Tarleton Thursdays: Did You Know?

Typical Texas Summertime Temperatures are Here!

Of course, air conditioning was not always available on the Tarleton campus. The photo above shows the "new" 1956 library's air conditioning unit - a "new" feature, when most buildings didn't have A/C! The library was one of the earliest buildings on campus to have air conditioning. Bender Hall, a men's dorm, went up in 1953, and even though it was advertised as the most modern in the state, it was not air conditioned, but had attic fans to provide some relief during hot weather. Ferguson Hall opened in the spring of 1959 and was also not air conditioned. A new health center went up in 1959 on the southeast corner of campus and was equipped with air conditioning. A new women's dorm was constructed in 1962, the first to have air conditioning. And, in 1964, the "new" student center (now the Tarleton Center) opened and became the "hub" of campus activities, housing the post office....recreation center....lounge area and snack bar....the Cave for dances and social gatherings....and it had air conditioning! (Guthrie, John Tarleton and His Legacy, p.116-117)

Just think about what it was like to be at Tarleton back then!