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

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67 left to the University by Mrs. Abbie Allen, of Frisco, Texas; and from Mr. R. Harper Kirby through a gift of 737 acres of land in Brazoria and Galeston counties. The first important event of the next University session was the completion of Kirby Hall in Septem- ber, 1924. October brought the establishment of the Southwest Review, a magazine which specializes in literature of the Southwestern part of the United States. This magazine was an outgrowth of the Texas Review, which S. M. U. acquired from the University of Texas. Construction on M cFarlin Memorial Auditorium, for which Mr. and Mrs. R. M. McFarlin of San Antonio had on February 9 given the University $486,433.61, began on November 17. The first unit of the service tunnel was constructed at this time, connecting the steam plant with all the permanent buildings then on the campus, at an expense of $20,000. This tunnel, which has since been extended to ser- vice the later buildings, contains the light and telephone wires and the gas, water, and steam pipes, and provides a clearance large enough for the workmen to stand. To- gether with equipment, it later represented an investment of over $60,500. Spring saw increasing activity at S. M. U. Both the School of Law and the School of Engineering were organized on February 10. February 12 was marked by the dedication of Kirby Hall, representing a cost of $130,000, and on April 24, the cornerstone exercises for McFarlin Memorial Auditorium were held. Included in the interesting list of articles placed in this cornerstone are: a Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, published in 1922; a King James version of the Bible; a panoramic view of the Univer- sity buildings; a folder of campus scenes; a copy of the first issue of the Southwest Review; two copies of The Semi-Weekly Campus; a picture of the Auditorium; a copy of the S. M. U. Directory; five of the University bulletins; a copy of The Dallas News for April 24, 1925; some small coins; a program of the ceremony; place cards of the twenty-five who attended a luncheon given that day; and an envelope containing some data prepared by Mrs. McFarlin. The next bricks-and-mortar addition made was Hyer Hall. That the movement for a hall of physics had been started prior to 1920 is evidenced by Dr. Hyer ' s reference to the movement in his letter of resignation, which stated that pledges approximating $30,000 had already been made. Little was done, however, until a meeting was called in 1924 at which Dr. Hyer, then Professor of Phys- ics, stated that, although he cared nothing for having the building bear his name, he was anxious to have a place in which to work. The result was that the ground-break- ing ceremony took place on May 8 and the cornerstone was laid June 1. The opening of the 1925-1926 session was greeted by a new wooden building, which had been erected during the summer to accommodate the Engineering School and served that purpose until early in 1928, when a larger building was furnished. It was during this session that Gerald Bywaters served as editor of The Rotunda. About that time S. M. U. was admit- ted to the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business and the American Religious Education

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I ■ •Reapportionment fe. Working with tees,hehadper- always toward the • Boaz was elected 3ity. Realizing the sident Boaz started JoardofNewYork iversity itself would a success, and the ither financial aid lrs.S.I,Mungeron is introduced. The e first time in April ork in June of 1915 Mathematics, was xpandedtoincludt usiness manager in It was also at this uest of Dallas busi- the Department of chasing on Airline ' QS remodeled into courses in loumal- p, who resigned at ily a division of the ittle wooden build- a similar shack for all the laboratory nworkon the steel [or the west side of iversity received a wiH of the late Jniversitywasf jfCoEegescmdtje jarySch(«lsof e ..ectionof eel hefoo President julyl copacy. ideeSectivei and Dr. James Kilgore was asked to serve as Presi- dent until a permanent selection could be made. By this time the foundation for a great university had been laid and work was continually progressing. The chief problem was that the physical properties of the school were still inadequate to meet the needs of a growing student population. The next fall, work was begun on Marvin and Pierce Halls, two additional apartment houses for married Theology students, consist- ing of four apartments each. September also brought the resignation of Miss Mary B. Murphey as Dean of Women and a new Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Elzy D. Jennings. The spring of this 1922-1923 session was filled with important events. January 1 marked the completion of Marvin and Pierce Halls, and the tenth of that month brought the first issue of The Semi-Weekly Campus. This publication, whose Editor was George Bond, was the first to bear the name under which it is still published. Dr. Charles C. Selecman, then pastor of the First Methodist Church of Dallas, was elected to the Presidency on March 21, to take office April 2. Dr. Selecman took over his new assignment diligently and, except for the worst years of the depression, his regime was noted for its material advancement of the University. On March 26, Mr. R. Harper Kirby and his wife, Mrs. Annie Kirby, of Austin, presented the University with $100,000 for the erection of a building to house the School of Theology. Ground- breaking was held June 1 1 , with three bishops taking part in the ceremony. The Cam- pus Beautification Committee, consisting of several prominent local citizens, started its work the same year, and employed Bremer W. Pond, a Boston landscape engineer, to make a plan for the campus. It was in pursuance of the sketch he submitted that tele- phone and light wires have disappeared into an underground service tunnel and that Bishop Boulevard, which formerly came almost to the steps of Dallas Hall, has re- treated a block away, leaving the intervening space for a lawn. A signal achievement for the 1923-1924 session was S. M. U. ' s first Southwest Con- ference football championship. On Thanksgiving, the Mustangs played at the State Fair Park Stadium against Baylor University before the largest crowd that ever wit- nessed a football game in Dallas. Pikers ' Day, now a traditional spring event, was held for the first time that fall. On New Year ' s Day, Mrs. Ora Nixon Arnold of Houston, by a gift of $120,000, endowed the George F. and Ora Nixon Arnold School of Govern- ment. April 3, the cornerstone for Kirby Hall was laid; April 21, the Million Dollar Cam- paign begun in 1920 was completed, $333,333.33 having been donated by the Rocke- feller Board; and April 30, Lay ton W. Bailey was elected Business Manager of the University. Substan- tial financial aid was received about this time from Mrs. W. D. Haynie of Rice, who endowed the Haynie Professorship of Pastoral Administration; from Mrs. E. A. Lilly of Pearsall, who endowed the E. A. Lilly Professorship of English; from Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Perkins of Wichita Falls, who completed a Professor- ship endowment of $50,000; from a legacy of $22,348.- L

