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

Page 25 text:

' e new athletic ■fy for ffloint, 587.335. Because astern of account- fen had defeired ' Iscman ' sadminis- s sum, which then ™s raised and the -the Board of i the birth of fieW lwascreatea,the itabhshed,andthe issionol economic ffiipus in a festive IE Rotunda under holastic endeavor. ' ondren of Houston Libr ary, That fall : to the Mustangs. !nt the East in the the Mustang Band sity across the na- ! spring brought a s announced; the ition of Schools of first issued. TO founded. The lededtoffiember- hlightsoftheyear The Snow Maid- comedy field with as embroiled in a •or. d!.lo snO. ut the ten best s in the Dawn. ithed things over Crutchfieldwas :;ollinswasVice- =dited The Ro- TUNDA. S. M. U. branched into the national radio field with student talent helping to spread the fame of the University on a one-time N. B. C. broadcast. rm .i v . rf During the 1937-1938 session, Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Perkins donated funds for the completion of the Ad- ministration Building, which was to bear their name. Other new buildings on the Campus included two fraternity houses, which, added to the five already on Fraternity Row, made the landscape more complete. The Mustang Corral, a recreation room, was opened in the basement of McFarlin Memorial Auditorium, largely through the efforts of the Y. M. C. A. and the Y. W. C. A. It was here that the first campus movies of students in hilltop action were shown. Mock mourning of 1938 lay in the passing of Pikers ' Day, the annual last-fling of the seniors. The student political field was notable for the complete sweep of all major offices by the Progressive Party slate. Early in 1938, President Selecman had been made a Bishop of the Methodist Church with the result that a new leader was sought for the University. In November of the ensumg session. Dr. Umphrey Lee was announced as succes- sor to Dr. Selecman. During the interim, Eugene B. Hawk, Dean of the School of The- ology, acted as President. Sorrow of the students was caused by the deaths of Elzy Dee Jennings, long-time Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and of R. E. L. Saner, donor of annual oratory prizes on the Campus. The independent students were for- mally organized into their first permanent group, known as the Independent Students ' Association. Mortar Board stepped into the sponsorial field when the twelve senior girls presented Gladys Swarthout in recital . . . and showed a profit on the engage- ment. Perkins Hall, which was formally opened in February, was the cause of many oohs and ahs from townspeople seeing the completed structure for the first time. Other spring events of interest were the second consecutive sweep of major offices by the formidable Progressive Party; the proposed exchange of students with South Amer- ican imiversities, postponed at the outbreak of war; on the lighter side, the publication by the active chapter of Sigma Delta Chi on April Fool ' s Day of Mein Kampfus, a satirical four-page newspaper poking fun at dictators, war, and censorship; and on the musical side, the production of the light opera, Robin Hood, as Thomas S. Wil- liams ' initial bow at S. M. U. as producer. The fall semester of 1939 brought with it the festive twenty-fifth celebration of the founding of S. M. U. Dr. Lee was inaugurated, November 6, as the fourth President of the institution, presaging many important changes in Hilltop life. The weekly chapel hours were made non-compulsory. Rumor of a dance on the Campus began circulating in December and be- came a fact in January, 1940, which marked the first legitimate all-school dance ever held in these envi- 2 i efsiJM, W

Page 24 text:

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-

Page 26 text:

IM rons — a significant siep towards a democratic regime under President Lee. Another first which the Presi- dent helped to instigate was the Community Course, a concert-lecture artists ' course, resembling in breadth and sheer bigness nothing S. M. U. had ever before sponsored in that field. Seven attractions were pre- sented the first season, ranging from raconteurs and political observers to dancers and a string guartet. Homecoming in early November lived up to every element implied by the term silver anniversary. The Pigskin Revue, the thrilling Texas-S. M. U. game, open houses, and the big-time dance combined to furnish all- round entertainment for exes and students alike. Early 1940, given a vital boost by the dance held in the Gymnasium, augured the opening in May of Fondren Library, another link in the fulfillment of the perfect Quad- rangle. The Editor of The Semi-Weekly Campus escaped ejection from office by the Judiciary Court in February for alleged encroachment upon constitutional rights. Talk started for placing a nickelodeon in the Mustang Corral for dancing at almost all hours. Student politics again caused the usual conjecture and controversy; however, the formal opening of the Fondren Library overshadowed everything else on the Cam- pus during the spring semester. Here was S. M. U. building again, expanding in a twentieth-century mood. Thus, one is afforded a panoramic view of Southern Methodist University life through its first twenty-five years. The going has never been easy nor has it been ex- pected to be a simple matter. Today finds the University holding its own coura- geously. Buildings and improvements represent investments amounting to $3,500,000, and the endowment totals $2,500,000. The libraries contain more than 135,000 catalogued books and pamphlets. The student body has grown from the original number of 706 to 3,988, including the Dallas College and summer school registra- tions. Checking up on enrollment in the different divisions of the University, we find that the Graduate School had nine students the first year and 388 in 1939; the Exten- sion School started with fifty-four students, dropped to seventeen in 1919, and last year boasted 1,538; the Summer School has grown from 214 students in 1918 to 946 in 1939. Vf-1-, The faculty of Southern Methodist University, which is now composed of 150, has come a long way from that first group of thirty-six. It is, however, very interesting to note that, with the single exception of the French Department, which was originally headed by C. F. Zeek, every one of the foreign language de- partments still has the same professor in charge. These teachers are: J. S. Mcintosh, Professor of Latin and Greek; A. D. Schuessler, German; and S. A. My-