Author: Krishna Shenoy

Ebby did not graduate from SMU, but many in her close circle of friends and family did. Her husband Maurice Wilson Acers belonged to the class of 1925, majoring in political science with a minor in religion and received the SMU’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 1984. Her mother-in-law, Effie Elizabeth Acers was a charter member of the SMU Mother’s Club and involved with the planting of the 132 oak trees along Bishop Boulevard in 1938. Ebby’s brother Paul Hanson, upon returning from serving in the Marine Corps, graduated from SMU in 1948. Mary Fances Burleson was a student at SMU when she was hired for what was to be a “temp job” for Dallas realtor Ebby Halliday, but ended up making it a life-long career.

Surrounded by SMU alumni, Ebby felt a personal connection to SMU. She became a benefactor and notable speaker, invited to lecture and share her decades of business experience in the real estate industry. In the Spring term of 1973, Ebby participated in a panel series about sales for the Marketing-4361 class, playing the role of a “prospective buyer”. Ebby’s handwritten list of questions to grill Professor Jerry  Drake’s students are in the collection. 

• What’s the best location, best schools, best resale?
• I’ve heard of Texas’ Homestead Law–what is that and will it affect my husband and me as home buyers?

• Is it true you have termites in Texas? How can I be sure what I buy is free of termites?

• How can we be sure we get a clear title?

On December 11, 1973, Richard F. Tozer, at the time an adjunct professor in the Caruth Institute of Owner-Managed Business invited Ebby to speak on the topic of “success in business”. In 2002, she and Mary Frances Burleson addressed the Cox School of Business, speaking on the topic of executive leadership.

Ebby’s company also became a sponsor of the Tate Distinguished Lecture Series: “Ebby Halliday Companies Lecture” from 2013 – 2018, bringing broadcaster Robin Roberts, social psychologist Amy Cuddy, author Brandon Stanton, chess champion Gary Kasparov, and political strategists, James Carville and Karl Rove to SMU. 

After Maurice Acer’s death, Ebby memorialized his long involvement with SMU by establishing the Maurice W. Acers Endowed Scholarship in 1994 for deserving students who otherwise would miss the opportunity to attend SMU. In 2001, Ebby pledged to fund an endowment to support the new Hegi Career Center and name the center’s conference room after Maurice. 

The DeGolyer Library holds the papers of both Maurice Acers and Ebby Halliday.

Project archivist Krishna Shenoy is working on processing the Ebby Halliday papers thanks to a generous gift of the Ebby Halliday Foundation, to preserve and make accessible the work of the First Lady of Real Estate.

Contact degolyer@smu.edu for additional information or assistance with accessing the collections. For access to these collections or to learn more about the women of the southwest, be sure to visit the DeGolyer Library and check out our books, manuscripts, pamphlets, and photographs.

Ebby Halliday Realtors, Inc. was operating for eight years when Ebby opened her second office at 8117 Preston Road on December 13, 1953. It was during this time that Ebby became an early adopter of the multiple listing service (M.L.S.) organized by the Dallas Realtor Board and was one of the brokers to handle the first home sale by the Dallas M.L.S. She recognized the benefits the system offered to realtors, buyers and sellers by sharing properties for sale across real estate companies. It allowed buyers access to the complete selection of properties available for sale and opening to sellers a wider market of buyers, all for one commission payment. The early M.L.S system was a “display book”, a binder with typed pages and later photos of houses were added.

Ebby and her company employed the M.L.S. system to the fullest extent and at the 1956 Dallas Real Estate Board luncheon Chairman Bob Hardy reported Ebby Halliday Realtors Inc. to be one of the top three firms with the most M.L.S. cooperative transactions.

During the 1960s, Ebby was setting records in real estate, both in sales and by volume each year. In 1970, the company earned $51 million dollars in gross sales. This tremendous growth and success Ebby attributed to well trained agents and M.L.S and led her to open her eighth office in 1973 in Plano, Texas. 

