Donors Gifts Support Residential Commons

Harlan and Katherine Raymond Crow ’94 of Dallas are the newest donors who are supporting SMU’s new Residential Commons complex, which was dedicated May 9. Their $5 million gift is funding the Kathy Crow Commons.

They join five other donor families who are providing $5 million each to support the complex, comprised of five residence halls, a dining commons and a parking center. Designed to accommodate 1,250 students, the complex will enable all first-year students and sophomores to live on campus.
Opening in fall 2014, SMU’s new Residential Commons model of campus living includes 11 Commons created from new and existing residence halls. It will provide an integrated academic and residential student experience, with live-in faculty members who will have offices and teach classes in the Commons.
“Harlan and I have been highly impressed by the leadership of Gerald Turner and others at SMU, and the positive momentum and aspirations of the University are infectious,” says Kathy Crow. “Those factors, plus SMU’s decision to aim for $1 billion and my great pride in being an SMU Cox School alumna, inspired us to want to contribute to SMU’s goals in a meaningful and impactful way.”
Dallas civic leader Kathy Crow earned her M.B.A. from Cox School of Business. In addition to serving on the SMU Board of Trustees, she is a member of the executive boards of the Cox School of Business and the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development. She also has served in the Women’s Economics and Finance Series at Cox.
Harlan Crow earned his B.B.A. degree from the University of Texas at Austin and soon afterward joined The Trammell Crow Company. He has worked with Crow-affiliated entities for nearly 40 years and currently serves as chairman and CEO of Crow Family Holdings. He is a member of several boards of directors, including the George W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute and the Monticello Foundation Board.
The Residential Commons and their namesake donors are:
Armstrong Commons. Liz Martin Armstrong ’82 and Bill Armstrong ’82. They founded Armstrong Oil and Gas, Inc., based in Denver, Colorado, conducting business throughout the United States, and they established Epoch Estate Wines in Paso Robles, California. Bill Armstrong is a member of the SMU Board of Trustees, and Liz Armstrong serves on several SMU leadership boards.
Crum Commons. Sylvie Crum and Gary Crum ’69. Before his retirement from private industry, Gary Crum was co-founder of AIM Management Group and served as director of AMVESCAP PLC. Both are the chief executive officers of the CFP Foundation, a Houston-based charitable organization. Gary Crum is an SMU trustee.
Loyd Commons. Penny Loyd and Paul Loyd Jr. ’68. Paul Loyd is founder and principal of a private investment firm in Houston and is past chairman and CEO of R&B Falcon Corporation, the founder of Carrizo Oil and Gas Corporation and co-founder of JVL Advisors. Penny and Paul Loyd together head The Loyd Charitable Foundation. Paul Loyd is an SMU trustee.
Ware Commons. Richard Ware ’68 and family, daughter Anne Clayton and triplet sons Patrick, William and Benjamin. Mr. Ware continued a family tradition by making his career in the banking industry. He is president of Amarillo National Bank, which has remained family owned and operated for five generations. He is the longest-serving non-Dallas member of the SMU Board of Trustees.
In addition to these alumni donors, Anita Ray and Truman Arnold, longtime philanthropists supporting education, are providing funds for the Arnold Dining Commons, open to all students on campus. He is founder and chair of the board of Truman Arnold Companies, one of the nation’s largest privately owned petroleum marketing firms. Both are co-partners in a family private equity firm, TA Capital, and also serve as trustees of the Truman and Anita Arnold Foundation.
To learn more about these donors and the Residential Commons complex through video interviews, visit smu.edu/residentialcommons.