By Carl D. Kirby
On the day before Thanksgiving in 1936, seven young men from Mississippi State traveled by automobile to Atlanta. They got lost in Birmingham, ran a cross-country race over frozen ground in an unfamiliar city, and climbed a mountain.
Sixty years later, they got together again to talk about it.
The reunion resulted from a string of coincidences: my stepson, Douglas Beckham, D.M.D., is a strong supporter of Mississippi State and a member of the Birmingham chapter of the Alumni Association. When he learned I had graduated from MSU, but was not a member of the association, he tried to recruit me. I insisted I was not a joiner and had no intention of becoming one after 56 years.
Like the snapping turtle, Douglas won't turn loose until it thunders, and he finally sent in a check for my membership. My name was duly listed in the directory, and last June a voice on the telephone said, "I have a picture you might like to see."
 Reunited on campus in November were '36 Cross-Country Team members, from left, O.K. Stampley, Wallace McRoy, W.O. McIlwain, Henry Tipton, Tom Hardy, Carl Kirby, and Wayne Senter. |
Wallace had seen Tipton and McIlwain on campus at a recent rededication of the bell which was given by the Class of 1939. Tom Hardy was easy to locate; his farm real estate signs were all around Columbus. Wayne Senter's telephone in Fulton was unlisted, but we ran him down through his son, an MSU graduate living in Jackson. O.K. Stampley had sojourned amongst the Philistines in California since he graduated, and it was difficult to understand him. It could be that my extremely slight hearing impairment may have hampered our communications somewhat. I have a tendency to shout on long distance, and just kept on hollering until he agreed to come.
Henry Tipton made all the arrangements with the Alumni Association and the Athletics Department. We convened at the Butler-Williams Alumni Center on Nov. 7, 1996, at 1100 hours. Aside from McRoy's, Tipton's, and McIlwain's meeting at the bell rededication the previous year, we had not seen each other in 60 years. Our wives were introduced, with the exception of Barbara Stampley, who was unable to attend.
A thunderstorm slacked up enough for us to walk to the Union, where a delicious luncheon had been prepared for us in the Whittington Suite. A bus tour of the campus followed.
We were all impressed with the proliferation of new buildings and pleased at the preservation of others. The cafeteria was remembered especially for the big dances-spring, mid-terms, and finals-with name bands. Memories of Kay Kyser and Herbie Kay, with an 18-year-old Dorothy Lamour in a low-cut gown at the microphone. That was one time the stag line was crowded in front of the bandstand, waiting for the bow at the end of the song. We all mourned the loss of Old Main, remembering the times we had there.
The last stop was the new athletic administration building, where we toured the impressive facility and received our tee-shirts with 'Mississippi State Track and Field' on the front and a big MSU logo on the back.
 (Standing from left) Tipton, Kirby, Senter, Hardy, (kneeling from left) Stampley, McIlwain, and McRoy posed for a team photo on the campus of Georgia Tech at the 1936 Southeastern meet. |
That evening we were dinner guests of the Quarterback Club at the Starkville Country Club. This was a stag affair, so we had to stash our wives at Harvey's restaurant, where they got even for not being included by depleting our credit cards. It was a great dinner, memorable because it represented the last holdout since the fall of the barber shop and the invasion of football locker rooms by female reporters.
We collected our spouses and went to the Tiptons' for a final visit and farewells.
The reunion centered around our trip to Georgia Tech in Atlanta to compete in the Southeastern meet. Eight schools, fielding 56 runners, were represented. Some recollections follow.
We set out early the day before Thanksgiving, seven of us in one car. Senter says it was a 1936 Ford that belonged to MSU, and it didn't have a heater. There was no room for Coach Octavius Spencer, so we left him behind. We stopped in Birmingham for lunch. I had worked there the previous summer, and steered for a restaurant that served country food and big helpings. Thus fortified, we left town with me as guide. I promptly got us lost on the switchbacks of Red Mountain, and had to inquire of a passerby how to get to Niazuma Avenue. He replied, "Just go two blocks that way and turn right, and that'll be Noxzema."
McRoy says we stayed in a fraternity dorm room. The race started in Georgia Tech stadium next morning. It was very cold. I remember that we had to run up a flight of concrete steps with cinder spikes. A good part of the race was on pavement or frozen ground, and we were footsore before we went a mile.
On our team, Tipton finished first, then Hardy, Senter, Stampley, and Kirby. Only five runners from a team were scored. McRoy says he came up on McIlwain walking, and joined him for company. Our team finished third, which we thought was pretty good, despite this ego-killer from The Reflector of Dec. 2, 1936: "The cross-country team will run at Alabama Dec. 5th, ending a rather good season considering the fact that this was State's first team in several years and the material at hand was only fair."
After the race we went out and climbed the sloping side of Stone Mountain and looked out over the sheer face where the sculptor was still dynamiting away everything that didn't look like a Confederate hero. It started to snow, and we climbed down and got in our unheated car for the long trip home.
I once read a poem disparaging cross-country runners: "Oh, what manner of men are these, that run all winter in their B.V.D.s?"
Well, for one thing, they're DURABLE! Our average age is a little over 80. For those who would follow our example, none of us smoke. Three never did, and others quit over 20 years ago. Two are teetotalers; the others indulge moderately, mainly for medical purposes.
Most of us exercise by walking or swimming, except McRoy, who runs it into the ground and barks at the hole. Six were in the armed services, three of the six in combat, and McRoy was in a coal mine, which is worse than a foxhole. A mainframe computer trying to figure the odds against us still being here would blow its fuses.
