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By Jack MaguireHOW IT BEGAN —An unknown saddlc-maker in an army field artillery battery at San Antonio's Fort Sam Houston invented the scat belt 88 years ago this month.The idea was born on March 2, 1910. On that day, a young Signal Corps lieutenant, Benjamin D. Foulois, made history when he became the first pilot to fly an army plane.He took off that morning from Fort Sam's parade ground for the seven-minute flight that was to give the U.S. a new defense weapon. Foulois’ flight was an unqualified success, but he had trouble staying seated in the cockpit of the bouncing little Wright type A biplane.During a break for iunch at the Fort Sam officers' club, Foulois mentioned the problem to captain Fred Austin, commander of a field artillery battery. He asked Austin for ideas on solving the problem.Austin discussed it that afternoon with the battery saddler,A half century later, it began toappear on some automobiles and Kxlay the scat belt, with an added shoulder strap, must be installed on every auto manufactured in theU.S.* * *THE ODDS INCREASE—When James Odds married Martha Ends in 1841, the San Augustine Rcd-Landcr said ofthe wedding:The Odds and Ends being united, and the Ends becoming Odds, one would suppose that two Odds put together would make oneeven. Instead it is thought that the Odds will be considerablyincreased.* * *HEAR THE TRAINBLOW—Texas now has two passenger-carrying railroads operating as standalone tourist attractions.One, the Texas State Railroad,has been running between Rusk andPalestine since it was acquired by the legislature in 1971. Operating daily in the summer, it has carriedSONG NOBODYKNOWS—Texas has had an official state anthem for more than half a century, but most Texans still don’t know the words.In the 1920s, governor Pat M. Neff decided that Texas needed an official song. Neff, a Baylor graduate, wasn't overjoyed by the fact that The Eyes of Texas, the alma mater of U.T.-Austin, was the unofficial anthem. He hoped somebody could write a new composition that Texans would like equally well.A competition was held and William J. Marsh and Gladys Yoakum Wright, both of Fort Worth, submitted the winner. It was titled :Tcxas, Our Texas and in 1924 the legislature declared it the official state anthem.Texas, Our Texas is sung today on official state occasions, but The Eyes of Texas remains the most popular song about the state.
Newspaper Details
Brownfield News
Brownfield, Texas, US
Sun, Mar 13, 1988
Page 9
Full Page
Clipped by
Texas S.
TX, USA 02 Mar 2023
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Brownfield News
