The latest collection processed at the Stark Center is the Doctors Curtis Jackson (Shorty) and Mary Evelyn Buice Alderson Collection. The Aldersons were both faculty of what is now the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education (KHE) at the University of Texas (UT). Between the two of them they taught at the university from 1939 (when Shorty started as an instructor in what was then called the Department of Physical Education) to 1973 (when Mary retired from what was then called the Department of Physical Instruction). Both were passionate about physical education and recreational activities and cared deeply about the UT community and their students.

Curtis, regularly referred to by his nickname “Shorty,” had a long history with UT. As a student he was involved in numerous campus activities. According to The Cactus yearbook for 1922, he was on the Debate Squad in 1916, and in 1917 was Cross-Country Run winner, Tennis Manager, Intramural Tennis winner, and was on the Shorthorns Football team. He was also part of the 1920 Intra-Fraternity Championship Baseball team, seen in the photograph below in bottom row, far left.

A great scholar as well as an athlete, he earned multiple degrees at UT, including a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws (both in 1922) and a Master of Arts in Sociology in 1932. He went on to earn two more degrees from Columbia University in New York. In 1924 his friend Clyde Littlefield asked him to return to UT as a coach. Shorty ended up coaching many different sports at UT between 1924 and 1947, including football, basketball, and track (Assistant and Freshman Coach at different times for each of these), and swimming (Head Coach). He was also the “Voice of Memorial Stadium,” serving as the official announcer for UT football, baseball, and basketball games in the 1940s and 1950s.

From 1945 to 1958 Shorty coordinated Drivers Education courses through the Division of Extension in partnership with the Texas Education Agency (TEA), the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the American Automobile Association (AAA). This collection includes 40 photographs from these courses.

Shorty retired from teaching in 1959 and married Dr. Mary Evelyn Buice, a fellow instructor of Physical Education at UT, that same year. He was gifted a book of letters written to him by friends, colleagues, and former students congratulating him on his retirement and his new marriage. The volume includes letters from many familiar names in UT’s history, like Clyde Littlefield, L. Theo Bellmont, Anna Hiss, and Harvey Penick, to name a few. A few years after his retirement, Shorty was inducted into the UT Men’s Hall of Honor.

Mary graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1931 and a Master of Arts in 1940 from the North Texas State Teachers College in Denton. While at North Texas State she participated in tournaments of the Women’s Athletic Association (W.A.A.), winning varsity archery in 1934. She completed her Doctorate in Education at UT and began teaching Physical Education in the Department of Physical and Health Education in 1947. During her career she designed student teaching protocols specifically for women, supervised student teachers, and advised undergraduate majors. Included in this collection are some lesson plans from her classes and square dance instructions, as seen below.  

Mary was a charter member of the Epsilon Kappa Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, an International Honor Society for Distinguished Teachers. She also received honor awards from the Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (TAHPERD), the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD), and the Southern Association of Physical Education for College Women. When she retired from teaching at UT in 1973, she focused on art and traveled all over to study painting. Some of her travels as well as artwork she enjoyed are documented in this collection.

The Aldersons left a lasting impact on the university. The Alderson Lecture and Awards Celebration has been presented annually by the KHE Department since 1981, and the Dr. Mary Buice Alderson Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarships were established in 1996 with funds from the Alderson’s estate. These scholarships are presented to students during the Alderson Lecture and Awards Celebration. Both Shorty and Mary were inducted into the KHE Hall of Honor in 2007.

The finding aid describing the Doctors Curtis Jackson (Shorty) and Mary Evelyn Buice Alderson Collection, as well as finding aids to our other processed collections, can be found on the Stark Center website. A portion of our finding aids are also available online through the Texas Archival Resources Online (TARO).  Researchers can contact the Stark Center by email at info@starkcenter.org or call (512) 471-4890 for access to archival collections.

Sources:

Core, D. A. “Dr. Mary Evelyn Buice Alderson.’ Accessed June 3, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17969102/mary-evelyn-alderson.

Hill, Helen. “201 Candidates Apply for Degrees at Close of Summer Session.” The Campus Chat, July 25, 1931. UNT Libraries Special Collections, University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History. Accessed July 9, 2024.  https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth314092/m1/1/.

LeCompte, Mary Lou. “The Way We Were.” The University of Texas at Austin Physical

and Health Education Newsletter no. 8, (1982-1983).

North Texas State Teachers College. Catalog of North Texas State Teachers College: 1939-1940, July 1939. UNT Libraries Special Collections, University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History. Accessed July 9, 2024.  https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1836283/m1/175/.

Smith, Kenneth E. “W. A. A. Tournament.” The Campus Chat, September 27, 1934. UNT Libraries Special Collections, University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History. Accessed July 9, 2024.  https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth305995/m1/11/.

Stanforth, Dixie. “Departmental Scholarships.” Last modified on May 12, 2020. https://cloud.wikis.utexas.edu/wiki/spaces/khe/pages/25696359/Departmental+Scholarships.

The University of Texas. The Cactus. Austin, TX: 1922. H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture & Sports, The University of Texas at Austin.

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics. “Dr. Curtis Jackson “Shorty” Alderson.” Accessed May 30, 2024. https://texassports.com/honors/hall-of-honor/dr-curtis-jackson-shorty-alderson/493. 

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics Media Relations Men’s Hall of Honor Collection, H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture & Sports, The University of Texas at Austin.

The University of Texas at Austin College of Education. “Alderson Lecture and Awards Celebration: Department of Kinesiology and Health Education.” Accessed May 31, 2024. https://education.utexas.edu/departments/kinesiology-health-education/khe-about-us/alderson-lecture-awards-celebration/.

The University of Texas at Austin College of Education. “Curtis Jackson “Shorty” Alderson.” Accessed May 30, 2024. https://education.utexas.edu/profile/curtis-jackson-shorty-alderson/.

 The University of Texas at Austin College of Education. “Mary Evelyn Buice Alderson.” Accessed May 30, 2024. https://education.utexas.edu/profile/mary-evelyn-buice-alderson/.