Ebby approached new technologies as opportunities to better serve her customers. At a Dallas M.L.S. meeting in 1973, she said, “Technology has changed our way of marketing real estate for the better–computers, copiers, telephone systems, car telephones, fax machines and laser desktop printers. Fabulous developments making for better and quicker service to buyers and sellers and fast and accurate communication between ourselves.”

Around this time, the M.L.S system had transformed into a centralized database system called “RCS-Realtron ”, which was accessed via phone or “teletype machine linked with a computer’s memory”. By the early 1970s, Ebby had one of these computers in each of her offices, enabling her staff to “work around the clock for the client”. 

Ebby became renowned for her mastery of the M.L.S system and was invited to speak on her success at local M.L.S. meetings. Her collection of M.L.S speeches range from 1966 – 2002.  

Project archivist Krishna Shenoy will be working on processing the Ebby Halliday papers thanks to a generous gift of the Ebby Halliday Foundation, to preserve and make accessible the work of the first lady of real estate.

Contact degolyer@smu.edu for additional information or assistance with accessing the collections. For access to these collections or to learn more about the women of the southwest, be sure to visit the DeGolyer Library and check out our books, manuscripts, pamphlets, and photographs.

In 1956, the business leaders of Dallas were watching the flight of businesses from the city center to the suburbs. To combat this exodus, the Dallas Chamber of Commerce and local businesses decided to launch a campaign focusing on the purchasing power of the 112, 308 “career girls” concentrated in downtown office buildings. The Dallas Retail Merchants Association and the Dallas Chamber of Commerce set September 20, 1956 as the day to launch their big sales and advertising promotion and present a series of events recognizing women’s influence on retail businesses. Mayor R.L. Thornton proclaimed the theme as “She Works in Dallas”.

The October issue of Charm magazine, “The Magazine for the Working Woman”, paid special tribute to five honorees, who were outstanding performers in their industry:  Ebby Halliday in real estate; Frances Niles in airline sales; Joyce Tharp in insurance; Margaret Sedwich in interior design; and Harrolyn Dilley a magazine editor.Charm featured a three page article about Ebby giving details into her background and her personal and business life at the time. Her company was only a decade old and she had 3 offices, 16 associates, and was predicted to earn $5,000,000 in 1956.

W.A. Greens Department Store and Charm published a full page advertisement showcasing each of the five honorees dressed in their “6-Way Success Dress,” a wool jersey, “tubular to belt your exact fit”. Ebby customized her dress with a long scarf and a hat, of course!

On September 25th, as part of the promotion, the five leading business women were given an aerial panoramic tour over the city of Dallas in a Braniff Convair. While in the air, Sheriff Bill Decker conferred honorary deputy awards upon the group. Ebby, along with her fellow honorees, were credited with “leading the city to achieve its present status and having a direct effect on it’s growth and development.”

Project archivist Krishna Shenoy is processing the Ebby Halliday papers thanks to a generous gift of the Ebby Halliday foundation, to preserve and make accessible the work of the first lady of real estate.

Contact  degolyer@smu.edu for additional information or assistance with accessing the collections. For access to these collections or to learn more about the women of the southwest, be sure to visit the DeGolyer Library and check out our books, manuscripts, pamphlets, and photographs.

In 1965 Maurice Acers proposed marriage to Ebby Halliday. They first met in 1958 in Beaumont, Texas when they shared a limousine to the airport. He was going to Houston, she was returning back home to Dallas. Today, think of it as a shared-Uber, meet-cute. The following letters from Maurice written shortly after their first encounter in Beaumont, Texas show a mutual fascination and admiration. For seven years, Maurcie and Ebby corresponded and spoke on the phone, occasionally, meeting in person. During this long-distance courtship, Maurice was living in Austin and Ebby in Dallas. Maurice came to Dallas to see his mother, but it was also an opportunity to have dinner with Ebby.

Despite the long-distance, Ebby and Maurice built their relationship on mutual respect and admiration. Ebby shared with Maurice clippings of her countless speaking engagements at real estate organizations across the country and Maurice earned her admiration with tales of intrigue during his time with the FBI. 

