My name is Jim "J.C." Bumgardner '44 this is my Southwestern story.

It seems only a short time ago when I was a young Marine at war overseas on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific. I had enlisted at 17 years of age and was serving with a tank company, wondering what would happen next. One day I was summoned by my Captain and asked how I would like to return to the States and go to college. He explained the Navy had a program to train Marine officers and he was sending two men from his company. Of course I thought I was the luckiest guy in the world! The next day an airplane flew me to Espiritu Santos in New Hebrides. From there, a merchant ship brought me to Camp Elliot at San Diego where I was to transfer to Southwestern University. I had never heard of this school and never did I think I would be going to college.

A veteran of two years, combat duty at twenty one years of age, I arrived on the campus. Some of the rules were: no automobile, no marry and no indecent behavior with the female students. I thought number three to be an easy rule as all the females appeared to be juvenile.

One day while passing the administration building I saw the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I approached her, introduced myself and invited her to a softball game I was playing in and she accepted. After that, I could think of nothing else and we were together constantly.

Then the worst thing that could happen did. I was transferred to Colorado College. Fortunately while there, the war ended. I accepted a discharge and joined Betty Reynolds Bumgardner '44 in Houston where we married.