The Latina and Latino History of Southern Methodist University Aaron E
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Southern Methodist University SMU Scholar Student Research History Fall 2011 The Latina and Latino History of Southern Methodist University Aaron E. Sánchez Southern Methodist University Ruben A. Arellano Southern Methodist University Nyddia Hannah Southern Methodist University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_history_student Part of the Latin American History Commons Recommended Citation Sánchez, Aaron E.; Arellano, Ruben A.; and Hannah, Nyddia, "The Latina and Latino History of Southern Methodist University" (2011). Student Research. 1. https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_history_student/1 This document is brought to you for free and open access by the History at SMU Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Student Research by an authorized administrator of SMU Scholar. For more information, please visit http://digitalrepository.smu.edu. Published by The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs Fall 2011 The latina and latino History 01 southern Methodist University By Aaron Sanchez, Ruben Arellano, and N yddia Hannah Table 01 contents Published by The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs lnirodndion 1 Fall 2011 The 1910s and 1920s 2 The 1930s 4 The 1940s 6 The 19.'iOs 9 The 1960s and 1970s 11 The 1980s 16 The 1990s and 2000s 18 The Se~ond Century of Latinas 21 and Latinos ai SMU Noies 23 SMU Latino History Project Lisi of Images 27 Southern Methodist University Multicultural Student Affairs P.O. Box 750397 Dallas, Texas 75275 Cover image: "Senor y Senorita Rodriguez, y Senor Gomez. These are representatives in Southern Methodist University, from Mexico." Courtesy ofSMU's 1917 Rotunda yearbook. 111 Introduction The 1910s and 1920s As Southern Methodist University embarks on its second century The history of Latinas/cs at SMU is tied to the developments of of existence, much has changed in the city, state, country, and even the regional and national history, as 'well as the history of the institution itself. world. In 1911, when the Methodist Church chartered the university, Dallas When SMU opened its doors in the fall of 1915, the world was on the brink was a city of just over 92,000. Today, Dallas is an important metropolitan of great changes. The Industrial Revolution of the late nineteenth century city of 1.2 million people. The first president, Robert S. Hyer, had recruited impacted urban centers all over the world. The United States, as a relatively thirty-five faculty to teach the young minds at SMU. Today, there are over young nation, had become the industrial heart of the world. B(1913, the 1 650 faculty members still committed to engaging young, open minds. U.S. produced a third of industrial output across the globe. In addition, the When classes began in 1915, SMU was housed entirely in Dallas Hall, railroad had connected the nation just decades before, creating a truly including offices, classrooms, and dormitories. There was one other national market and culture. For many cities in Texas, the railroad provided building, a dormitory for women. SMU opened its doors with 706 students, the economic opportunities for growth. It brought people and goods in and I . almost all from Texas. It was the largest opening of any university in the transported material out to be sold. It was the railroads that brought the first United States, with the exception of the University of Chicago.2 large groups of Mexicans to North Texas. Before the Mexican Revolution The campus was an isolated building on a hill on the outskirts of of 1910, the ethnic Mexican5 population of Dallas consisted of fewer than town and it was the last stop on the trolley line. After getting off of the 1,000.6 But the Revolution would bring over a million Mexican nationals to rickety streetcar that hobbled over rusty rails-it affectionately came to be the United States, and many of them chose to move to Texas. In 1910 the called "The Dinky"-students still had to walk from the corners of Hillcrest population of ethnic Mexicans in Texas was 226,466, and by 1920 the 3 and University on a boarded path to Dallas Hall. Today, SMU is no longer population had increased to 388,675.7 It would nearly double again to a peripheral building on a hilltop on the outskirts of town. SMU is now at 683,681 in 1930.8 the center of the city, geographically and academically. The campus The ethnic Mexican population of Dallas grew, too. In 1910, the extends over 290 acres, contains 90 buildings, and is home to 11,000 population comprised only 583 people.9 By 1920, that number had grown 4 students, not including the Plano, Texas and Taos, New Mexico campuses. to 2,838 people who spread across four barrios: Little Mexico, East Dallas, The university has established a national reputation and is home to ~d small neighborhoods in South and North Dallas. 