The 1976 La Ventana

A few months ago one of DiscoTech!'s contributing writers convinced me that I need a new project. After all, I have so much time on my hands...idle hands and all.

What kind of a project? He convinced me to buy about 2 decades worth of Texas Tech"yearbooks" aka "annuals." For those non-Matadors - we call that volume a "La Ventana."

After my initial purchase I have gone on to purchase other volumes with the intent to collect them all - like they're Matchbox cars or something. And yes, Mrs. Moneypenny has thrown around the phrase "Complete waste of money." Whatever, I don't gripe when she spends $85 on "skin clarifier."

Anyhow - I pulled out an annual to show you guys how much fun this is (for me), so now you get to suffer like the rest of the family...

The 1976 La Ventana actually covers the 1975-1976 school year, so the Football team's Gator Bowl season is in a volume I do not yet own (please feel free to e-mail the blog if you have one you want to unload)...

This volume jumped out at me for a couple of reasons not the least of which was this page:

You see President Red Andrews, the Red Raiders had already become predisposed to the enjoyment of Bear Meat as a culinary delight. So much so that we whipped up on Baylor 33-10 that year under first year coach Steve Sloan.

Onward...

This year's annual is also unique in that is is not traditionally bound - it is actually a series of about 14 "magazines" that are held together with two metal binding screws (think of a two ring binder, but much classier...

The Sports are in the magazine "Sports Illustrated" with registered trademark and all...and the Greeks are bound in a magazine that I would have never expected. But, it was 1976 and the sexual revolution was underway...

As fellow contributor Ignatius J. Reilly would say "This is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." There's even a centerfold! She is of course clothed - but is dressed in full Playboy Bunny attire (not to be confused with Turtle or Johnny Drama's bunny attire).

Take that Baylor - Texas Tech was affiliating themselves with Playboy to the extent that they even got Hef's explicit permission to use the bunny logo and magazine header (I'm sure there's real magazine publishing jargon for that) in the University's Yearbook!

I'm still stunned - I don't think there's any way that such a thing would get published in our annual today...but it's still fun to crack on Baylor.

The cover girl above happens to be Annette Jones, a Junior from Fort Worth...she like sewing and whiskey and she just might make your gun go off...

Lastly I found a picture of our Chancellor!

I noted a few things here...

Chancellor Hance maintains wonderful eye contact as any politician should - but I'm quite sure he's a man like any other so the photographer probably held back the photo of Hance checking out this beauty's rack...so I'm quite sure an "A" was reported to the folks back home that semester for Photojournalism 2308.

Also, Hance is sporting the three piece chalk stripe which has returned to the scene...but sadly you can see the carnation on his lapel from Plainview.

Hope you enjoyed our family slideshow...now go tell Aunt Joyce to get me another drink - I'm losing my buzz.


PLEASE NOTE: You can click on any of the pages and make them larger - but the pics may enlarge to a such a size that you may need to adjust to a smaller size...if you want to read the text on the pages it will be sufficiently large enough to accommodate that.

Tech Beauties of the 1974 La Ventana

NOTE: A New "Feature" I would like to add to some of the posts I make is to recommend some music to our readers. In many cases my iTunes is cranking as I sit here. So, I'll let you know what I'm listening to and give HTs to those that point out new stuff that I find enjoyable.

The first installation of this will be the band Stars and their album "Heart" released September 2003. HT to lank thompson who recommended the band to me.

Listening to Stars while reading DiscoTech! will make you smarter and better looking at the same time.

Now back to our originally scheduled programming (of your mind)...

I don't think I'm overplaying my hand by saying that Tech is well known across our fine state for having a very high concentration of beautiful women. The more I dig into these old annuals the more I am convinced that this fact isn't only true today, but it's been true for quite some time.

As I mentioned in an earlier La Ventana review, Tech's annuals during these years are collections of "magazines." The athletics are featured in Sports Illustrated in some years and Sport magazine in others. Administration highlights are usually in Esquire and the women of Greek and dorm life are featured in Vogue while the frats and male dorms are featured in - of all things - Playboy. (I still can't get over that). They make quite clear throughout that they have express written consent to use these logos and mastheads...the rise of the copyright attorney was well under way.

