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Southern Methodist University company history timeline

1912

Modeled after the library at the University of Virginia, construction of Dallas Hall began in November 1912.

1913

The Campus , 1913 (fundraising publication)

1914

At the 1914 meeting of the General Conference, Southern Methodist University was designated the connectional institution for all conferences west of the Mississippi River.

1915

First classes were held in 1915.

Dallas Hall opened its doors in 1915 and housed the entire university along with a bank and a barbershop.

1917

Known as North Hall, South Hall and Rankin Hall, they would burn two years later in 1917.

1920

The Cox School was founded in 1920 as the Department of Commerce at SMU, at the request of the Dallas business community.

SMU’s financial troubles continued and, as a result, Doctor Hyer resigned in 1920.

1924

Boaz, who replaced Hyer, presided over the university for only two years, but gained some much needed funding for the school, making it debt-free by 1924.

In 1924, a major landscaping operation began and hundreds of trees and shrubs began to dot the campus.

1926

Rebuilt just eight years earlier, another fire destroyed all three men’s dorms and the brand new $10,000 University Park fire truck in 1926.

1935

SMU 20th Anniversary Material, 1935 (announcements, newspaper articles, etc.)

1938

By 1938, SMU had collected enough money to add an additional two stories and a basement resulting in its present form.

1939

In 1939, SMU was placed under the South Central Jurisdiction of the Methodist Church.

In 1939, Selecman stepped down and Umphrey Lee became the fourth president of SMU. According to Terry in his work, “From High on the Hilltop: A Brief History of SMU,” his new position coincided with the merging of the two Methodist sects, the northern and southern Methodists.

1940

Ownby Stadium Bleacher Crash, 1940 (photos)

Construction began on Fondren Library a short time thereafter, and by 1940, the university finally had a library.

1948

Built where Ford Stadium stands today, it housed the football team until 1948 when games were moved to the Cotton Bowl.

Lettermen’s Hall, which housed varsity athletes until Title IX, preceded Caruth Hall, the new engineering home that opened in 1948.

1955

Inauguration of Willis M. Tate as SMU President, 1955

1961

Semi-Centennial Celebration, 1961 (includes newspaper articles, pamphlets from 50-year anniversary of SMU)

President’s Report Material, 1961 (includes several fold-outs with color photographs of SMU campus in 1961)

1963

Included are campus newspaper editorials from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, and publications from the SMU 50th Anniversary celebrations.

1967

Charter and Bylaws of SMU, and Amendments (also includes material from the incorporation of SMU, 1967)

1975

1975 Speech & Visit of President Gerald R. Ford on the Occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of SMU

1980

Particle physicist James Watson Cronin, corecipient of the 1980 Nobel Prize for Physics, was an SMU alumnus.

1985

Scandal erupted in 1985 when the university was found guilty of 36 NCAA rule violations.

1987

The school drew considerable adverse media attention in 1987 when the NCAA administered the death penalty against the SMU football program for repeated, flagrant recruiting violations.

Publications, Statements, Other Materials on the 75th Anniversary of SMU, 1987

1989

SMU During the Great Depression Years (report compiled by history student, 1989)

Academic Priorities Task Force Report, 1989 (includes President A. Kenneth Pye’s Recommendations on Academic Priorities, Financial Feasibilities, etc.)

1991

School Releases, Newspaper Articles on Campus Reaction to Persian Gulf War, 1991

Scope and Contents of the Collection The SMU origins and history collection contains university documents and news clippings that pertain to the establishment of the university, as well as notable events during the life and times of the school. It does contain information detailing world events from the perspective of SMU; for example, how the SMU community reacted to the Persian Gulf War of 1991.

2005

The university's endowment surpassed $1 billion for the first time in the university's history in 2005.

2007

Processing Information Finding aid written by Paul H. Santa Cruz, 2007.

In 2007, the Cox School published a book on the school’s history.

2008

On February 22, 2008, the university trustees unanimously instructed President R. Gerald Turner to enter into an agreement to establish the George W. Bush Presidential Center on 23 acres on the southeast side of the campus.

In 2008, SMU was selected as the site of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and the George W. Bush Policy Institute.

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Founded
1911
Company Founded
Headquarters
Dallas, TX
Company headquarter
Founders
Jorge Luis Baldor,McGrew IV,Murphy III
Company founders
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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Southern Methodist University, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Southern Methodist University. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Southern Methodist University. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Southern Methodist University. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Southern Methodist University and its employees or that of Zippia.

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