O. U.'s Athletic Artists

Sooner Alumni in Sculpture

Are a Virile Crew, and Not

Only That-They Manage

To Make a Good Living Too

By EDITH WALKER

FAMOUS artists of ancientGreece lilted to make sculptures of ath-letes, such as the classic figure of the discus thrower. But present-day sculptorstrained at the University of Oklahoma gothe Greeks one better-they are star ath-letes themselves!Far from being the popular conception

of an artist-effeminate and pale intro-verts-these Sooner artists with chisel andmallet are rugged runners, high andbroad jumpers, football players, boxers,wrestlers and broncho riders .And if you hear of an all-state high

school football star deciding to attend theUniversity of Oklahoma because of thereputation of the College of Fine Arts,don't laugh it off as an imaginary ex-cuse offered by football recruiters . Ath-letes do go in for fine arts in a great manycases, and they have made an especiallyamazing record in the field of sculpture .

Joseph R. Taylor, associate professorof art, who knows whereof he speaks,says, "Contrary to the popular notionthat artists are sissies, all of the men whohave majored in sculpture at O . U. area rugged lot."Mr . Taylor founded the Department of

Sculpture at O. U. in 1932 and since thattime he has turned out sculptors who havewon national honors, and has also con-tinued his own work as one of the top-flight sculptors in the country.The roster of those who have received

degrees in sculpture will sound quite fa-miliar to O. U . sports fans . And the listof Joe Taylor's students who did not re-ceive degrees in sculpture, but maintaineda keen interest in the work and turnedout prize-winning sculpture, also includesa number of athletes .

OCTOBER, 1941

In all, six B. F. A. in Sculpture degreeshave been conferred. The first was pre-sented to redhaired Julius Struppeck in1936 and the sixth was awarded to Yol-ande Jacobson Sheppard in June, 1941 .All of the sculptors have had work showninstate, regional and national exhibitions .To the layman, it may sound fairly simpleto display one's work at a national show-ing, but the sculptors and other artistshave many difficulties to hurdle beforetheir work is accepted for exhibition . Thecreations are submitted to a jury whichconsiders them on their merits, makescomparisons, and usually rejects them ."Some artists work a lifetime to get theirwork in an exhibition," Mr . Taylor says .

Since a chapter of Delta Phi Delta, na-tional honorary art fraternity, was estab-lished at () . U. five years ago, some Soon-er sculptor has won first place every yearat the national exhibition of the fraternityat which colleges and universities fromall over the country vie for top honorsin painting, sculpture, and commercialand industrial art .

N addition to the pieces of sculpturewhich have been entered in exhibitions,many figures of people and animals,molded and shaped by O. U.'s athleticallyinclined artists, still grace the halls andclassrooms of the Art Building and appearin other buildings around the campus . Mr .Struppeck is the creator of the stone sta-tues of David Ross Boyd and Stratton D.Brooks, former presidents of the Univer-sity, which stand at the front entrance ofthe Administration Building, and the twolarge figures at the main entrance of theBusiness Administration Building .Mr . Struppeck is now in New York

Above is Mrs. Yolande JacobsonSheppard, sculpture prize win-ner, and on the left is JosephTaylor, sculpturing instructorwho likes athletes for students

City, executing sculpture for patrons oncommissions . Since leaving the Univer-sity, he has taught at Louisiana State Uni-versity, Baton Rouge, and the Universityof Montana, Missoula . Mr . Taylor re-calls that Struppeck starred in football,track and basketball while in high school,but was unable to go out for athletics at() . U. because he had to work his waythrough school .Tom Simms, '37, accepted a scholarship

to the Art Students' League in New YorkCity before completing work for a degreeat O . U. Mr. Taylor has received wordfrom this former student that he has leftthe skyline of New York for the broadplains of Texas and is still engaged insculpture .

"Simms was a track star at O. U., andset a record in the high jump," Mr . Tay-lor recalls . He also went out for broadjumping, middle distance running andrelay.

Bart Ward, '37fa, '38sculpture, '39m .fa,has the reputation of being one of thegreatest of O . U. track stars. The record heset for the 440-yard dash is still unbroken,During his undergraduate days, he sup-ported himself by working for the athleticdepartment and doing commercial artwork . Mr . Ward won 68 medals and 8ribbons in athletics. Recently he was ap-pointed gallery director at the OklahomaCity Art Center, and assistant supervisorof the statewide WPA Art Project.Harold Castor, '39sculpture, an Okla-

homa artist known for his work as aportrait sculptor, also is associated withthe Art Center. He has just finished sev-eral commissions in Ponca City in whichhe employed native clay .

PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 32)

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"Castor is considered one of the besthigh school basketball centers ever de-veloped in Oklahoma City," Joe Taylorsays . Castor too, had to work his waythrough school and could not go out forathletics at the University . He and DeliaFranklin, '36fa, were married while bothwere students, and supported themselvesby selling their art work .

Derald Thomas Swineford, '31fa,known as one of the best sculptors in theSouthwest, is head of the sculpture de-partment at West Texas State TeachersCollege, Canyon, Texas. In addition tohis ability as an artist, he was a footballIullback at Enid High School and at O . U.took part in boxing and wrestling . Mr.Taylor recalls that Swineford, usually mildmannered in appearance, once cleaned upon some five or six of his friends whenthey became unduly rough and rambunc-tious during a friendly brawl .Like a pioneer who marks the trail be-

hind him, Mr . Swineford has left a greatmany pieces of sculpture on the campusand elsewhere in the state. Ills workincludes the decorative relief sculpturecarved in wood at the Chickasha court-house and the WKY broadcasting studiosin Oklahoma City . His murals appear inmany public buildings in the state.

Oliver Gough Meeks, '38fa, '41m.fa, ma-jored in painting at O. U., but devoteda portion of his time to learning the meth-ods and media of sculpture, centering up-on it for his minor subject . A recent pro-motion has placed Mr . Meeks back onthe University campus where he willhandle art and photography in connectionwith the department of archaeology . LastJanuary he was appointed assistant super-visor of the statewide WPA Art Project.Bart Ward succeeds him in that position .

Vera lone Oxenford, '37sculpture, didnotable work in sculpture while an O. U.student, Mr . Taylor says . Now Mrs. Wil-hams, she is a homemaker in California .

Romance touched the department ofsculpture this year with the marriage ofCraig Sheppard, '38fa, '39sculpture, form-er O. U. art teacher, and Yolande Jacob-son, I4lsculpture, daughter of Oscar B .Jacobson, director of the School of Art.The couple live in Bozeman, Montana,where Mr . Sheppard teaches art in Mon-tana State College.They also help to uphold Joe Taylor's

statement that O. U .'s sculptors are ath-letes, not sissies . Mrs. Sheppard prob-ably has never seriously considered play-ing football, but she was an outstandingdancer at the University and a memberof Orchesis, organization of co-eds skilledin esthetic dancing. Mr . Sheppard isthe rugged, out-door type which prefersa pipe, tweeds and cocker spaniels aboveall else . His specialty is riding bucking

O. U.'s Athletic Artists(CONTINUuFROMPAGE13)

bronchos and Brahma steers . Some of hismost spectacular bronc riding was doneseveral years ago in a rodeo at MadisonSquare Garden in New York City .Although they have been married less

than six months, the Sheppards have agood start in the sculpture world . Mr .Sheppard has placed first and second forpieces of sculpture entered in the NationalDelta Phi Delta exhibition, and his workhas also been shown in Kansas City, M1S-souri ; Dallas, Texas, and Oklahoma City .Combining painting and sculpture to

produce carved murals on linoleum hasbrought the young artist nationwide pub-licity . He has done this unique type ofmural in the Norman Courts and in theoffice of Jesse Jones, Secretary of Com-merce at Washington, D. C. The mostwidely known work which Sheppard lefton the campus is the series of murals inthe entrance foyer of the Business Admin-istration Building . Recently he completedthe first panel of a series for the UnionBuilding at Montana State College.His wife, the tall, lovely Yolande, a

sculptor herself, qualifies as a suit-able model for a sculptor . She wonthe 1941 Letzciser Medal in Art givenannually at O . U. to an outstanding seniorin the School of Art, and has placed sec-ond in the annual Midwestern Exhibitionat Kansas City . "Which really is some-thing," Joe Taylor says . The most re-cent feat of the Sheppards was madeknown shortly after their marriage withthe notification that Mr . Sheppard hadwon first and his bride had won secondin the annual sculpture exhibition at theDenver, Colorado, Art Museum .

Full credit for stimulating his art stu-dents to develop their talents fully shouldbe given Joe Taylor, friendly teacher andcompanion . His own record as a sculp-tor and painter has set all example. Asfor athletics, he has played football andlikes to box, hunt and fish .Mr . Taylor has a B. F. A. degree in

painting; and sculpture all(] all M. F. A.degree in sculpture from the Universityof Washington, Seattle . He has studied atColumbia University under Maldarclli,one of the leading New York sculptors,and in London, England. His models ofpeople and animals, as well as his paint-ings of all types, have been exhibited atinnumerable showings and most of themhave been returned to his office in the ArtBuilding accompanied by an award, prizeor some kind of recognition .Mr . Taylor uses a teaching method

which lie believes will awaken and de-velop the artistic talents of students . Hehas a theory that students take more in-terest in their work and learn faster ifallowed to perform many projects,- insteadof spending too much time on a ew pro-jects .

