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Show 26 chosen. The rivalry between students from Pima and Thatcher was in- tense. Cluff, from Pima, was aware that Eyring had twenty units, l9 A's and l B, and was clearly the brighter, if for no other reason than the fact that he was from Pima. The protest disrupted the assembly proceedings, but didn't change the decision. The irony is that Leo Cluff's favorite girl friend at the time was Miss Moody. Eyring was also popular among his student friends and was narrowly defeated as student body president. However, he did serve as senior class presi- dent. The year before Eyring's graduation, the state of Arizona had estab- lished for each of its fourteen counties, a special scholarship for the student scoring highest in each county on a special exam. the $500 scholarship for Graham County in 1919. Eyring won His interest in and desire for a college education stemmed from several sources. His oldest sister, Camilla, upon her return from Utah explained the advantages of a college education. Ph.D. degree. She was the first person he heard speak about the He Tater wrote: world of education to me. "When she returned she opened up a new The advantates of gaining a doctorate were made very clear so that Tater when the opportunity presented itself I felt no hesitancy in making the commitments necessary."33 At the Gila Academy he had the sound advice of his science teacher, Alma Sessions. Mr. Sessions, who had been a basketball star at the University of Arizona, was Eyring's favorite teacher. He recommended that Eyring study either electrical or mining engineering since both fields offered a young student a good future in Arizona. Sessions himself had been trained in electrical engineering and as a teacher at the Academy had provided Eyring and the other students with exciting insights into |
