Category: Special Collections

The Iron Orchard

  This week the movie adaptation of Tom Pendleton’s epic 1966 novel, The Iron Orchard, opens in theaters. His book tells the story of Jim McNeely’s rise from oil roughneck to wildcatter in mid-twentieth century Texas, and is based on the author’s experience in the oil business.   Tom Pendleton was a pseudonym for Edmund…Continue Reading The Iron Orchard

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Trailblazing journalist Julia Scott Reed found her voice during the height of the civil rights movement in the United States.  Using her position in the newsroom, her “open line” to the black community in Dallas brought awareness and inspiration to her readers. Dallas native Julia Scott Reed was born July 17, 1917, daughter of Johnnie…Continue Reading Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Collection spotlight: Harriet Bacon MacDonald Collection

Harriet Bacon MacDonald organized the performances of notable musical acts from around the world including Sousa and Rachmaninoff among many others in Dallas, Texas. MacDonald was also a teacher of classes in the Dunning Music System. The bulk of the material in this collection was gathered during her time as an impresaria in Dallas, Texas…Continue Reading Collection spotlight: Harriet Bacon MacDonald Collection

Love is in the Air! War-time Letters Between Stanley Marcus and His Wife, Billie

As February moves on towards Valentine’s Day, one’s thoughts turn to expressions of affection and love – flowers, cards, gifts, decorations, etc. In thinking about the season, I am reminded of letters in the Stanley Marcus Papers between him and his wife. Marcus married the former Mary “Billie” Cantrell in 1932. During World War II, Stanley Marcus,…Continue Reading Love is in the Air! War-time Letters Between Stanley Marcus and His Wife, Billie

Stephen P. Jarchow Collection: new gift for the Jones Film & Video Collection

The G. William Jones Film & Video Collection in the Jake and Nancy Hamon Arts Library is pleased to announce a gift from executive producer, Stephen P. Jarchow, of elements from the award-winning 35mm film “Gods and Monsters.” Additionally, this gift includes a significant collection of original film posters and advertising materials. This generous donation…Continue Reading Stephen P. Jarchow Collection: new gift for the Jones Film & Video Collection

Notes in the Margins

Do you write in your books?  You’re not alone–in our copy of Francis Bacon’s The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh (1622), one reader went beyond underlining key points or scribbling notes in margins, and created an index where there was none. Francis Bacon wrote The Historie of the Raigne of King…Continue Reading Notes in the Margins

Corporate Christmas Greetings

As Mitt Romney famously said, “Corporations are people, my friend.” Wherever you fall on the political spectrum, corporations, at times, do act like people. This is most evident during the Holiday Season. Businesses, made up of people, mark this time of year in creative ways. Sometimes they try to increase sales, and sometimes they are…Continue Reading Corporate Christmas Greetings

A Life of Service: George H. W. Bush

A Texas icon and 41st president, George H. W. Bush (1924-2018) died November 30, 2018 at his home in Houston. Bush, the patriarch of one of the most influential political families in the U.S., was 94. Barbara, his wife of 73 years, died last April. They had six children, among them George W. Bush, 43rd…Continue Reading A Life of Service: George H. W. Bush

Collection spotlight: William Lester artwork and papers

William Lewis Lester was born in Graham, Texas in 1910.  In 1924, he moved to Dallas with his family and attended Bryan Street High School. Lester spent his senior year at Woodrow Wilson High School where he graduated in 1929.  By 1931, Lester was already showing his work with other Dallas artists, such as Jerry Bywaters,…Continue Reading Collection spotlight: William Lester artwork and papers

Primrose’s Past lives on in the Archives of Women of the Southwest

Longtime Dallas businesswoman, philanthropist, and writer Caroline Rose Hunt passed away on Tuesday, November 13 at the age of 95. In 2008 Ms. Hunt donated her personal papers to the Archives of Women of the Southwest at the DeGolyer Library. Her papers include letters, photographs, scrapbooks, clippings, speeches, diaries, awards, and business related papers from…Continue Reading Primrose’s Past lives on in the Archives of Women of the Southwest