Formative Years

1937	After many years rocking along in a shaky organization, 18 Aggies with spirit and determination band together to put it on a stable foundation. This included writing a constitution which was later to make it the organization that it is today. Professor J.J. Woolket, the head of the Department of Modern Languages at the College becomes director, being drafted in by an official faculty sanction.
1940	As a result of a naming contest, the A&M Glee Club becomes the Singing Cadets. The Singing Cadets attract national attention when they perform in a radio broadcast at the 1940 Sugar Bowl gridiron contest. Singing Cadets make their first recording along with the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band, as well as performing with them during halftime of football games. Tours during this year include Beaumont, Orange, Huntsville, and Conroe.
1942	Richard W. Jenkins, son of William O. Jenkins, becomes the first full-time director. Marion D. Lyle serves as accompanist. Jenkins immediately embarks on a program to make the Singing Cadets well-known throughout the South by touring schools, colleges, clubs, and various other groups, traveling in chartered buses. This includes the National Fred Waring Glee Club Contest, where the Singing Cadets place sixth despite being only participants from a college that did not have a music department. At this time the organization is divided into two clubs - a traveling club consisting of 84 members and a freshman club composed of 51 members. Universal Pictures personnel began production of the picture "We've Never Been Licked," and the Singing Cadets are selected to do all the choral music under the direction of Ken Darby, leader of radio's "The King's Men."
1943	Ewell Porter, six-year director of music in the Bryan Public Schools, becomes interim director. Tours during this year include SHSTC at Huntsville, Tyler, Henderson, Texas State College for Women, Corsicana, Camp Swift, San Antonio USO, and New Braunfels. R.W. Jenkins left A&M on 22 Nov to become Associate Professor of Music at NTSC
1944	William M. “Pop” Turner becomes director. James Oates serves as accompanist.
1945	Tours include Baytown, Austin USO, Camp Swift, Denton, the P.O.W. camp at Huntsville, Waco, Fort Worth, Stephenville, and College Station
1946	Music Activities are moved to YMCA building and occupy the basement across from George's Confectionery and the first two floors. Tours include Denton, Huntsville, Stephenville, San Antonio, Fort Worth, Dallas, Bryan Field Annex, and Beaumont, for the 48 members.
1947	"Pop" Turner attends Fred Waring's Summer Music Workshop and brings back many new techniques and choral arrangements to make the Singing Cadets a better organization. Leonard N. Perkins serving as student director and accompanist. Tours include Grapeland, Denton, Dallas, San Antonio (Brook Army Medical Center), and Corpus Christi, for the 66 members. The intermission of their programs is filled with a Barbershop Quartet complete with handle-bar mustaches, polka dot ties, and aprons.
1948	L.N. Perkins and Miss Laverne Hunt serve as co-accompanists. The Singing Cadets sing for the inauguration of Frank C. Bolton as fifteenth president of Texas A&M. Tours include San Antonio, Texarkana, Fort Worth, Beaumont, Austin (sang for t.u. in Gregory Gym), Wichita Falls, Denton, Corpus Christi, and Dallas.
1949	Tours include Dallas (State Fair), Arlington, McKinney, Fort Worth, Denton, Corpus Christi, Austin (legislature), for the 60 members. The Cadets debut a new quartet known as the Aggienizors.