The University and the War

By Alcalde Staff in 40 Acres, May | June 2013 on April 26, 2013 at 2:28 pm | No Comments

In honor of our centennial, we’ve dug deep into a century’s worth of Alcalde issues to bring you a fascinating look at how the Forty Acres has changed over the years.

1945

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the citizens of the United States became deeply entrenched in a wartime way of a life—and the UT community was no exception. An article in the February 1945 Alcalde took a look back at Longhorns’ involvement in the war and declared: “If the Army-Navy ‘E’ (an honor presented to companies for excellence in war production) were conferred on educational institutions, the big blue flag with its white emblem for excellence would surely fly in front of the towering University of Texas main building.”

Here’s a look at UT’s impact during the Second World War.

 

11,000

Former Longhorns who engaged in military service during WWII.

 

100%

Of UT labs—including physics, chemistry,
and engineering—dedicated to war research during WWII.

 

30,000

Men and women who trained in the Engineering, Science, Management, and War Training Program at UT.

 

3,500

Cadets and student pilots who went through UT’s Naval Flight Preparatory School.

 

$21,085,350

Worth of treasury issues and war savings bonds UT purchased during the war.

Tags: Pearl Harbor, UT, World War II