Second Lieutenant John J. Pershing stands in front of his six cadet staff officers on steps before wooden-paneled double-doors set in the arched entryway of a stone building. The cadets from left to right: Cadet Captain R. S. Bulla (Commander Company C), Cadet Captain F. D. Eager (Commander Company D), Cadet 1st Lieutenant John P. Williams (Quartermaster), Cadet 1st Lieutenant Harry G. Barber (Adjutant), Cadet Captain Carl C. Marlay (Commander Company B), Cadet Captain Ernest M. Pollard (Commander Company A). They are all in uniform including caps, gloves and swords.
In 1891, Lt. Pershing took the position of Professor of Military Science and Tactics at the University of Nebraska and served as the Commandant of the Cadets. Pershing also studied law at the University and graduated with the class of 1893. In 1892, Pershing's Company A won the Omaha Cup at the National Competitive Drills held in Omaha. The group was later renamed the Pershing Rifles.