They were married in a small ceremony at the Central Christian Church of Dallas on April 18th, Easter Sunday, with an intimate gathering of family in attendance. In an interview for the Dallas Morning News about their partnership, Maurice stated, “I like to joke I finally married her because I was about to become District Governor of Rotary International and I need a ‘Rotary-Anne’ to take to the Lake Placid convention.” After the convention, Ebby and Maurice honeymooned in Mexico City and brought along twelve of their closest work associates. 

Ebby and Maurice would become an unstoppable partnership in their business, civic, and personal lives. They were each other’s greatest fans. He admired her “constant thought of others” and she admired his “ability to do a good job of everything”. About their marriage, Ebby once said “Our marriage has been extremely strenuous, but extremely exciting and satisfying.”

July 18, 1972

My Darling,

You are the light of my life. The Supreme Being must have been most pleased when he sent you to me–I love you dearly and enjoyed our little vacation–love Daddy.

Project archivist Krishna Shenoy is processing the Ebby Halliday papers thanks to a generous gift of the Ebby Halliday foundation, to preserve and make accessible the work of the first lady of real estate.

Contact  degolyer@smu.edu for additional information or assistance with accessing the collections. For access to these collections or to learn more about the women of the southwest, be sure to visit the DeGolyer Library and check out our books, manuscripts, pamphlets, and photographs.

Ebby Halliday lived to see 104 birthdays and once she turned 90 years old each succeeding  milestone was celebrated with more festivities and more grandeur. Ebby’s photographs, scrapbooks, and correspondence document the public adoration of the Queen Mum of Real Estate.

In 2001, for her 90th birthday, the Communities Foundation of Texas honored her with a party featuring a cake which was a remarkable replica of Ebby’s landmark office, the white house at the corner of Preston Road and Northwest Highway.For her 95th birthday in 2006, Ebby Halliday had an ice cream and birthday cake bash at the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field.

Ebby’s 99th birthday in 2010 was a week-long extravaganza. It began with a Dallas Mavericks game, meeting Dirk Nowitzki and getting an autographed team ball in pre-game ceremonies. The next day, there was a birthday dinner hosted by Ebby’s longtime personal physician Dr. Hugh McClung’s country home in Terrell. After the McClung celebration, a jubilant Ebby was honored by Pointer Sisters at the Winspear Opera House with a concert benefiting Special Care and Career Services. On March 9th, the day of her birthday, Ebby had lunch with T. Boone Pickens and friends at his office, followed by an Ebby Halliday company birthday party. Finally, the following day there was a cake and coffee ceremony in the Flag Room at City Hall, sponsored by Mayor Tom Leppert and the Dallas Regional Chamber.

When Ebby hit the century mark, she famously said, “Go easy on the candles.” Her 100th birthday in 2011 transformed the Meyerson Symphony Center into “Cirque du Ebby” with a circus-themed cocktail reception, a gala dinner, and a concert with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and guest tenor Mario Frangoulis and soprano Andriana Chuchman.

In 2012 for her 101st birthday, Ebby Halliday was celebrated during a dedication ceremony at the school that bears her name, the Ebby Halliday Elementary in the Rylie, Texas.

To celebrate her 102nd birthday in 2013, more than 500 well-wishers – mostly sales associates and staff members of the Ebby Halliday companies dropped by famous Southfork ranch for pancakes and to pay their respects to the First Lady of Dallas Real Estate. 

Her last public celebration was her 103rd birthday in 2014, an intimate fete for local business leaders to celebrate Ebby and get a glimpse of design plans for the YWCA of Metropolitan Dallas’ new headquarters to be named Ebby’s Place.

Along with each celebration came hundreds of birthday cards with best wishes and praise, which Ebby saved and now can be found in the Ebby Halliday Papers.

Project archivist Krishna Shenoy is processing the Ebby Halliday papers thanks to a generous gift of the Ebby Halliday Foundation, to preserve and make accessible the work of the First Lady of Real Estate.

Contact degolyer@smu.edu for additional information or assistance with accessing the collections. For access to these collections or to learn more about the women of the southwest, be sure to visit the DeGolyer Library and check out our books, manuscripts, pamphlets, and photographs.