Showing 428 results

Name
Terrell, J. O., 1856-1923

J. O. Terrell was a San Antonio lawyer, judge, banker and stock breeder. Born in 1856 in Terrell of Kaufman County, Texas. He attended Trinity University in Tehuacana in the 1870s.

Taylor, Leon M. (1916-1999)
1916-1999

Leon McCord “Tex” Taylor was born on December 15th, 1916 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Mr. Taylor attended Jefferson High School in Port Arthur, Texas, graduating in 1935. In 1955, Taylor became a Trinity Alumnus when he graduated Cum Laude with a B.A. in English and a minor in speech and drama. Prior to his tenure as Director of Public Relations at Trinity University, he worked as newspaper columnist, radio announcer, sportscaster, and radio production manager. Taylor also served in Army Intelligence and Air Force Public Relations during World War II. He remained in the Air Force Reserve until his retirement in 1976 as a decorated colonel. According to Trinity Magazine, Taylor was “widely considered the dean of San Antonio public relations”(Trinity Magazine 1999, 14). He was the president of the Central Texas chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, president of Sigma Delta Chi, the national journalism fraternity, and director of the Southwest District of American College of Public Relations Association.

In 1947, President Monroe Everett created the position of director of public relations. Taylor was recommended for the position by Trinity football coach, Bob Coe, who knew him from his time in the Air Force and described him as “a publicity genius” (Brackenridge 2004, 156). Taylor was quickly appointed to the position and was instrumental to the construction of Trinity University’s public image following the move from the Waxahachie campus to the Skyline campus in 1952.

Taylor’s career at Trinity University spanned forty-one years, half of which took place under the leadership of President James Laurie. Taylor was critical to the process of moving campuses, preparing press releases and planning events, as well as ensuring press coverage. Many of the records in the Tex Taylor Papers document this period of change. In 1970, Taylor was appointed Vice President for University relations and assistant to the president under Duncan Wimpress.

Under Taylor, The Office of Public Relations was responsible for the interpretation and communication of University policies, programs, and goals. The Office also managed advertising, news, publications, special events, and the production of TV and radio programs (Taylor, 1964). During his tenure at Trinity, Taylor was involved in numerous efforts, from influencing the University’s institutional image, to directing programs in fundraising, publicity, and special events. He wrote speeches for the president and other university officials, and prepared and published policy statements and publications for the board of trustees. Taylor was also deeply involved with student life, becoming a pioneering force behind the intercollegiate athletic programs. Taylor was credited with branding such as “University in the Sun”, “the miracle of Trinity Hill”, and “Trinity of Texas”. He wrote and narrated the Trinity University film, “University in the Sun”, which was awarded first prize in its category at the 1961 honors competition of the American College Public Relations Association. He also wrote and staged 40-plus building dedications and managed the university’s $60 million Centennial Development Program.

Taylor experienced a career shift in 1983 when he was appointed Vice president for special services. By the time of his retirement in May 1987, Leon “Tex” Taylor had worked under five presidents, occupied three positions at Trinity, been an associate professor of journalism, and a public relations lecturer. Leon Taylor died on June 25, 1999, in San Antonio and was survived by his wife Juanita Thompson Taylor and his six children.

Sullivan, William C.
LCNAF n 79062647 · Person · 1912-1977

William Cornelius Sullivan joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a special agent in 1941. Following the war, he served in a series of administrative posts. He was appointed the head of intelligence operations in 1961. Sullivan was forced into retirement due to a dispute with J. Edgar Hoover in 1971. Both during and following his time at the Bureau, Sullivan was an outspoken critic of Hoover's policies and abuse of power within the FBI. Sullivan was viewed as an intellectual and an expert on the Communist Party in the United States. Sullivan died in 1977 of an accidental gunshot wound while hunting. He was married with three children.

Person · 1927-1999

Sherman M. Stanage (1927-1999) was a philosophy professor at Trinity University from 1966-1968. Prior to teaching at Trinity, he was a professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio from 1959-1966.
Stanage supported a student-led uprising on the campus of Bowling Green in 1961. He was fired from his position at the university as a result, though reinstated a year later by the institution’s board of trustees. In 1966 Stanage was contacted by friend and colleague Richard Zaner with an invitation to teach at Trinity University. Under the assurance he would receive tenure after teaching for two years, Stanage moved to Trinity.
While at Trinity, Stanage advocated the abolition of the mandatory requirement for Trinity’s ROTC program, and hosted student club meetings if they had approved location to meet on campus. Within the San Antonio community, he supported city council candidate Pete Torres, who was running against the Good Government League of San Antonio.
In December of 1967, Dean Bruce Thomas informed Stanage that Trinity would not renew his contract for the 1968-1969 school year. Stanage appealed to the Faculty Senate to investigate the matter, believing that his academic freedom was being violated. This led to considerable student protesting from Trinity students. An Investigation Committee was formed and conducted its investigation during the months of January and February of 1968. Abiding by AAUP (American Association of University Professors) guidelines, the Investigation Committee ultimately decided that Stanage’s academic freedom had not been violated and therefore no further action was needed. Stanage left Trinity and accepted a position at Northern Illinois University, where he remained until he retired.

Spurlock, William
lcnaf n 80154882 · Person · 1945-2013

William "Bill" Henry Spurlock II was born October 1945 in Chicago, Illinois, son of William Spurlock, Sr., and Anne Spurlock. His family moved to the San Antonio area around 1956, and his father operated the Ben Franklin Store in Schertz. Spurlock graduated from Robert E. Lee High School, and from Trinity University in 1970 with a BA. He studied under Professor Bill Bristow during his time at Trinity. Spurlock went on to earn a Master's degree in Modern Art from the University of New Mexico in 1974, and a Doctorate in Contemporary Art and Museology from the Union Graduate School in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Spurlock's career in art took him across the country, including time spent as a professor at the University of Texas Arlington, Director of University Art Galleries at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and Curator of Exhibitions and Contemporary Art at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in California.

He died May 28, 2013, in Fort Worth, Texas.