Academics: 1885-1923

Ladies' Annex Graduation Announcement - June 1888.

Commercial School Diploma for Miss Belle G. Ragsdale - June 5, 1888.

Two pages of the Valedictory Address given by Belle Ragsdale   
Monday, June 4, 1888. To read the entire text of the speech, click page 1 then page 2. 

In 1890, Southwestern women were introduced to the first uniforms to be worn at all public functions. Back row: Cara McDavid, Sallie Mason, Laura Milam, Stella Vaughn Front row: Lillian Deckman, Mavis Templeman, unidentified, Bessie Mackin, Ida Bowman

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Women's Gym Class using the India Clubs - Circa 1909

John Howell McLean, third President of Southwestern, was a graduate of McKenzie College in Clarksville, Texas.He is the first alumnus to hold the office of president at Southwestern.  During his tenure, Southwestern began to hold co-educational classes, although men and women were not allowed to talk with one another.  Women could earn a "Mistress of Literature" degree, which had less demanding requirements than a Bachelors degree. 1897 was the last year a "Mistress of Literature" was offered.

Professor Hyer's X-ray equipment - Circa 1897

Students helped Dr. Hyer build and experiment with what is believed to be the first X-ray apparatus in Texas.  Dr. Hyer and his students took two of the first X-ray photographs in the state, according to W. Ernest Thompson (class of 1898).

Professor Hyer demonstrating scientific equipment to the Southwestern faculty. Hyer built a telegraph after reading Dr. James Maxwell's theories of wave calculation. Notably, Hyer was sending messages to the Williamson County jail, about 2 miles from campus, two years before Marconi received his patent. He built the X-ray apparatus after reading articles about X-ray experiments. The State Medical Association asked him to demonstrate the advantages of X-ray, as applied to surgery, at a meeting in Waco, Texas in 1897. Circa  1895

Seated: Professors H. A. Shands, Robert Hyer, J. R. Allen, John H. McLean, R. F. Young, W. C. Vaden
Standing: Professors L. J. White, M. L. Mourey, S. H. Moore, C. C. Cody, A. S. Pegues

Professor Hyer's Physics laboratory: Note the X-ray equipment in the center front of this photograph and the Telegraph equipment at the far right of this photograph.

Robert Stewart Hyer was unanimously chosen to serve as the fourth President of Southwestern when Dr. McLean resigned in 1897.  Dr. Hyer was a scientific researcher, an active layman of the Methodist Church, and a leading educator in Texas.  During his tenure as President, he saw the campus moved to its present site, the construction of two new buildings, the first homecoming celebration in 1909, the creation of the Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, and extensive alterations in curriculum.  Dr. Hyer resigned the Presidency in 1911 and moved to Dallas to serve as the first President of Southern Methodist University.

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Cover of the first A-N-X Magazine - January 1888 Published by the Alethean and Clio Literary Societies of the Ladies' Annex.	Editorial page explaining the origin of the magazine named A-N-X.

Southwestern University Magazine - October 1897 Published jointly by the Alamo, San Jacinto, Alethean, and Clio Literary Societies.	Announcement of the union of the men's and women's literary society magazines.

C. W. Dennis, A.M. 1898

Debate program belonging to C. W. Dennis from graduation week activities, 1898.

Affirmative stance for the 1898 Prize Debate between the Alamo and San Jacinto Literary
Societies, presented by C. W. Dennis.

In June of 1903, Southwestern's Board of Trustees decided to open a medical college that would be associated with St. Paul's Sanitarium, in Dallas. The first graduates received their diplomas in 1904. Shortly after, Southwestern's medical school operation was handed over to Southern Methodist University in 1911.

Sophomore medicine - 1906

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The Preparatory Department . . .also known as . . .

Fitting School and floor plan about 1912, as recalled by Robert Fowler.
   

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Fitting School faculty and students - 1904

Many students desiring to enter college in the late 1800s and early 1900s did not have access to some classes necessary to adequately prepare them for college.  Southwestern's Fitting School began operations in 1873 with primary, elementary, and high school classes, but dropped the primary classes after a few years.  One of Southwestern's Rhodes Scholarship finalists began his years at Southwestern by taking classes in Greek and Latin at the Fitting School while attending the University.

In later years, the university's education students did student teaching in the Fitting School under the eyes of Southwestern professors.  By the early 1900s the economic problems of the state and the increase in public schools caused enrollment in the Fitting School to drop severely.  The Fitting School was closed in 1916 and the property sold to the Georgetown School District in the 1920s.

Sam Houston Society - 1911

After several years of debate competition, the students of the Fitting School's Sam Houston Literary Society felt there would be a greater degree of rivalry if there were two societies.  The Travis and Sam Houston Societies were formed out of the old Sam Houston Literary Society in September 1901.

Travis Society - 1904

Fitting School honors list-mid-1890s 

Fitting School activities, graduation week - 1897.

Advertisement flyer and program for the Preparatory Department Glee Club performance.  From the O. W. Moerner collection. Circa - 1910

Charles McTyeire Bishop became the fifth President of Southwestern in June 1911.  In his first faculty meeting, Dr. Bishop called for the women of the Annex faculty to join male faculty in the assembly, which had not been done previous to his presidency.  The following December, he changed the name of the Ladies' Annex to "The Women's Building," to show that the women were a part of the university and not merely an appendage.  His presidency saw the first schematic design of the campus, the science department moved from the first floor of the Administration Building to the new Williamson County Science Building, development of the scholarship society now known as Alpha Chi, the first May Fete production in 1915, the closing of the Preparatory Department and sale of the original campus.  In another notable accomplishment, he hired two of the women who would become important in the history of the university, Laura Kuykendall and Pearl Neas.

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Minutes from the first meeting of the Southwestern Scholarship Society which, later, became Alpha Chi.

At the beginning of World War I, President Bishop was eager to set up a military training program for the men of Southwestern.  The university had to wait until the summer of 1918 to send one faculty member and five students to Fort Sheridan to train as instructors for the Student Army Training Corp.  The SATC program lasted from October 1, 1918 until December 15, 1918.  These two photographs are part of a group given to the University by Sue Mood McMichael.

Paul Whitfield Horn served as President of Southwestern University from 1922 to 1924, the shortest tenure of any president. He was prominent in Texas education, having served as Superintendent of the Houston School District for 17 years.  He left Southwestern to become the first President of Texas Technological College in Lubbock.

Christmas card mailed to the Southwestern Family in 1923.

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