10 Little Mexico was some of the most preeminent scholars in the country. SMU has come a long by far the largest barrio in the city and it was the oldest. The barrio's way since 1915 indeed. As the second century of SMU is celebrated, much history dated to the beginning of the century with the introduction of the will be written about the history of SMU, but what of the history of Latina railroad to Dallas. Ethnic Mexicans working for the railroad made their and Latino students at SMU? What is their story here? As students, homes near the tracks of the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas railway (which faculty, administrators, and alumni look back at the 100 year history of this would later be the foundation for the KATY trail in Uptown). 11 By the late institution, will they see that this place has many stories, many voices, and 1920s, Little Mexico was home to seventy-nine percent of the ethnic many faces? Mexican community in Dallas. 12 It was a well-established and diverse 2 community that began to make impacts within the city. By 1930, Little relations. 17 In areas where Mexicans occupied the lowest of working 13 Mexico's population had soared to over 15,000 people. positions, ethnic Mexicans experienced the worst racism. And while there The growth of the ethnic Mexican community in Texas and the was a long history of racial antagonism stretching from the early nineteenth growth of SMU were not isolated from one another. These two tandem century, changes in the economic system exacerbated these feelings. 18 developments could be seen in SMU student rolls. When the university Across the state, ethnic Mexicans attended separate schools and could not 19 opened its doors in the live in the same neighborhoods as Anglos. , fall of 1915, the first However, race relations in the United States were built upon the Spanish-surnamed history of slavery in this nation. In a world of black and wliite, ethnic individuals enrolled: one Mexicans were some shade of grey. For that reason, class became an male ministerial student, important factor. Many wealthy ethnic Mexicans could "pass" the various A. R. Rodriguez, and social tests of acceptability. 20 In addition, the Methodist mission for one female, Anastasia R. conversion, at times, superseded the call for white supremacy. As a result, Rodriguez, who is only some ethnic Mexicans found themselves in socially-elevated places across listed as an "Adult the country-like SMU in Dallas, or in other cities such as Kansas City and Special."14 A year later, A.R. Rodriguez, Anastasia Rodriguez, and Santiago Gomez, St. Louis. Students like Santiago Gomez, A.R. Rodriguez, and Anastasia SMU Rotunda, 1917. in the fall of 1916, Rodriguez were the vanguard of a changing America that many people another male ministerial student named Santiago Gomez enrolled, though could not begin to imagine. none of these first Latino students would graduate from the university. By 1920, an additional fifteen Spanish-surnamed students were registered at The 1930S 15 SMU. Most of these students were from Texas, although a few were With the enrollment of fifteen international students. The majority of those from Texas were from Dallas, additional Spanish-surnamed students at SMU in 16 San Antonio, and Laredo. the 1920s, the decade saw the first Latinos to The appearance of Spanish-surnamed students, initially students of graduate from the university. In 1927, the first ethnic Mexican descent, before the official racial integration of SMU (the Latino graduated from the School of university was integrated in 1954) had to do with the ambivalent racial Theology-Oscar Machado da Silva, a citizen of position of ethnic Mexicans in the United States. In South Texas there Brazil.21 In 1928, Victor Manuel Cano, an. existed a form of Jim Crow segregation in which Anglos and ethnic international student from Lima, Peru, graduated Mexicans were separated from one another. In the southern parts of the 22 Oscar Machado da Silva, from SMU with a degree in Spanish. These SMU Rotunda,1927. state, class factors and the transformation of the Mexican ranch-an first Latino graduates came on the eve of the Great Depression. The nation institution which had a long history in Texas-to the Anglo farm upset race found itself trying to save every dime it could and SMU was no different. 4 The president of the university at the time, Charles Selecman, would walk Mexican-American woman graduate of SMU. 29 By 1939, over twenty around to classrooms and buildings and tum off lights in an effort to save Spanish-surnamed students had attended SMU. 30 money. 23 SMU faced several difficulties during the Great Depression: Aurora Rodriguez was the "daughter of the first Spanish-speaking enrollment fell by roughly 1,000 students, all salaries were reduced by Presbyterian minister in Dallas."31 She was also "the first Hispanic twenty percent, the president's salary was cut by a third, and faculty salaries personality to work for PBS's Dallas Channel, were cut again by fifty percent in the summer of 1933.24 But the university KERA," and "taught at W.E.