Striking it rich: How Texas’s oil boom shaped DeGolyer Library Texas’s first successful oil well was drilled by the Melrose Petroleum Oil Company in Nacogdoches County in 1866, but the monumental 1901 discovery of Spindletop in Jefferson County kickstarted the Texas oil industry. The success of Spindletop led to boomtowns all over Texas where wildcatters,…Continue Reading Wildcatters and Landmen in Texas
A Texas-sized legacy Dallas plays a vital role in the United States’ high-tech industry today, but its connection to electronics innovation began nearly a century ago. In the 1930s, a small company that made seismographic tools for the oil industry set roots in the city. This early venture eventually grew into Texas Instruments, a company…Continue Reading Innovating in Dallas: The Texas Instruments story
Presidential history comes to life for SMU inauguration From Robert S. Hyer to R. Gerald Turner, this exhibition traces the legacy of SMU’s ten presidents through artifacts preserved in the SMU Archives at DeGolyer Library. Discover the leadership, vision, and milestones that have shaped the University’s history. Brynn Price, communications and engagement specialist at SMU…Continue Reading Leading the Mustang Legacy: The Presidents of SMU exhibition opens
This post was written by Kaitlin Siebert, public services librarian at DeGolyer Library, and is accompanied by an online DeGolyer exhibit. Paws, prints and primary sources Last Friday, August 8, 2025, was International Cat Day. In celebration of this momentous occasion, I explored DeGolyer Library’s digital collections in search of photographs and/or illustrations of cats….Continue Reading Show me… cats: Searching for primary sources in digital collections
Celebrating the written word SMU’s celebration of the written word organized by students and SMU Program Council began in 1975. Former SMU English professor Jack Myers recalls the early years in his essay, “Personal recollections of the SMU Literary Festival: 1975-1995,” which was published in From High on the Hilltop: Marshall Terry’s History of SMU….Continue Reading SMU Literary Festival celebrates 50 years
You step out of the second-floor elevator in Fondren Library to claim a window nook. As you turn left to examine the available space, you notice large black frames hanging on the walls, outlining prints of colorful postcards. The postcards are from the George W. Cook collection in DeGolyer Library and highlight Dallas architecture and…Continue Reading Picture This: How Students Helped Curate Fondren Library’s Artwork
On January 20, 1925, The New York Times ran the headline, “’Ma’ Ferguson Will Take Office Today,” and wrote: “ Texas is ready to inaugurate Mrs. Myriam Amanda Ferguson as her first woman Governor. From all parts of the State the people are coming and every indication is that tomorrow will be one of…Continue Reading Ma Ferguson—The First Woman Governor of Texas
SMU football fans are celebrating the team’s first ACC season with a playoff against Penn State University this week. The Mustangs and Nittany Lions have only met twice in their long history. The 1948 Cotton Bowl Classic ended in a tie, and Penn State won the 1978 game at home. SMU’s first football game…Continue Reading Pony Up! Over a century of SMU football
Worried about contentious political conversations ruining the holidays? The DeGolyer has just the sign for you! This sign comes from John Crichton of the Brick Row Book Shop in San Francisco. As Crichton recounts, early in his career, he would frequently visit the legendary Vermont bookseller Ken Leach. Ken had this broadside hanging outside his…Continue Reading Blunt Broadsides
Remembering an SMU treasure Everyone who had the chance to know Joan Gosnell immediately loved her. I first encountered Joan during my first year as a student at SMU, when I asked if she might be able to find any information on my great-grandfather who lived in Dallas. In a move that would surprise nobody…Continue Reading Remembering Joan Gosnell, SMU Treasure