SMU TO CO-SPONSOR DALLAS HISTORY CONFERENCE

DALLAS (SMU) -- Armchair historians, genealogy buffs, academics or local citizens interested in learning more about the city of Dallas are invited to attend the second annual Dallas History Conference at Southern Methodist University, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 21, in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center ballroom, 3140 Dyer St.

The conference, which includes refreshments and a lunch, costs $25 for those registering before Oct. 11. On-site or late registration costs $35 on a space-available basis. A patron rate of $100 includes a private reception with the presenters the night before. Students may attend for $15 with a student ID. For more information about registering, call 214-421-5141, ext. 105. A campus map with visitor parking locations is available at www.smu.edu.

The conference will focus on 20th-century Dallas, including the major institutions, communities and individuals who shaped the history of modern Dallas. In addition to the presentations, former Texas Governor William P. Clements Jr. will share his memories of growing up in the Park Cities and attending SMU in the 1930s, and there will be an exhibit of historical books on Dallas, with recent as well as out-of-print books for sale.

Mike Hazel, coordinator of the Dallas History Conference and the editor of a regional historical magazine, Legacies, said he is expecting more than 200 people to attend this year's conference, including several local historical groups from throughout North Texas. "Many people are surprised to discover how many local groups there are in the Dallas area devoted to history. This is the one event where they all come together," Hazel said.

In chronological order, the topics and presenters are as follows:

• "An Unbiased Account of the Founding of SMU -- from the Hyer Family Perspective," presented by Robert H. Thomas, grandson of SMU's first president, Robert S. Hyer, who held office from the university's founding in 1911 to 1920; 9 a.m.
• "Banking on Politics: Winning the Federal Reserve Bank for Dallas, 1914," presented by Cynthia Northrup, Ph.D. candidate in history at Texas Christian University; 9:45 a.m.
• "Representative Case Studies of the Early Mexican Migrant Community in Dallas, 1910-1950," presented by Laura Gonzales, Ph.D., visiting researcher, and Bobby Alexander, Ph.D., senior lecturer and college master in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas; 10:45 a.m.
• Luncheon Address by former Texas Governor William P. Clements Jr. at 12:15 p.m.
• "Charity Begins at Home: Creating the Dallas Foundation, 1929," presented by Mary Kelley, Ph.D. candidate in history at Texas Christian University.
• "Race Relations in Dallas Since 1960," presented by Marvin Dulaney, Ph.D., chair of the history department at the College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C.
• "Origins of the Nation's Most Successful Inner-City Neighborhood Revitalization, Dallas 1975," presented by Douglas Newby, Dallas realtor and amateur historian.

Sponsors of the Dallas History Conference are the African American Museum, the Dallas County Heritage Society (Old City Park), the Dallas County Historical Commission, the Dallas County Pioneer Association, the Dallas Historical Society, the SMU DeGolyer Library, Preservation Dallas, the Sixth Floor Museum, the Dallas Public Library's Texas and Dallas History and Archives division, the UTD School of Arts and Humanities, the SMU William P. Clements Jr. Center for Southwest Studies, and the Women's Museum: An Institute for the Future.

The Summerlee Foundation provided financial support for the second annual Dallas History Conference.