SOONER MAGAZINE

"This gives them more volume of ex-perience within the limited time they havefor study," the sculpture professor says .His classes are informal . He believes dis-cipline will take care of itself if student;become interested in their work .Only one or two degrees in sculpture are

granted each year . There are several rea-sons for the small number, and one ofthem is Joe Taylor . Most people aren'tborn with the desire to spend hours work-ing with shapeless masses of stone, clayand wood . Knowing this, Mr . Taylordoesn't attempt to recruit students .

"I don't encourage students to majorin sculpture unless they show unusualaptitude . Art is a heartbreaking profes-sion for any but the best ."

Because Mr. Taylor takes only the goodstudents, he can say with pride and ver-acity, "Of those who have graduated witha major in sculpture, not one has failed toattract attention for the excellence of hiswork ."

Watch 640 on YourRadio Dial(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9)

three things : power, which has remainedthe same for WNAD at l,000 watts; antenna height ; and the propagation factor,which is a function of the frequency.Thus with a frequency of 640 kilocyclesthe propagation factor is greatly decreased,which means that the strength of thewaves the transmitter sends out is notreduced as rapidly as that of waves ofhigher frequencies . Consequently wavesof the lower frequencies travel farther .The general public, of course, is chiefly

interested in the programs that a stationproduces, instead of the technical pro-cesses involved . Homer Heck, directorof station WNAD, and H. H. Leake, pro-duction manager, are constantly improv-ing the service that the station is nowequipped to render to undergraduates,alumni, patrons and friends of the Uni-versity, and listeners in general.While there are several new programs

on the regular broadcast schedule this fall,emphasis is on expansion and better pro-duction of established programs whichhave been well received by listeners inthe past . At intervals throughout the daythe station will continue to broadcast mu-sic of the masters from high fidelity rec-ordings. The work of planning and di-recting the musical programs, as well asproviding appropriate background musicfor other types of programs, is being placedin the hands of a special music supervisorthis year, since the station puts so muchemphasis on this type of program.

Plans to build up the station's recordlibrary are going forward through col-laboration with the Union and the Schoolof Music, and Mr . Leake this year hopesto be able to begin advance publication

OCTOBER, 1941

of programs with notes and comments toaid listeners in the enjoyment and under-standing of the world's fine music.Other programs of general interest, such

as the Spanish lessons conducted by Dr .Stephen Scatori, lectures on public proh-lcms, and broadcasts originating in Uni-versity classrooms, are being continued onthe regular schedule .

Broadcasts directed to special groupswill be heard in increased number . Inaddition to the familiar "Indians for In-Indians flour" conducted by Don Whistler,tribal chief of the Sac and Fox, and thebroadcasts to state garden clubs, Mr . Heckand Mr . Leake are contemplating pro-grams for Negro groups and for laborgroups .The Alumni Association will sponsor a

variety program for alumni from 5 to 5:30p. m . each Wednesday.

Undoubtedly the most popular of newbroadcasts this fall will be the coverageof all Sooner football games . WNAD hasbeen selected to originate the play-by-playdescription of both home and foreigngames. The broadcasts are available tocommercial stations at a nominal charge .Improved and expanded facilities of

WNAD provide greater opportunities forUniversity students studying any phase ofradio. Advance to full daytime operationlast spring opened new positions on theengineering staff in which young men arcnow preparing for careers in operation ofcommercial radio stations . Greater timeon the air also called for more announcers,continuity writers, artists and directors .Work on the University station in thesefields provides experience that will makethe students valuable to commercial radiowhen they finish school .

This year the "Radio Workshop," ac-credited in the schools of speech, dramaand journalism, has been expanded to in-clude work in radio music.Now completely and modernly equip-

ped, "The Voice of Soonerland" is carry-ing forward a program to the entire state.

Paintings On TourPaintings by O. U. artists are among

those which have been assembled by theWashington office of the WPA art pro-gram for national tours which will lastfor at least two years .One exhibition is made up of oil paint-

ings, while the other is limited to theworks of Indian artists . Those who havepictures in the first group are OliverMeeks, '38fa, Oklahoma City ; DorotheaStevenson, '31 fa, Oklahoma City ; LeonardGood, '2ifa, Norman ; and Jo Lee Rodke,'40ed, Shawnee.

Artists whose pictures will be includedin the other exhibition are Franklin Gritts,'39, Lawrence, Kansas, and Richard West,'41fa, Bacone .

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