Nacogdoches in Nacogdoches County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College During World War II
Photographed by Steve Gustafson, July 11, 2011
1. Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College During World War II Marker
Inscription.
Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College During World War II. . Immediately following the United States' entry into World War II after the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College (SFA) President Alton Birdwell called together an assembly of students and staff to address the national emergency. Many students and faculty members responded to the call to arms by entering every branch of the armed services, and a county civil defense council, with many SFA leaders, worked on the homefront. Among the homefront efforts was a concerted program to maintain active correspondence with those serving in the military overseas. In addition to the male SFA military and homefront volunteers, many SFA women entered military service. Student enrollment fell by 60% during the war and the resulting scarcity of men, coupled with travel restrictions, forced the school's athletic council to suspend intercollegiate football. In February 1943 the U.S. Army selected SFA as the first college in the nation to host the Women's Army Corps Training School. At the height of the war, a flag made by students was displayed on campus. It bore more than a thousand blue stars for SFA students and staff serving in the war, and 24 gold stars for those who lost their lives in service to their country. Ultimately, more than three dozen SFA students died in military service. Many students attended school on the G.I. Bill after the war, resulting in a surge in enrollment and construction of new campus buildings. The honor of those who served and died in the war. Students and faculty have continued to serve the U.S. military in times of peace and war.
Immediately following the United States' entry into World War II after the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College (SFA) President Alton Birdwell called together an assembly of students and staff to address the national emergency. Many students and faculty members responded to the call to arms by entering every branch of the armed services, and a county civil defense council, with many SFA leaders, worked on the homefront. Among the homefront efforts was a concerted program to maintain active correspondence with those serving in the military overseas. In addition to the male SFA military and homefront volunteers, many SFA women entered military service. Student enrollment fell by 60% during the war and the resulting scarcity of men, coupled with travel restrictions, forced the school's athletic council to suspend intercollegiate football. In February 1943 the U.S. Army selected SFA as the first college in the nation to host the Women's Army Corps Training School. At the height of the war, a flag made by students was displayed on campus. It bore more than a thousand blue stars
Click or scan to see this page online
for SFA students and staff serving in the war, and 24 gold stars for those who lost their lives in service to their country. Ultimately, more than three dozen SFA students died in military service. Many students attended school on the G.I. Bill after the war, resulting in a surge in enrollment and construction of new campus buildings. The honor of those who served and died in the war. Students and faculty have continued to serve the U.S. military in times of peace and war.
Erected 1999 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 12107.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • War, World II. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1943.
Location. 31° 37.238′ N, 94° 38.875′ W. Marker is in Nacogdoches, Texas, in Nacogdoches County. It can be reached from Raguet Street. On SFA State University campus between Business and Education buildings. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Nacogdoches TX 75961, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and in the Piney Woods. Globally, it
Photographed by Steve Gustafson, July 11, 2011
2. Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College During World War II Marker
is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 17, 2011, by Steve Gustafson of Lufkin, Texas. This page has been viewed 923 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 17, 2011, by Steve Gustafson of Lufkin, Texas. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
