During late summer 1958, many of Texas Instruments’ employees were enjoying the company’s annual two-week vacation. Not Jack Kilby, who as a recently hired engineer, had not accrued enough vacation time and kept on working in TI’s Semiconductor Components division in Dallas. TI was developing the micro-module program with the U.S. Army Signal Corps, but…Continue Reading The Integrated Circuit has just turned 60
Archives of the Women of the Southwest 25th Anniversary Celebration
On Sunday, March 11, 2018, the Advisory Board of the Archives of the Women of the Southwest celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the founding of the board with a celebration at the DeGolyer Library at SMU. The Advisory Board was created in 1993 to: Promote the visibility and scholarly value of archival material related to…Continue Reading Archives of the Women of the Southwest 25th Anniversary Celebration
Remembering Horton Foote
Horton Foote (1916-2009) was born this day, March 14. He grew up in Wharton, Texas and wrote about his childhood home in prose, plays, and productions for television and film. He is mostly known for his Oscar-winning screenplays for To Kill a Mockingbird and Tender Mercies, and his Pulitzer Prize-winning play A Young Man in…Continue Reading Remembering Horton Foote
Under Construction–Putting the Pieces together for an Exhibit
When people think about working in a rare book library, they imagine librarians reading books all day. What they don’t imagine is the hard physical work that we do many days. Lifting boxes of books. Shelving and reshelving books. Putting the pieces together for an exhibit. Moving the cases. Lifting the lids. Putting material…Continue Reading Under Construction–Putting the Pieces together for an Exhibit
Mr. Penney’s Farming Pursuits
On Thursday, November 16, the DeGolyer Library hosted David Kruger to discuss his book, J.C. Penney: the Man, the Store, and American Agriculture. David kept the audience entranced with a slideshow of over 100 images, and people stayed after the event to chat. Some might know that the store in the mall, JCPenney, was founded…Continue Reading Mr. Penney’s Farming Pursuits
Veterans and Their Stories
DeGolyer Library is pleased to announce that Congressman Sam Johnson ’51 will donate his congressional papers at the end of his term in 2018. Before representing Texas’ 3rd District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1991, he served six years in the Texas House of Representatives. Prior to his political career, he served 29 years in…Continue Reading Veterans and Their Stories
Helping to document the closing of a JCPenney store
It usually starts with an email from a reporter. “I am working on a story…..” The first question is “what is your deadline?” Then I begin the search for information, photographs, or anything else that can shape the story. With this assignment, the reporter was looking for specific information about the JCPenney Pendleton, Oregon,…Continue Reading Helping to document the closing of a JCPenney store
Preparing for the Christmas Holiday in 1929
Are you feeling overwhelmed by your list of things to do before December 25th? Step back in time and visit toys from the 1920s from JCPenney. Although JCPenney started in 1902, by 1929, the company was operating nationwide, had 1,395 stores, and was just beginning to pursue colorful advertising. This special 1929 Christmas booklet included…Continue Reading Preparing for the Christmas Holiday in 1929
Mr. Penney’s birthday celebrated on September 16
On September 16, 1875, James Cash Penney was born in Hamilton, Missouri. Although his retail career began in Hamilton, he moved to Colorado to find his fortune. His first store, the Golden Rule, opened in Kemmerer, Wyoming in 1902. Kemmerer was a small mining town. He and his wife and infant son lived above the small…Continue Reading Mr. Penney’s birthday celebrated on September 16
Remembering Blackie Sherrod
Bill Millsaps of the Richmond Times-Dispatch once commented on Texas sportswriter Blackie Sherrod’s writing abilities by saying that, “John Kennedy once said Winston Churchill marshaled the English language and sent it into battle. Blackie invited the English language up on the porch, gave it some four-alarm chili and a Dr. Pepper, and sent it out…Continue Reading Remembering Blackie Sherrod