A Baylor Fish Tale

Frosh Believe Tale
Story of Whale in Lake Waco Not True

Daily Lariat
January 14, 1941

Freshman co-eds: there positively isn't any whale residing in Lake Waco, regardless of how persuasive your date might be, and if there is it certainly doesn't have an electric sign on its back with which to warn co-eds when 10:30 o'clock arrives on week-end nights.

Saturday night two innocently green co-eds from Alexander hall journeyed to the Lake with their escorts to see the wonderful animal rise to the surface with an electric sign warning all dormitory dates to "start home."

When time came for the whale to give the warning, the co-eds became suspicious, but the men passed it off by saying "It must have a short in the electric wiring, but we will be glad to return next week and wait for it," and with that they made a mad dash back to Alexander hall just in time to keep from being late.

Pat Neff, Practical Joker

Pat Neff, the former Texas governor who served as Baylor's president from 1932 to 1947, was often characterized as puritanical, stern and humorless. But as this example from 1940 shows, he indeed had a sense of humor, albeit one that sometimes required others to be scared to death first before it revealed itself.

This story began weeks earlier when Neff announced to the student body that their upcoming Christmas holidays would begin earlier than first announced. A group of Baylor boys, overjoyed at the news, did the unthinkable and in their exuberance lifted Neff to their shoulders and carried him around campus in celebration.

Once the excitement had died down, I'm sure the boys were wondering how Neff would react to his treatment. He was famous for calling out students during daily chapel services whom he had found guilty of smoking or drinking or other prohibited conduct, and ordering them to leave Baylor immediately as punishment for their sins. So when these boys were called to Neff's office, I'm betting they feared the worst.

Waco News-Tribune
January 5, 1940

Neff Scares Six Boys Who Lifted Him to Shoulder

Kidnaping Charge Hurled at Speechless Students Before Autographed Pictures Presented

Six Baylor university boys, who two weeks ago raised President Pat M. Neff to their shoulders and carried him across the campus amid shouts of praise from the student body on the occasion of an earlier-than-scheduled Christmas recess, Thursday were tributed by the executive but only after he scared them out of their wits.

Neff announced in sternest manner at the Thursday chapel for the boys who "kidnaped" him on the previous occasion to report to his office at 4:45 p.m.

Six Timid Lads

Six timid lads showed up, afraid of the consequences but more afraid of a refusal to obey a presidential summons. They were Robert Nelson, Bryan; James Drury, Calvert; and W.B. Godbold, Quanah, all football men, and R.P. Watson Jr., Marshall; Bryan Glass, China, and Scott Hunter, Wichita Falls, equally as husky.

The president asked them if they did not feel they should be punished for kidnaping the institution's president.

No one spoke.

"All right," he barked, "who's going to be the spokesman?"

More silence.

"If you had to kidnap somebody, why did you pick on me?" Neff continued questioning.

"We figured that while we were at it, we'd better get the biggest man around," a brave soul ventured with an idea of possibly incurring some favor.

Face Their Doom

Neff persisted in his idea that the boys had committed a grave offense against the dignity of his presidential office. Nothing would do except that the boys be punished severely. The boys were white, knowing full well now that their dooms were sealed.

And then at the tensest moment, Neff's thin-lipped expression twisted into a smile. He drew from his desk six photographs of himself and presented one to each of the boys. Autographed across the bottom of each were the words:

"In memory of a triumphant ride. Pat M. Neff."

Jaworski Becomes a Noze

Watergate special prosecutor and Baylor alumnus Leon Jaworski is made an honorary member of the Noze Brotherhood prior to ceremonies dedicating the Jaworski Wing of Baylor Law School in 1974. Jaworski was given the Noze name of "Brother Water NoZe Jaworski."

Photo by Chris Hansen of Baylor Photography.

Long on Baylor Pranks

During his more than 40-year tenure as university handyman, Arch Long knew where most of the bodies were buried when it came to pranks on the Baylor campus.

Waco Times-Herald
December 17, 1935

TODAY’S YOUNGSTERS ARE NOT PRANKSTERS

Arch Long, Starting His 44th Year With Baylor, Hasn’t Led Cow From Building in Years

Young people, it seems to Arch Long, don’t prank about as much as they used to.

Arch begins his forty-fourth year of service with Baylor University today. He hasn’t led a cow out of the president’s office in years. It may be that lack of a horse is responsible, but it appears to him that even if there were one in the stables at Baylor now, the boys wouldn’t be so sure to shave his tail every April Fool. He thinks the ways of young people are a little different from when he started work for the institution in 1892.

Born of Slave Parents

A 6-foot-2 negro born at Chilton of slave parents freed during the Civil war, Arch was in his early thirties when he applied for a job with Dr. Rufus Burleson, president of Baylor whose statue now stands on the campus. Arch, incidentally, has pulled many a beer bottle out of this statue’s stone hat, but even that sort of fun hasn’t appealed to the students lately.

He has been with Baylor ever since; has never taken a vacation; has hardly ever missed a day’s work from illness; has raised three sons on the campus, two of whom went to college at Prairie Hill themselves; has never had a quarrel with a student and has never been taken to task by an official. In fact, President Pat Neff last year made him the guest of honor at a chapel service commending his faithful service.

He’s Near About 74

“I guess I must be 74, near’bout as I can get at it,” he says. “I been here under Dr. Burleson, Dr. Cooper, Dr. Brooks and Mr. Neff -- and a lot of substitutes between times.”

Dr. O.H. Cooper was the president who excited the most “pranking” among the students. In those days, there were only two buildings on the campus, the two brick ones now designated as Georgia Burleson hall and main building, with a servants’ house for the dormitory cooks behind.

Arch went in one morning to unlock the main building and the president’s office, and he knew right away something was wrong. It unquestionably was. A cow had spent the night in the president’s office. “She must a knowed me,” he recalls, “way she bellered. I got her out fo’ Dr. Cooper ever come down.”

April Fool Target

A horse belonging to Mrs. A.H. Newman, herself matron and wife of a one-time professor in the university, was the special target of April Fool pranks of old-time students. His tail was not only shaved plain, tufted and in stripes, but was dipped in vari-colored paint that only time could wear away. Arch used to be requested to participate in some of the stunts, but his answer was “I can’t be in dat kinda fun.”

He has worn cowboy boots for 60 years, and his present pair has its original high heels worn down almost level with the ground. White boys where he was raised up, he explains, wore them and he liked their looks. When he got older he bought a pair, and has had the same kind ever since.

Despite nearly a half-century with a Baptist institution, Arch is a Methodist.

“Looks like dey both pretty good churches,” he says.