. There were courses designed to help students be more poised and effective as a public speaker; there were stagecraft, acting and debate classes. Later classes in play direction, appreciation of the moving picture and others were added.

The Ferguson tenure at Sul Ross coincided with the depression years and with those of World War II, and Miss Ferguson must have represented well her generation. Those who were young then remember a time of great intellectual ferment, free experimentation in the arts and excitement for the future. Her first high school play, The Valiant, placed first in the State One-Act Play Contest in 1928. Plays she directed at Sul Ross (47 titles listed in July 1947 Rossonian) were representative of the highest standards of college drama production in America. Much of the legacy of Annie Kate Ferguson is intangible, in the hearts of her students. But concrete memorials exist on the Sul Ross campus in the dormitory for women, named for her and exhibiting her portrait in oils, and in the Outdoor Theatre which she saw built by the CWA. Following Miss Ferguson's death in 1947, Mrs. Freda Gibson Powell became chair of the department. In 1948 Miss Cecilia Thompson was added to the faculty. Later Dr. Charles S. Mudd became associate professor of speech, leaving after being at Sul Ross for 2� years. By the mid-fifties, the speech curriculum included a broad program of speech and theatre work. A major or minor in Speech was offered to students interested in the three following fields:
1. Speech as an applied art, for those interested in theatre, radio, orprofessions requiring proficiency in public speaking.
2. Speech training and speech pedagogy for those wishing to teach speech.
3. General speech training for those interested in speech as a part of a liberal education.

During Mrs. Powell's tenure as Speech and Drama Chairman from 1947-55, the nationally famous Dan Blocker completed the undergraduate and graduate programs at Sul Ross, playing with distinction the roles of "De Lawd" in Green Pastures and Othello in Shakespeare's tragedy. Blocker ("Hoss" of Bonanza) is remembered with vividness and affection as a student actor in Alpine. It is generally recognized that Blocker was discovered and guided in his development by Freda Gibson Powell.

During the eight years of Mrs. Powell's tenure, some significant changes took place both at Sul Ross and in the Speech and Drama department. With many men returning to college at the close of World War II, enrollment in the department increased appreciably and the teaching staff was enlarged. A Fine Arts Building was built in 1952, which included a small theatre, scene shop, costume laboratory, Green Room, offices, classrooms, and storage areas. The curriculum was significatnly enlarged, with courses in scenery and costume design, radio, and speech education added. The Master of Arts degrees in speech and drama was added to the graduate program.

THE BRIGHT YEARS--1956-65

The mid-fifties offered a real challenge to the new chair of Speech and Drama, Dr. Alice Katherine Boyd. Dr. Boyd, who served as chair from 1955-1975, received the Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degree from Columbia University (New York) with post doctoral study at University of London and at University of Florence. The college had passed through a period of dissension and tension and, with a new administration, was beginning a revision of curriculum, an enlargement of plant, and an expected decade of enrollment increase. However, the future of the department appeared uncertain: only one freshman registered as a speech major in 1956; and the faculty were skeptical of a proposal to require a speech course in the various degree plans, this despite the urgent request of the president.

Fortunately the department benefitted from the sympathetic attention of the new chair of curriculum committee, Dr. Bevington Reed. With his approval, the department chair effected a drastic revision of the speech-drama curriculum, adding new courses at both the freshman and senior level, to strengthen the major and bring the degree requirements into line with increasingly strict standards of accreditation. This revision benefitted the drama program in acting and directing, the speech program in fundamentals and discussion. Graduate courses were promoted in the "Saturday-class" division, and in the summer session, and a series of summer Shakespeare productions was begun at Kokernot Lodge Outdoor Theatre. A definite effort was made in recruitment to bring in new majors.

It was President Wildenthal's projection that the college could successfully integrate a 15 percent enrollment increase each year, without a sacrifice of academic standards. The projection became a fact as the college grew from a student-body of 750 to one of 1800 in a period of a few years. A reflection of this growth was to be seen in the enrollment of the Fundamentals of Speech course. In spring, 1955, there were two sections of 15; in fall, 1962, there were 12 sections enrolling over 300 students. Most of the college degree plans included this course, either as required or as highly recommended. The number of speech-drama majors had increased to more than 50.

In 1964, the Speech and Drama Department conducted a "clinic" for high school students, with speech instructor Roy Lassiter in charge of forensic activities, and former students of the department as coaches in drama activities: acting, Bodine Moore Johnson; fencing, Elroy Barrera; dance, Lyn Stanley; diction, Erleane Anderau. Twenty high school students took the six-week course and played small roles in the production of The Merchant of Venice, a major summer production.

From 1966-1975, most of the instruction in the communication program was by a man trained in speech therapy, Roy Lassiter, associate professor of speech. Courses in discussion, public address, persuasion, parliamentary procedure, and readers theatre were taught by him. As sponsor of student organizations, especially Student Congress, he stimulated active student participation in civic functions. These were troubled years in America. Sul Ross, however, escaped much of the violence in riots and marches current on other campuses. The Speech Department contributed to a "continuing dialogue" which offered to students an openness of expression in what might have been a closed society. Sul Ross students were encouraged to discuss and debate current controversial issues, even during times of crisis. Debate students argued the proposed 18-year old voting act in the Student Coffee House, and advanced students spoke at public forums, both as panel members and also as audience questioners (sometimes challengers). The volunteer army issue was debated, during the war years, before the Rotary Club; women debaters presented programs on Women s Lib for AAUW; in December 1974 a student group presented a panel discussion on World Hunger for the evening Lions Club; the amnesty issue was debated on the local KVLF radio station.

