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P: You told me about the Mann case and I didn't know whether it
was the same thing or not.
L: It almost certainly had to have been. I'd like to know, I never
heard that.
P: Mann was the editor of the Seminole, I believe, we have that. .
L: Yes, he was editor of the Seminole, then he was business manager
of the Seminole when he got into trouble.
P: It may be the same case. Now I want to ask you a little bit about
your own impression of some of the individuals who played important
roles at the university during the time that you were involved in
university affairs. Let me start with Jimmy Farr himself, who
certainly was one of the most colorful and controversial persons
on the university faculty, university administration. What was
your relationship, if any, with him?
L: As a student, very favorable. I took a course under him my senior
year in Shakespeare. He was a rather popular member of the faculty
when I was a student. I took a course under him and enjoyed it, but
I did't take the examination at the end of the year. I did not
take it for credit, I just took it because I felt I should take
a course under Jimmy-Farr. I'd written him a note and told him
that I was not going to take the examination, I wasn't taking it
for credit, didn't need it. A year afterward, when I was there
in the graduate school, I met him on the campus and he said, "Mr.
Laird, if you want credit for that course, come in, I'll give you
a test and I'll turn in credit for that course." I said, "Dr. Farr,
I really took that course for enjoyment of it, and I wanted a
course under you, and I don't need the credit." If I'd taken that
credit, I would have had two majors--one in English and one in
history.
P: You heard, I'm sure, about the kickback system.
L: That was another thing that I investigated. I got information
for the Board of Control about the Farr case and the kickbacks.
Alton Morris told me about it first, and then I dug into it
and I tried to get in tough with a young man who was primarily
involved in it. I never did find out exactly what happened to
him, but apparenlty he was dismissed by the university. A young
man with a lot of religious scruples, apparently, because when
he was expelled, I presume he was expelled from the university,
he was invited to leave at least, apparently he didn't know that
he was made the fall guy in this until after it was all over. I
located him at the Anglican mission in New Guinea. I wrote to