SMU alumna and author Jennifer Boswell Pickens' new book, Pets at the White House, focuses on the famous canines, felines and other pets that have occupied 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
SMU was truly fortunate in its first librarian, Dorothy Amann, a remarkable woman who almost single-handedly oversaw the transformation of the library from a miscellaneous assortment of books to a useful working collection with some claims to distinction.
As we note SMU milestones of the past 100 years, this year we also mark a new highpoint in our timeline of progress. In a rare and remarkable moment in the history of higher education and our nation, SMU hosted five U.S. presidents April 25 for the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center.
Year of the Library programs and exhibitions planned throughout the year provide opportunities to discover the rich resources and one-of-a-kind collections housed in the nine facilities that constitute the largest private academic library system in the Southwest.
In a year of remarkable experiences centered on libraries, SMU will present another history-making event when President George Washington’s personal copy of the Acts of Congress goes on display at DeGolyer Library July 14-27. The exhibit is free and open to the public.
The 43rd president of the United States was the surprise guest of honor at a colorful, music-filled, ceremony welcoming the George W. Bush Presidential Center to campus on Founders’ Day April 19. More than 3,000 SMU alumni, students, faculty and staff applauded as Bush walked down the steps of Dallas Hall to the speaker’s platform.
History marched onto the SMU state April 25, 2013. It came in the form of five presidents, including President Barack Obama. It was the first gathering of the so-called President’s Club in several years, bringing together Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, the center of their attention and expressed admiration on this day. They came to help dedicate the George W. Bush Presidential Center, housing the first presidential library and museum of the 21st century, the first such facility of the social media age, and the third to be located in Texas.
On any given night, the student “voices” of Tele-Pony gather in a call center on campus for an experience that allows alumni to share personal stories and offer advice to today’s students, while helping their alma mater thrive in its second century.
Adam Bartley, who earned a bachelor's degree in theatre from SMU's Meadows School of the Arts in 2001, plays the endearing Deputy Ferguson, known as "The Ferg," on the A&E series Longmire.
SMU's quest for the George W. Bush Presidential Center began in December 2000, when the Board of Trustees appointed a steering committee including Turner, trustees Ray L. Hunt ’65 and Jeanne L. Phillips ’76, and the late Fred Meyer, former chair of the Texas Republican Party. Trustee and attorney Mike Boone ’63, ’67 later joined the steering committee to help guide legal negotiations once SMU was selected.
