Southern Methodist University - Rotunda Yearbook (University Park, TX)

Page 15 text:

ORDER OF THE BOOKS ADMINISTRATION Pagea 24-39 CLASSES Pages 40-151 BEAUTIES Pages 152-167 PICTORIAL Pages 1 68-207 ORGANIZATIONS Pages 208-287 FEATURES Pages 288-3 1 1 ATHLETICS Pages 3 12-35 1 SADDLE BURR Pages 352-377 aa

Page 14 text:

i£b

Page 16 text:

m HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY While a sizable portion of the world is concen- trating upon war and forgetting cultural advance- ment, it is comforting to reflect upon an institution, dedicated to young people, celebrating its twenty- fifth anniversary of teaching the arts and the sci- ences. Southern Methodist University first opened its doors, September 22, 1915, when the World War was still only a menace to American peace. The opening of S. M. U. itself was not exactly a peace conclave. The idea was begun at Birmingham, Alabama, in 1906, when the General Conference of Methodism, South, was in session. Although there had been agitation for at least twelve years for moving Southwestern University from Georgetown to either Fort Worth or Dallas, a resolution by a commission was passed declaring the intention to continue that insti- tution at Georgetown. During a conversation with some of the delegates concerning educational problems, R. S. Munger proposed to give $10,000 and forty acres of land for the construction of a university at Dallas. Lack of time and a plethora of other business caused the offer to be relegated to a back-seat and nothing came of the idea for some time. citeacT worn The next general conference at Asheville in 1910 found the Dallas Chamber of Commerce raising funds for the purpose of building a university. When Mr. Munger heard of the plan, he left immediately for Dallas and proposed to donate $25,000 and fifty acres of land upon the condition that $400,000 should be raised. Alex Sanger promised to give one-twentieth of the total amount that was found to be necessary; Mrs. John S. Armstrong proposed to donate 100 acres adjoining Highland Park for a campus; and W. W. Caruth added sixty-eight acres of adjacent property and one-half interest in 722 acres. jBLj ■ In this manner four donors made it possible for Dallas to present her gift to S. M. U. Without their interest and financial aid, the University might easily have gone to near- by Fort Worth, where local business men were fighting to secure the institution for their own community. After annual conferences of five divisions of Texas had enthusi- astically endorsed the plan, the Methodist Educational Commission, composed of twenty elected members, accepted the proposition of the City of Dallas to give 133 acres for a campus, 520 acres for endowment, and $300,000 in cash and bankable notes. Even while this commission was in session, a rumor of unknown origin was circulated on the streets of Dallas that it had been decided to locate the University in Fort Worth, which had also submitted a sizable bid. So persistent did this rumor become that one of the downtown newspapers issued an extra edition stating that it seemed from reliable sources that the Univer- sity would go to Fort Worth. The members of the committee from the Dallas Chamber of Commerce, ♦