After we ran in Atlanta, our football team beat Ole Miss for the first time in 11 years. 26-6! After our recent reunion, we beat Alabama and Ole Miss. Is there a correlation here? We're already talking about returning next year. We all thank our alma mater for the gracious hospitality that we enjoyed.
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Tom Hardy ('38, mechanical engineering) and his wife of 50 years, Sue, live in Columbus. They have two children. After working as an experimental test engineer for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Engine Co., Tom joined the Marines Corps in 1942 and served as a fighter pilot in the Pacific Theater, earning three combat Air Medals for shooting down three Japanese planes. He returned to Lowndes County in 1947 to operate the family's extensive plantation. Concurrently, he built and continues to run a successful real estate business specializing in farm land. He plans to retire soon to devote more time to his hobbies: glider flying, skeet and trap shooting, and free-dive spearfishing. Carl "Doc" Kirby ('38, agriculture) and his wife of 14 years, Amanda, live in Homewood, Ala. He and his first wife, Lucy, who died in 1980, had three children. Doc enlisted in the Army in 1940 and served throughout Europe, receiving the Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star, and Combat Infantry Badges for the Ardennes, Central France, and Rhineland campaigns. His varied career has included farming in the Mississippi Delta and Ecuador, heavy construction and earthmoving, and forming with two partners the KBH Corp. for which he designed and patented an implement for injecting liquid fertilizer. In 1964, he journeyed to South America to explore the rain forest and the Andes. Recently, Doc has devoted his time to hunting, fishing, scuba diving, and his latest endeavor, writing. He has a number of publishing credits under his belt and is the author of Latitud Cero, a book about the adventures and misadventures of a gringo in Ecuador. W.O. "Billy" McIlwain ('39, business administration) still lives in Starkville on the street where he was born. He and his wife of 56 years, Elizabeth, have four children. Billy enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and served as officer in charge of the Fleet Post Office in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. In 1957, he switched branches and served in the Army Reserve until 1959, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. He worked for the Postal Service for 41 years as a clerk and rural letter carrier. After retiring from the Postal Service, he worked for seven years for the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State, making two trips to Israel for archaeological digs. He and Elizabeth enjoy traveling (especially Caribbean cruises), and have made several trips to South and Central America with the Global Outreach Mission. Wallace McRoy ('39, engineering, senior class president) and his wife of 50 years, Virginia, live in Homewood, Ala. They have four children. Wallace went to work for U.S. Steel in the coal mines of Birmingham after college. He was a structural engineer for a consulting firm from 1946-50, then formed his own company. He retired in 1983. He is a founding member and past president of the Alabama Society of Professional Engineers. Wallace also is a charter member of the Birmingham Track Club. He ran in his first Master's Track Meet in 1980, winning the 10K, 5K, and 1500 meters and setting course records which earned him All-American status. Three days after the recent reunion, he ran in the Vulcan 10K (Birmingham) and posted record time for his age (81). He has been a volunteer high school track coach since 1987, fielding a girls' team which set a state record in winning the championship meet in 1996. Wallace believes that running and coaching track are much better than a nursing home. Wayne Senter ('39, agronomy) and his wife, Charlene, live in Fulton. They have four children. After serving in the Navy and directing construction of field hospitals, he received a degree from Gupton-Jones College of Mortuary Science. Wayne was owner of Senter Funeral Home in Fulton for 46 years, retiring in 1987. He also served on the Board of Directors for American Federal Assurance Co. for 38 years, was a director of Deposit Guaranty Bank and a post commander of the American Legion, and currently is a deacon and trustee of the First Baptist Church. Wayne's hobbies are golf, crossword puzzles, and traveling. O.K. Stampley ('38, engineering) and his wife of 53 years, Barbara, live in Van Nuys, Calif. They have two children. O.K. went to work for Lockheed-Vega in 1940. A year later, he entered the U.S. Civil Service as a naval architect in Bremerton, Wash. During World War II, he served four years as an aeronautical engineering officer, returning to civil service in 1946. He transferred to the Federal Aviation Administration a year later, and as flight test engineer/supervisor, he was involved in aircraft certification. O.K. retired in 1978 with sustained superior ratings and numerous outstanding performance awards. He held a commercial pilot's license and retired as a commander with the U.S. Naval Reserve. He and Barbara now divide their time between their home in Van Nuys and a cabin in upstate New York. O.K.'s hobbies are boating, fishing, and gardening. Henry Tipton ('39, agriculture) and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Starkville. They have four children. Henry served in the Army as a parachutist. During combat duty in North Africa, he noticed that the release mechanism on a captured German parachute was more efficient than the U.S. model. He brought this to his commanders' attention and spent the next 12 years as airborne officer in charge of testing personnel and equipment. He commanded company, battalion, and task force units. From 1951-54, he was an assistant professor of ROTC at Mississippi State. He retired from the military in 1961 as a lieutenant colonel. Henry then went back to school, earning a master's in animal science and a Ph.D. in poultry science from Mississippi State in 1963 and 1965, respectively. He taught biological science at the University of South Florida until 1981, when he retired and moved back to Starkville. He is still very active in the university, church, and charitable civic projects. One of his chief hobbies is swimming, and he never misses an opportunity to profess his love for MSU. |
This World Wide Web version of Alumnus was marked up by Chris Brown <brownc@ur.msstate.edu>
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