1930 - 1939
THE THIRTIES
Phi Delts through the years seem to have been editors. McDonald K. Horne renewed the tradition in 1930 when he became editor of the Mississippian. In 1931, Hugh N. Clayton was editor of the Mississippi Law Journal, a position that through the years that followed will be filled by Ole Miss Phis. Fred M. Glass was editor of the Mississippian in 1935, followed by Albert R. Russell in 1937 and Tom Hammond in 1939, and while Phis were busy with the campus newspaper Chester H. Curtis, edited The Ole Miss and in 1939 Robert W. Wall was to follow him in that endeavor.
Athletics too attracted Phi Delts. W. Hardy Lott was on the freshman football team, and L.A. Ross, Jr. was four years on the Varsity team, and then along came Chester H. Curtis, voted the outstanding athlete at Ole Miss in 1935 and winner of the Norris Trophy, the highest honor for a campus athlete. During the thirties, Sam J. Foose, Jr. and Claude “Red” Jackson were flankmen for the Ole Miss varsity; Peter Nichols was on the squad. Bob Finlay, Bob Carney, Percy Parker and Claude Jackson represented the fraternity in track. Walter Welty was the University’s top golfer. G. Lawrence Adams was a leader on the tennis team.
Malcom Guess, Dean of Men and Director of the Ole Miss YMCA was a great friend of Phi Delta Theta, although himself a Sigma Chi. He had reason to be, for the Phi Delts furnished him great support in his YMCA efforts. Frank Everett was President of the Ole Miss Y, next came Charles D. Fair, Wm. H. “Billy” Mounger and to end up the decade William G. “Billy” Baker of Winona.
On the scholarship front, Thad C. Lockard, Jr. was in Phi Eta Sigma, Pi Kappa Pi, and a Rhodes Scholar. He had company in Chester H. Curtis, Chester A. McLarty, R. Brent Forman, J. David Hamilton, Hector Currie (also a Rhodes Scholar), Thomas Hamilton, David E. Crawley and Frank M. Laney, Jr.
The thirties were good years, the Fraternity prospered, the University grew, and Phi Delta Theta and Ole Miss became more and more a part of one another.
Campus Involvement 1930-1939
Here is a rundown – not complete by any means but enough to give you the idea that Phis were in the swim of things and more or less touched all activities:
1930 – McDonald Horn, Class President 1,2,3,4; W. Hardy Lott, President, Sophomore Class, V.P. Senior Law Class; James N. Ogden, Varsity Basketball, M. Club, Assistant Director of Intramural Athletics.
1931 – Henry M. Faser, Baseball 1,2,3, Mississippian Staff, President of Cardinal Club; Hugh N. Clayton, Band 2,3,4,5,6, President of Hermean, President of Debating Council, Editor of the Law Journal; David Cottrell, Inter-Fraternity Council, President of Senior Law Class, Student Bank Director, Director of the famed “Mississippians” campus orchestra.
1932 – Frank E. Everett, President of the Y, President of the Student Body and later married Clyde Bryant, Miss Ole Miss and Chi Omega from Coffeeville, Annual and Mississippian Staff; James B. Truly, President of the Law School.
1933 – Pat D. Holcomb, Librarian of the Law School, M.O.A.K.S.; Robert M. Bourdeaux, Mississippian and Annual Staff, Inter-Fraternity Council; George A. Everett, President of the Ole Miss Musical Club; Frederick Marion Glass, Phi Delta Phi, Blue Key, Editor of the “M” Book, Editor of Mississippian, Law Journal Staff; Thad C. Lockard, Senior Sponsor, Blue Key, Rhodes Scholar.
1935 – John C. Bowen, Honor Roll, V.P. Junior Class; Jas H. Armstrong, Phi Eta Sigma, V.P. Medical Class; Chester H. Curtis and Fred M. Glass, Hall of Fame.
1935-1936 – It was in these years that Mississippi Alpha built and occupied its first house. In this effort perhaps began alumni relations that continue to the present day through which the chapter has enjoyed continued and tremendous support form it alumni in all of its activities and endeavors.
1937 – Albert R. Russell, G. Lawrence Adams and Chas D. Fair into the Hall of Fame; Bill Nance, Hector Currie, Brent Forman and Virgil Thomas into the Blue Key; David Hamilton, Wm. H. Mounger, Chas D Fair and Albert R. Russell into ODK Honor Society.
1939 – Wm H. Mounger, President of ODK, President of YMCA and Hall of Fame; Robert W. Wall, ODK, Editor of the Ole Miss, President of Blue Key, President of the Liberal Arts School; J. Webb DeLoach, President of the Band; Morgan Roseborough, President of the Band, ODK.