Category Archives: hilltop history

Conventional wisdom holds that Southern Methodist University opened the doors of Dallas Hall to its first students on September 22, 1915, welcoming 456 young men and women to their first classes in the College of Liberal Arts, the School of … Continue reading →

In 1910 Dallas, a growing, chest-thumping city of commerce in northeast Texas, was earmarked as the best unoccupied site in the nation for a new college. Such was the stated opinion of the executive secretary of the General Education Board … Continue reading →

Although most of SMU’s founders were men, women students, faculty and donors played a vital role in the beginning of Southern Methodist University. During the first school year in 1915-16, women made up 21 percent of the student body. Of the 37 professors and instructors, five were women.
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To help celebrate the 2011 centennial of SMU’s founding, SMU Magazine introduces a series of articles that chronicle the University’s past. In the beginning … Robert Stewart Hyer and the founding of SMU.
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A 1941 photo captures four young people who would play major roles in SMU’s future.
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SMU’ tradition of drawing area residents to campus for cultural events began with the Community Course series in 1939.
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Meet the hub of SMU spirit – the Mustang band, making music since 1917.
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The 1935 Mustangs were among the most talented teams in SMU history. Led by first-year coach Matty Bell, the Mustangs won 12 games, highlighted by a 20-14 win over TCU and Sammy Baugh. A win the following week over Texas A&M capped off the undefeated regular season. SMU won the Southwest Conference, held on to its No. 1 ranking and earned the right to face Stanford in the Rose Bowl.
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