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

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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-

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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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cause of the $155,000 bond issue for the new athletic stadium and improvements necessary for mainte- nance, increased from $224,446 to $587,335. Because of dissatisfaction with the S. M. U. system of account- ing, the General Board of Education had deferred payment of the $333,333.33. Dr. Selecman ' s adminis- tration needed to raise the rest of the sum, which then stood at $489,820.08. The amount was raised and the educational board paid its pledge. Fire rendered the Chemistry and Journalism Departments, which are now located in the west end of Atkins Hall, homeless in 1930. On March 25 of 1931, the Board of Trustees created the Advisory Committee. The next year witnessed the birth of Field and Laboratory, a semi-annual science magazine. In 1934 the quadrangle was beautified, the University Council was created, the Arnold Foundation Studies, a political science publication, was established, and the Institute of Public Affairs, an annual conference devoted to the discussion of economic and political trends, was inaugurated. May, 1935, found the Campus in a festive mood. It was Twentieth Anniversary time. A special edition of The Rotunda under the editorship of O. V. Cecil, caught the spirit of twenty years of scholastic endeavor. December of the next school session found Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Fondren of Houston presenting another gift — $400,000 for the erection of the Fondren Library. That fall also brought another Southwest Conference football championship to the Mustangs. This time the crown was accompanied by an invitation to represent the East in the Rose Bowl at Pasadena on New Year ' s Day. The football team and the Mustang Band combined to spread further the name of Southern Methodist University across the na- tion. That championship was not the only one of the session, for the spring brought a basketball crown to the school. The $75,000 Hoblitzelle annuity was announced; the School of Theology became accredited with The American Association of Schools of Theology, and Studies in Sociology, a semi-annual publication, was first issued. In 1937, the University Press, devoted to academic publications, was founded. The $75,000 Noyes Scholarships were bestowed. Dallas College was elected to m.ember- ship in the National University Extension Association. Theatrical highlights of the year included the Glee and Choral Clubs ' most lavish production to date, The Snow Maid- en, and Script and Score ' s successful dive into the big-time musical comedy field with Take It Easy. The Arden Club was embroiled in a stew over its production of High Tor. Dr. John O. Beaty of the English Department hit the ten best lists with the publication of his Swords in the Dawn. Censor trouble struck The Semi-Weekly Campus, but the editor, Frances Hallam, smoothed things over gracefully. During this session Finis Crutchfield was President of the student body, James Collins was Vice- President, and Charles Max Cole edited The Ro-