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byftroughagioi aleston counties, ' snextUnivereity yMinSeptem. ' ' oblishmentofthe hich specializes in ' fte United States, •U ' Ctquiredirom litorium, for which ■ventheUniveisity el was constructed Mings then on the 3n extended to ser- he gas, water, and men to stand. To- )0,500, Spring saw .ool of Engineering iedicationoifirby stone exercises for sting 1st of articles ipal Church, South, wewoftheliniyer- = of the Southwist he Auditorium; a opyofT ieMs ny; place cards of velope containing ;ed prior to 1920 is resignation, which , Little was done, , Professor of Phys- bear his name, he theground-breoi- jnel. jsion was greeted had been erected .the Engineering (j] early in 1®, It was during rved as editor of lU.wasadmit- ,llegiate Schools jious Education Association. The first floor of the Administration Building (later to become Perkins Hall) was built that fall and put into use by the first of January, 1926. Fire again took its toll when North, South, and Rankin Halls were destroyed on February 11. A movement was immediately started to raise $250,000 for a wom- en ' s dormitory in order that the building then occu- pied by them might be given to the use of the homeless students. As a nucleus, the University had the insur- ance, $79,500, collected on the destroyed buildings and something more than $7,000 raised over a period by Mrs. Virginia K. Johnson to erect a dormitory as a Mothers ' Memorial. This scheme was abandoned in favor of two smaller buildings, one to be named Virginia Hall in honor of Mrs. Johnson, the other to be named Snider Hall in honor of Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Snider of Wichita Falls, who gave $150,000 for the erection of the building. Both these buildings were begun in the spring of 1926 and were com- pleted that fall. The dedication of McFarlin Memorial Auditorium made history, March 24. This Auditorium, built and paid for by Mr. McFarlin and turned over to the Univer- sity when completed, is the school ' s most expensive edifice, costing over $486,000, and is numbered as one of the United States ' finest college auditoriums. In addition a $25,000 pipe organ was installed as the gift of Mrs. McFarlin. March also saw the be- ginning of the Jordan Ownby Stadium. To erect this structure, the University borrowed $175,000 from the Missouri Valley Trust Company of St. Louis. J. C. Ownby and father donated $10,000 for the beautification of the grounds around the Stadium. The Stadium, with a total seating capacity of over 18,000, an eighth of a mile of running track, dressing rooms for both the Varsity and the visiting teams, and a laun- dry to provide clean equipment every other day, was ready for use when the next session opened. This fall also brought the opening of the A. V. Lane Museum. This museum houses the valuable relics which had previously been kept in the library class rooms, and storage. Besides collections of objects gathered from the ruins of Biblical lands, there is numbered among the relics an Egyptian mummy. During this session the Dads ' Club was organized and the Lehman Professorship of Christian Doc- trine was endowed for $84,559. During the 1927-1928 session the Department of Edu- cation was accorded the rank of a separate school and Dr. A. D. Schuessler was made supervisor of planting. Under his direction the beautification of the Campus has pro- ceeded steadily. Today the University has its own greenhouse for nursing plants. 1929 brought three rewards to S. M. U.: admittance to the American Association of University Women, and to the Association of Amer- ican Law Schools, and a place on the approved list of the Association of American Universities. With the amount of building on the Campus at this time, it is not surprising that the value of buildings, grounds, and equipment increased over a six-year period from August 31, 1923, to August 31, 1929, from $1,479,643 to $3,235,000; the endowment over the same period was raised from $833,335 to $2,290,515. The school debt, be-