THE LOST YEARS --1965-72

From 1965-1972, E. Clayton McCarty served as chair of a department which was dominated by faculty who were mostly interested in the development of the theatre program. THE THEATRE OF THE BIG BEND was formed in 1965 and the present Outdoor Summer Theatre was dedicated in 1970; and, with an eight play repertory, more than 10,000 people attended the outdoor performances that summer.

THE REBUILDING YEARS -- 1975-2003

With Dr. Boyd's retirement in 1975, Dr. George Bradley joined the Sul Ross faculty as department chair, a position in which he served until 1998. Dr. Bradley, who previously taught at Eastern New Mexico University and The State University of New York at Buffalo, was a graduate of The University of Kansas, having received his master's in theatre and doctorate in communication and human relations.

As was Dr. Boyd's fate in 1956, Dr. Bradley began his tenure with only one speech major, one additional speech instructor (Lassiter), and a budget of $5,000, which included the theatre production program. The speech program was virtually dead. The curriculum needed repair as did the Fine Arts Building, which was now nearly 25 years old. Scholarship funds for speech majors were non-existent. In short, changes were needed.

Among the first actions to interest students in speech was the establishment of a CEDA debate team in 1976. Along with the standard debate travel, students were encouraged to engage in debate activities on campus. In 1977, the newly formed Sul Ross Forensic Society co-sponsored, along with the Speech Communication Association, an international debate between Sul Ross faculty and a British team that debated the proposition "That This House Believes All Men Are Created Equal." Out of 146 colleges and universities entered in CEDA competion in 1979-1980, the team of Anthony Benedict and Jonathan Bow ranked 31st that year. Benedict won the outstanding debate speaker award at several major CEDA tournaments. Bradley sponsored the team from 1976-1981, when Robert Rogers assumed the coaching duties. Rogers taught communication courses from 1982-1989.

In 1978, the first Sul Ross - Big Bend Forensic Tournament was organized with the hope of recruiting area high school students to the university. Although the first tournament only attracted about 100 participants, by 1999 more than 200 students from a dozen schools attended the tournament each year, participating in ten events. The tournament continues today, but the university debate activity was discontinued in 1982 due to limited funds and a lack of student interest.

Convinced that the term "speech" was not attracting students, and despite a number of curriculum changes during the initial years, Bradley requested that the name of the department be changed to Communication and Theatre; and, after several years of delay, the administration agreed to the name change in 1981. Within one year the number of communication majors increased from 15 to 50 at the undergraduate level. At the same time, communication and theatre were forced to give up their respective master of arts degree programs, leaving only the master of education degree option for students to pursue. In 1990, with only one theatre and two communication faculty to handle the growing number of majors and increases in enrollment at the undergraduate level, this degree was also eliminated by both programs.

The problem of poor facilities was solved in 1981 when the newly renovated Fine Arts Building was opened. In addition to classrooms and offices, a fully equipped television studio was included for instructional use. Another new space included a four-room complex that became the location for the communication program's campus broadcast radio station in 1991. Developed by Keith West, who joined the Sul Ross faculty in 1990 after receiving the Master of Arts in Broadcasting from Oklahoma State University, KSRC radio and television programming is broadcast throughout the campus via the university's closed-circuit system. On the weekends, KSRC radio also broadcasted  over local KALP-FM radio until 2002.

As television equipment became affordable in the late 1970s, the speech program began to attract majors through the development of video courses and activities. From 1982-1984, the program produced 33 half-hour "Campus On Review" programs for KTPX-TV, located in Midland-Odessa. A Video Toaster editing unit was added in 1991. In 1998, students produced a number of programs for the now defunct Earth Channel. The addition of digital cameras and a nonlinear editing bay in 1998 provided students with the opportunity to work with digital video.

During the first 70 years of the university, no departmental scholarship funds were available to communication majors. However, in 1991, the Paul and Teeby Forchheimer Communication Endowment was formed. Interest from this fund makes scholarship funds available to a number of students each year.

In 1990, despite adamant protest from the faculty, the communication and theatre programs were combined with those in art and music to form a "new" Department of Fine Arts and Communication. Bradley was selected as chair of the new department, serving until 1998 when Gregory Schwab assumed the chair duties. At the beginning of 2000, the communication faculty included Bradley, Tasha Burleson, who received her degrees from Sul Ross, and Dona Roman, a graduate of The University of California at Los Angeles. Keith West returned for the fall 2001 semester.  In August 2000, Dr. Bradley retired after 25 years of service to Sul Ross, although he continued to teach one-half time through the 2004-2005 academic year. Dr. Esther Rumsey, who received her PhD from Rutgers University, assumed the head of the Communication Program in 2001. Burleson left in 2000 to pursue a doctorate degree. Jay Sawyer, Assistant Professor of Theatre, was hired to replace Chuck Pulliam in summer 2002.

At the beginning of the Fall 2004 semester, Gregory Schwab was appointed Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Rumsey was appointed department chair, and Dona Roman became the head of the theatre program. Dr. Bradley fully retired in May 2005.