This week we remember Horton Foote’s birthday on March 14, 1916. Foote was a Texas playwright and screenwriter, whose award-winning work includes the play A Young Man in Atlanta, and the films To Kill a Mockingbird and Tender Mercies. He is also known for his play and film, The Trip to Bountiful, which has been…Continue Reading Horton Foote
Born in Lindale, Texas, as the oldest child and only daughter of William and Jesse Anderson, Vivian Lou Anderson was raised on the family dairy farm in East Texas. Determined at a young age to become a writer, Castleberry taught herself to read before entering school. She attended high school in Athens, Texas, and earned…Continue Reading A Woman’s Work is Never Done-Vivian Castleberry
News from the DeGolyer Library March 2020 Southern Methodist University Visit our Website The Degolyer Library, along with the SMU Libraries, closed to visitors on Wednesday, March 17th, and staff began the transition to working from home. While the physical building may be closed, the DeGolyer Library is still open to patrons and visitors, virtually….Continue Reading News from the DeGolyer Library March 2020
It’s been 184 years since the battle of the Alamo was fought between February 23 and March 6, 1836 in San Antonio, Texas. Stephen Hardin’s Handbook of Texas article explains the context of these thirteen days that eventually led to Texas’ independence from Mexico. Lon Tinkle’s papers contain manuscripts for his 1958 book, 13 Days…Continue Reading Remember the Alamo
One of the last survivors of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Kirk Douglas died on February 5, 2020 at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif. He was 103. After an impoverished childhood with Jewish immigrant parents and six sisters, Douglas made his film debut in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Douglas’s rugged…Continue Reading Kirk Douglas, Passing of a Hollywood Icon
Impeachment of the President of the United States has been rare. Only three presidents have been impeached for “high crimes and misdemeanors”: Andrew Johnson (1868), Bill Clinton (1998), and Donald Trump (2019). Richard Nixon resigned from office before he almost certainly would have been impeached by the House and likely convicted by the Senate. Presidential…Continue Reading Impeachment Season
News from the DeGolyer Library February 2020 Southern Methodist University Visit our Website Our Upcoming Exhibit The World at War, 1939-1945: Stories and Images Coming March 2020 For the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, the DeGolyer Library will draw on its holdings to examine the conflict through the experience of participants, in…Continue Reading News from the DeGolyer Library February 2020
It’s that time of year again. No, I’m not talking about a time of goal setting, resolution making, and making plans for the future. It is the time of year where I am reminded of just how many movies, actors and actresses I am currently unaware of, and what I have missed in popular culture…Continue Reading And the Award Goes To…
News from the DeGolyer Library January 2020 Southern Methodist University Visit our Website Our Current Exhibit Andy Hanson: Picturing Dallas, 1960-2008 From January 2 to January 29 Hillcrest Foundation Exhibit Hall, Fondren Library Celebrate Andy Hanson’s long career in Dallas, where he was a staff photographer for the Dallas Times Herald , covering society, politics, the performing…Continue Reading News from the DeGolyer Library January 2020
It’s always fun to come across evidence of provenance in our collection. From bookplates belonging to eighteenth century aristocrats, to the carefully written name of a young reader on the front page of a nineteenth century children’s book, I can’t help but imagine the life of a book’s previous owners. For our newly accessioned copy…Continue Reading Hollywood Bookshelves