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
“You’re in Ebby Halliday Country”
An award-winning advertising strategy played an important role in Ebby Halliday Realtors, Inc. decades long success. Weekly ads in the major newspapers: The Dallas Morning News, Dallas Times Herald and Fort Worth Star Telegram reached millions of potential clients and made the company’s brand a household name and generated millions in sales. The Ebby Halliday papers…Continue Reading “You’re in Ebby Halliday Country”
Ebby and SMU
Ebby Halliday 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…Continue Reading Ebby and SMU
Ebby and M.L.S. Enter the Computer Age
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…Continue Reading Ebby and M.L.S. Enter the Computer Age
Diplomats in DeGolyer Library
Ambassadors and members of the Foreign Service represent United States interests abroad, implement foreign policy, and maintain peaceful relationships with other countries. The DeGolyer Library has a few collections from United States diplomats who served in Latin America. The earliest manuscript is not from an American, rather it is a diary from Spanish Minister to…Continue Reading Diplomats in DeGolyer Library
The Charm Offensive
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…Continue Reading The Charm Offensive
Modern Love
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…Continue Reading Modern Love
Texas League opening day
April 6 is opening day for the Texas League, the minor league baseball organization that includes teams from Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, and Tennessee. The Frisco Rough Riders are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, and over the years these notable players have moved up to the Texas Rangers: Elvis…Continue Reading Texas League opening day
Gerry York — A Team Player
The DeGolyer Library lost a shining light and mentor on March 18. Gerry York, 87, class of 58, Southern Methodist University sports historian, fan, volunteer, and loving husband, father, and grandfather, died from complications from a stroke. Almost 25 years ago, Gerry and Ed Wisneski created Heritage Hall, a museum documenting SMU’s athletics history and…Continue Reading Gerry York — A Team Player