The Shorthorn Media

Years before the UT preceded the A at the college now known as the University of Texas at Arlington, and years before there was a Longhorn in the family, there was The Shorthorn. No relation, thanks. In 1919, students at what was then known as Grubbs Vocational College needed a name for their fledgling literary/humor magazine. With a $2.50 prize from the dean as incentive, an ensuing contest yielded such poetic possibilities as KornKob, Swat News, Horse Sense, Grubworm and Tool for the name of the new publication. In a three-ballot election runoff, the student body chose Shorthorn over other finalists GVC Shots and Thistle. The first issue 6 by 9 inches, 48 pages with a bull in a bulls-eye for a cover appeared in April 1919. The first newsroom masqueraded as a wide spot in the hallway leading to the advisers office on the third floor of Ransom Hall, the campus oldest building. The Shorthorn evolved into a newspaper in 1921 and has thrived in spite of a world war, the Depress...