Mess Hall
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Abstract
This book of snapshot memories was a gift to Jerome Jackson Waters Jr. from John N. Olson; both of the graduating class of 1913, on the event of their 1938 class reunion. The 1913 long horn shows that they were both members of the Civil Engineering Society. It is uncertain how the School of Veterinary Medicine came to have this collection of photographs, but they show the look of the campus landscape circa 1930's.
Description
In this image the Sbisa dining hall is shown at a time before the fountain referred to by students as the fish pond was built. Construction on this dining hall was begun in 1912 after an early morning kitchen fire occurred on Nov. 11, 1911 an destroyed the original campus mess hall. The new hall was completed in 1926. Sbisa is named in honor of Bernard Sbisa, an Austrian-born New Orleans chef and college steward who prepared hearty and timely meals for Aggies for more than 50 years - in fact, the only day that Bernard was late in serving a meal was breakfast the day of the 1911 fire.
In the 1913 Longhorn yearbook, there is mention of the fire in the biographical sketch on student Jerome Jackson Waters; ..."He won his title of "Riskey" by showing such great daring and fearlessness at the Mess Hall fire where he rescued two bottles of the juice of the grape (Welches) from Sbisa.'s private pantry." Writing on the photo or group of photos: 'To my classmate Jerome J. Waters.'13. Silver Anniversary Reunion. College Station, Texas June 3-4, 1938. John N. Olson. 2120 ave. M. Galveston. ' Physical description: Black and white print (photograph) 7x11.5mm.
Keywords
Historic buildings, School buildings, Waters, Jerome Jackson, Olson, John N., Universities and colleges, College buildings-Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, Dining hall-Sbisa, Civil engineers