This first pic is the cover of "Playboy" for this particular year (also note that La Ventana editors made sure to maintain the "search for the bunny on the cover" aspect of Playboy's cover pics - see if you can't find the bunny, it should be a layup):

Also note that all of these photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Prepare yourself fellas for this one, these were the runners-up for the title of Tech Playmate of the Year...

Sadly, the best picture of the winner of Playmate of the Year is the centerfold picture (I kid you not) and my little scanner just can't scan that large of an image, but let me assure you that Glenna Gruetzmacher is even hotter than these babes.

Not to be outdone by the women, the boys are featured bare-assed as streaking reached epic proportions on campus - even cited with the world-record longest streak which clocked in at 5 hours. Please someone explain how that feat is accomplished.


And lastly - the pride of the South Plains, the 1973 Texas Tech football squad was featured heavily...
Tech football finished 10-1 with a 28-19 victory over the Tennessee Vols in the Gator Bowl in 1973. Their only loss was to the other UT - the one that's a little more familiar rival.

The helmets, oh the helmets...are those not the sweetest? The stars and stripes and the Double T...wow. I love our gear today as well as anyone but can't help but love the throwback look (see San Diego Chargers).

I hope you enjoyed your trip through the 1974 annual - as I get time I'm sure we'll be bringing you more.


Post-script: I added a new poll to the right, please check it out...Thanks, BJB

guys love cheerleaders

So the boys over at Raiderpower are asking for more Rhonda Lewis - who am I to be a buzzkill? And I'm even gonna toss in some new beauties tonight - just because I care...

Pamela Cameron didn't even WIN Playmate of the 1971 La Ventana! Who was judging that year? Did some guy have a frozen pizza box on his head?

Rhonda - Serious about TDs

The total package

The Cadillac of Cheerleading

La Ventana 1970 - A Bit of a Sneak Preview

Enjoying Jose Gonzales' newest - "Stay in the Shade" - it's an EP and I wish it were an LP - but nonetheless - it's an excellent listen. If you like excellent guitar playing combined with an easy, soulful voice then you'll love it. If you've never heard of him before, think of a combination of Josh Rouse and Rodrigo y Gabriela.

1970 was a big year for Texas Tech. Texas Technological College went to Austin and after much debating came back with a new name...Texas Tech University. The Seniors that year were the first to graduate from Texas Tech U. In celebration, the fountains in the middle of Memorial Circle were constructed but were not yet finished by the time the Seniors walked the stage.

The Speaker's Series included a young Ralph Nader who was still going toe-to-toe with GM over the Corvair and would attempt a run at the US Presidency in two more years.

The highlight of the year socially may have been a Homecoming concert, though:

I would also encourage you to click on the "interview" page below...it's funny, but not-on-purpose-funny. It's funny because we know how the story turns out. We know the answers to some of the questions...like "Is Chastity going to prefer women's genitalia to penises?" But seriously - the question is asked if they're ever going to do television and they dodge the question, but months later appear on their first TV Special "The Sonny and Cher Nitty Gritty Hour."


Of course you know I'm going to give you the 1970 cover girl - that's why you love me and keep coming back.

Is it just me or are the girls of this era just better looking than I imagined they might be? Wow - Tech's reputation for fine women has a long heritage and is well earned.

There will be another post with much more stuff - I need to wait for another week before all can be revealed.

Let's only say that I was stunned when reviewing this volume - and not only by the charms of the women...it turns out that the reputations of our rivals are also well-earned.

As always, click on the pics for larger images and enjoy. It's our pleasure.

10 Days to go

The 1942 La Ventana provides plenty of yearning for the days of the leather helmet.


(you can click on and save if you like - the original image is much larger)

Unfortunately, no information was provided about the location of this particular game or those pictured although the fellow in the Cowboy hat must be the head man, Coach Dell Morgan. This, his first season after coming to Tech from Rice was culminated by a Sun Bowl appearance.

Tech finished with a 9 - 2 record with (winning all their home games BTW) wins against Abilene Christian, Centenary, New Mexico U., Creighton, St. Louis U., Hardin-Simmon* U., Oklahoma A&M, Loyola (played at Soldier Field) and Wake Forest. Losses came to the Miami Hurricanes (0-6) and Tulsa (0-6).

We were fierce in 1942, baby. Fierce.


*I swear that I typed this just as it appears in the annual.