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This is the transcript from the first of three interviews that Bruce Roche conducted with Dr. Flowers just prior to his retirement. Dr. Flowers (Class of 1913) was President of Southwest Texas State College from 1942-1964. In this interview, Dr. Flowers talks about the history of education in Texas, his educational philosophy, and the need for vocational schools to provide practical skills to their students. He also talks about growing up in a family that had books in their home, and how he was encouraged to get his master’s degree at the age of 30. Interviewer Bruce Roche was director of the College News Service. This interview was the source material for his article “Goal: Excellence – Dr. Flowers’ Lifelong Watchword,” published in the Austin American-Statesman on August 30, 1964.

Catalogs contain information about the university, such as deans, accreditations, and academic policies. Includes information on admissions, yearly academic calendar, academic colleges and departments, registering, course descriptions and numbers.

Lillian Dees talks about her experiences working under many different deans, including Bruce Roach, Ralph Houston, Keith Lovin, and departments, including Journalism and News Service and Liberal Arts. She describes how she acquired her final position as Director of the LBJ Student Center. She also recalls the changes in the campus, including buildings and student body population, over the twenty-year period that she was employed at Texas State. She discusses changing university administrations, alluding to President James McCrocklin and the McCrocklin Scandal, interim president Jerome Cates, and others. She recalls "Lillian Dees Day" created by Dr. Henry Norris.

In her second interview, Merry Kone Fitzpatrick talks about graduating from high school and attending college at SWTSTC. Along with describing her college and graduate courses and certain professors like Professor Green, Retta Murphy, James Taylor, Betty Jane Kissler, and Emmie Craddock, she discusses what the school, her first job during WWII, and her work supervising student teachers were like. She describes the then-social science division and its faculty, as well as campus buildings like Old Main and certain local characters. This interview covers the 1930s through the 1960s.

Cover story on Rex Foster