Category: DeGolyer Library

Recent Accessions in African American History in the DeGolyer Library

Six pamphlets laid out in a grid

The DeGolyer Library has accessioned many exciting items over the last six months.  Below are some of the highlights Heroines of Jericho. Texas. Proceedings … 1936, 1942, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1963, 1973 The Heroines of Jericho, a female Masonic organization, had its first chapters in Texas founded around 1884. The organization is still…Continue Reading Recent Accessions in African American History in the DeGolyer Library

Pamela and the Early Origins of the Romance Novel

Title page of Pamela, with library stacks behind the book

For Valentine’s Day, we wanted to take a look at the romance literature within the DeGolyer Library.  Romance novels make up the biggest share of the publishing market–in 2018, they accounted for 25% of all books purchased, and in 2022, an estimated 19 million printed romance novels were sold.  But where did the genre begin?…Continue Reading Pamela and the Early Origins of the Romance Novel

Moving and Storing the SMU Archives

SMU Archives shelving with boxes

Last April, I learned that the Southern Methodist University Archives would move and go into storage during the construction of the Rees-Jones Library of the American West. Although I am excited about a new building, new storage for historical material, and new exhibit space, I was also apprehensive. Moving an archives is a complex project….Continue Reading Moving and Storing the SMU Archives

Ebby and the Legends of St. Paul

One of the many charitable organizations Ebby Halliday supported was the St. Paul Medical Foundation. Originally established in 1964 by the Daughters of Charity, the Foundation’s mission was provide the finest healthcare for all people. This aligned with Ebby and Maurice Acers’ lifelong credo of “doing good for others” and they both devoted their resources…Continue Reading Ebby and the Legends of St. Paul

Veteran and Congressman Sam Johnson ’51

Sam Johnson (’51) served 29 years as an Air Force pilot before representing Texas 3rd District in the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2019. Johnson grew up in Dallas, and joined the ROTC while he was a student at SMU. After serving multiple combat tours in the Korean War and the Vietnam…Continue Reading Veteran and Congressman Sam Johnson ’51

Exploring the Doris A. and Lawrence H. Budner Collection on Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, was born on this day in 1858. Famous for his exploits as a soldier, conservationist, and statesman, he was also defined by his progressive politics and cultivated image as a cowboy outdoorsman, forever linked in the popular imagination to images of the American West. From its…Continue Reading Exploring the Doris A. and Lawrence H. Budner Collection on Theodore Roosevelt

“I’m mad.”…Feminist activist Maura McNiel

The DeGolyer Library has processed the working and research papers of pioneering feminist and women’s rights activist Maura McNiel known as “mother of the women’s liberation movement in Dallas”. McNiel’s interest and activism had its roots at Southern Methodist University, when McNiel attended the Symposium on the Education of Women for Social and Political Leadership…Continue Reading “I’m mad.”…Feminist activist Maura McNiel

“Dandy” Don Meredith comes to the SMU Archives

Cowboys Quarterback Don Meredith on the field

  The papers of Don Meredith—SMU alum, Dallas Cowboys Quarterback, sports commentator, and actor are now available to researchers at the SMU Archives. Joseph “Dandy” Don Meredith (1938-2010) was born and raised in east Texas, where he acted in school plays, excelled in basketball and football, and graduated second in his class.  Meredith was a…Continue Reading “Dandy” Don Meredith comes to the SMU Archives

Have you heard the tale of the haunted library?

a dark library floor

Legend has it that the ghost of former SMU President Umphrey Lee prowls the west stacks of Fondren Library.  Visitors have reported hearing unexplained noises, walking through strange cold spots, and finding books that have mysteriously fallen off the shelves and onto the floor. Is the ghost of SMU’s fourth president to blame?   As…Continue Reading Have you heard the tale of the haunted library?

National Comic Book Day

National Comic Book Day on September 25 is a time to celebrate the artists, writers, and fans of the genre that became popular in the 1930s. Cartoons and comic strips appeared in newspapers in the late nineteenth century, and collections of these strips were published in book form in the early twentieth century. Slim paperback…Continue Reading National Comic Book Day