165
and let it go, but the description has bothered me. It
bothered me enough to go see Dean Hume. I'm somewhat vague
now about that meeting, but I do remember that when he asked for
specifics about the university, I mentioned false publicity, and
might have mentioned the infirmary. He claimed the problems were
being corrected and asked why I didn't resign if I was so unhappy.
At the time I thought Dean Hume was representing President Tigert,
but later I realized he must have known of a situation, two
situations actually, in his own college that I had inquired
about.
One night I had attended a meeting at the First Presbyterian
Church. When I came out a young man, whose name I remember as
Glasscock, came out by my side and exploded with a statement to
the effect that he just couldn't stand working at "this institution."
He told me he was in the animal husbandry department and was
having to kill off prize beef cattle in order to furnish meat for
"the President and his friends." This was in 1944 or '45, when
the war was on and beef was rationed. I could hardly believe
it, so I went to see a friend, Dr. Arthur Shealy, head of the
animal husbandry department. Dr. Shealy greeted me cordially,
as he always did, and readily admitted that they had been butchering
cattle. Then after a second he realized what he had said, and I
have never seen such a change in a man. He turned around in his
chair, faced the wall behind him and looked at me over his
shoulder. I left his office, somewhat frightened. In retro-
spect, I am sure Dr. Shealy must have informed his superior, Dean
Hume, which led to his interest in investigating me. When
Glasscock referred to "the President and his friends," I had
thought he meant the visitors to the university, but now I realize
he must have referred to his colleagues on the campus. While
I cannot substantiate this statement, I am sure that it was the
universal practice for officials as well as employees of
agricultural colleges with farms to consider that produce was
a prerequisite of their employment, and the agriculture college
and experiment station at Gainesville was no exception. I myself
had picked citrus fruit and peaches from trees on the experiment
station grounds and the thought of stealing them did not enter
my mind. I had previously been informed by Dr. Everett Fouts,
director of the-:Dairy Laboratory, that both Dean Hume and
President Tigert each picked up a gallon of ice cream every week,
one of them, I remember he said, on a Thursday. I asked if I
could also acquire ice cream and he replied I could get it when
there was a surplus but I would have to pay the same price
charged by stores downtown. But I was not an employee of the
Agriculture College and had no claim to prerequisites, a fact
I did not consider at the time.
Another matter that I had raised with someone, I do not remember