Presbyterian Historical Society of the Southwest
James S. Currie, Executive Secretary
The focus of this column on the story of Austin College is the last in a series on the six Presbyterian colleges and universities in the Synod of the Sun (the others being Lyon College, the University of the Ozarks, the University of Tulsa, Schreiner University, and Trinity University). The best resource for the history of this school is Light Townsend Cummins’ book, Austin College: A Sesquicentennial History, 1849-1999 (Eakin Press, 1999). Last year Austin College observed its 175th anniversary.
Any account of the story of Austin College must begin with the Presbyterian minister and evangelist, Daniel Baker (1791-1857), who came to Texas after serving pastorates in Washington, D.C. and Savannah, Georgia. Arriving in Texas from Holly Springs, Mississippi, Baker not only held revivals throughout the state, but he also had a vision for a Presbyterian institution of higher education. As early as 1845 the towns of Seguin and Goliad expressed interest in becoming the home for such a school. However, momentum for establishing such a college did not grow until four years later. Instrumental in locating the new school in Huntsville was the fact that both Sam Houston and Daniel Baker had made their homes there, and both had become friends.
The state of Texas chartered the school named after “the father of Texas,” Stephen F. Austin, on October 13, 1849. Its first president was Samuel McKinney who served two stints as president (1849-1853 and 1862-1870). Another and very effective president, Samuel Luckett, also served in that office twice (1871-1876 and 1887-1897). Interestingly, he was succeeded in his second term as president by Thornton Rogers Sampson, linguist, preacher, and missionary who served only two years, but later became the first president of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary (1900-1905, although classes did not begin there until 1902). In addition, Thomas W. Currie, Sr., a 1907 Austin College graduate, went on to become president of Austin Seminary.
A new era in the school’s story began when it relocated to Sherman in the fall of 1876. The move was prompted by a combination of factors: substantial debt, serious decline in student enrollment, and the fact that Huntsville was not on a major transportation road or rail line. President Luckett pushed for relocating the college and interest was expressed by the towns or cities of Austin, Wallace Prairie, Marshall (which no longer exists, but was in Grimes County), Tyler, Georgetown, and Denison. The town of Sherman was ultimately selected at least for two reasons: first, the town offered $35,000, and, second, land was donated for the school by Frederick Rice (brother of William Marsh Rice who founded Rice Institute in Houston) who was an officer of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad; Austin College board member E. H. Cushing was one of the owners of that railroad and saw Sherman as being a logical northern terminus for that railroad.
Over the years Austin College has produced many graduates who went on to seminary and entered the Presbyterian ministry. While all of its presidents up until 1931 had been Presbyterian ministers, the first Austin College graduates to become Presbyterian ministers were William McCullough and William Stuart Red (both in the Class of 1882).
Thomas Clyce succeeded Sampson and, while a Presbyterian, he did not go to seminary. However, he has been the longest serving president of the college, serving from 1900-1931. According to Cummins, it was in Clyde’s tenure that Austin College became “a modern liberal arts college” (p. 165).
The Depression and World War II presented serious challenges to the school. By 1935 the faculty consisted only of eight full-time professors.In the academic year 1935-36 there were only 100 students taking classes. Of those students, according to Cummins, “(a)fter Sherman and Denison, more students came to Austin College from Itasca, Texas, than any other town. This was the location of the Presbyterian Children’s Home, which routinely sent students to the college on church scholarships” (p. 245). One way the school survived the Depression under President Everett Tucker (1931-1943) was by having Sherman join the Civilian Pilot Training Program in late 1939. Many of the participants in that program became part of the college student body. As had been the case in WWI, Austin College provided many of the soldiers who fought in WWII.
It was during this era that talks surfaced regarding the possibility of merging Austin College with Trinity University. President Tucker favored such a move, while Vice President George Landolt opposed it. Trinity was a United Presbyterian (northern) school, while Austin College was a Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (southern) school; each was governed by its respective Synod. Talks continued throughout 1941 and it appeared that they would bear fruit. The understanding was that, if the merger were to take place, the new institution would be located in San Antonio where Trinity had agreed to relocate from Waxahachie. The joint committee of the two Synods agreed to meet on December 9, 1941, two days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. At that meeting the southern church Synod decided against the merger and the deal was never done. The dispute within the Austin College administration led in 1943 to the resignation of President Tucker.
William B. Guerrant, a member of the Austin College faculty, succeeded Tucker in the president’s office and served from 1943-1953. With the end of WWII came a significant growth in the size of the student body, especially with the passage of the GI Bill. That also helped the financial status of the school. Buildings were added to the campus, curriculum was revamped, and the number of faculty members grew.
The 1949-1950 academic year marked the centennial of Austin College. A special edition of The Presbyterian Outlook marked the occasion with articles by Guerrant, Austin College alumnus and former president of the University of Texas Homer P. Rainey, and Austin College professor of Religion Robert H. Bullock, Sr. (father of the future Outlook editor and Austin college alumnus, Robert Bullock, Jr.). Guerrant retired in 1953. His tenure as president helped heal the wounds of the merger dispute.
He was succeeded by John D. Moseley who served for the next 25 years and was the first native Texan to serve as president. These were years of change throughout the campus – new curriculum, expanded faculty, renovation of old buildings and construction of new buildings, dramatic growth in the endowment. In addition, the school became racially integrated under Moseley’s leadership.
Moseley was able to enlist the support of corporations and corporate leaders as well as entrepreneurs. Examples include Toddie Lee Wynne, an oil and real estate magnate of Dallas who chaired the Austin College board of trustees for a time, contributed much to the growth of the physical plant, including the new chapel which bears his name. In addition, Texas Instruments became a source of financial support as did Mobil Oil Company. Other leaders from the corporate and civic community included George Seibold of Kelsey-Seibold Clinic in Houston, Charles LeMaistre, former chancellor of the University of Texas system and president of the M. D. Anderson Hospital in Houston. Moseley retired as president in 1978 and was followed by Harry Smith, son of Block Smith, prominent Presbyterian leader and long-time director of the YMCA at the University of Texas.
Smith’s accomplishments included balancing the school’s budget, renovating dorms and the administration building, and building a new, more expansive library. By the end of his 16 years service the endowment had reached $80 million.
Oscar Page became the school’s 14th president in 1994 and served until his retirement in 2009. He was succeeded by Marjorie Hass who after eight years moved on to become president of Rhodes College. In 2017 Steven O’Day became the 16th president of Austin College and continues to serve today.
Despite the reduction of official ties with the Presbyterian Church, Austin College retains a covenant relationship with the Synod of the Sun and continues to graduate many who go on to serve the church in ministry. The work and service of all six Presbyterian colleges and universities in today’s Synod of the Sun reflect the high standards Presbyterians expect in higher education and they continue to make a significant contribution to the church and to their respective communities.
The Presbyterian Historical Society of the Southwest exists to “stimulate and encourage interest in the collection, preservation, and presentation of the Presbyterian and Reformed heritage” in the Southwest. If you are not a participating member of the Society and would like to become one, the annual dues are $20 per individual and $25 per couple. Annual institutional and church membership dues are $100. Checks may be made out to PHSSW and sent to:
PHSSW – 5525 Traviston Ct., Austin, TX 78738.
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