During the 1940s and 1950s, large dances were often held on the weekends in Sbisa Hall.
In those days, we dressed up in high heels, platform shoes, hats, gloves and suits. What a sight it was to pull into College Station and be greeted by a sea of young men in uniform! Since there weren’t many lodging options, boys often moved out of their dorms on the Quad so we could stay in their rooms. I had never been in a boys-only bathroom, so the fixtures were an adventure.
Dinner was often in Duncan Hall, and there would be a very large dance in Sbisa Hall. We usually had dance cards tied with ribbon to our wrists with the names of boys with whom we were to dance. Bands like the Vaughn Monroe Band and Vocals and Carmen Cavallaro provided entertainment.
If it was a football weekend, we received a large mum for the game. My husband-to-be, William Lonquist Jr. ’48, was a Yell Leader in 1949 with Head Yell Leader, James H. “Red” Duke ’50, who later became Dr. Red Duke, a Houston trauma surgeon, professor and TV personality. (He passed away in 2015.) Shortly after I graduated in June 1950, William and I married.
The military weekend with Audie Murphy and LIFE magazine was very special! One girl from Southern Methodist University drove down in her convertible. Girls at Texas State were not allowed to have a car until the last semester of their senior year, so only a few cars showed up on our campus.
It was always fun to be in College Station for a weekend, but then it was back to Texas State for a week of study!
Antoinette “Twan” Brady
Austin, Texas