SMU remembers William “Bill” L. Hutchison ’54, ’55 for service and leadership to SMU

A family man actively involved in the Dallas community, Hutchison is survived by his four children – Katie Hutchison Gordon ’86; Charles D. Hutchison ’88, ’90; William L. Hutchison, Jr. ’80; and Gail Hutchison Smith ’74 – and by his grandchildren.

“Bill Hutchison was an honored and cherished member of the Mustang community,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. “He served as SMU trustee in the 1980s, boldly leading SMU through tumultuous and productive years. He and his late wife, Patsy, were instrumental in reinvigorating the SMU-in-Taos campus and Cultural Institute. Bill could always be counted on for great conversation and wonderful insight. Gail and I will miss spending time with him in New Mexico every summer.”

A proud Dallas native, Hutchison graduated from Highland Park High School in 1950, where he and his late wife, Patsy Pinson Hutchison ’54, were high school sweethearts. In 2004, he received the school’s Distinguished Alumni Award. The Hutchisons both went on to attend SMU. He graduated in 1954 with a Bachelor of Arts in pre-law and in 1955 with a Bachelor of Laws, and she graduated in 1954 with a Bachelor of Science in elementary education. During his time at the University, he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and a founding member of the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law fraternity.

Hutchison served as the president of Hutchison Oil and Gas Corp., a private investment company, and as the chairman, president and CEO of Texas Oil and Gas Corporation, an intrastate pipeline company that was acquired by U.S. Steel Corporation in 1986.

Deeply involved in his community, Hutchison was an active member of several petroleum and bar associations, as well as the Dallas Country Club, Dallas Petroleum Club, Dallas Gun Club and Highland Park Presbyterian Church, among others

On campus, Hutchison served on the SMU Board of Trustees from 1981–1987 and was named trustee emeritus in 1995. He received the SMU Distinguished Alumni Award in 1990 and Dedman School of Law Distinguished Alumni Awards in 1999 and 2008. He was also presented with an Honorary Letterman Award in 2011.

He and Patsy, married for 65 years before her death in 2018, were loyal supporters of the University, particularly of the Fort Burgwin Campus at SMU-in-Taos. There, they provided the gifts to build the Chapel at Fort Burgwin, which was consecrated as a United Methodist chapel in 2014. The gift was made in memory of their mothers: Ima Leete Hutchison ’25 (1901–1991), Bill’s mother, and Flora Hedleston Pinson (1913–2010), Patsy’s mother. In addition, the Hutchisons supported the Ima Leete Hutchison Concert series at SMU-in-Taos and served on the 50th Reunion Committee for the class of 1954. They also provided funds to support endowed chairs, scholarships and program funds such as the Hutchison Endowed Scholarship Program Fund in the Dedman School of Law.

“Bill’s lifelong devotion and generosity to SMU were inspirational, as was the sage advice and perspective he had on our community and what it means to serve,” said Brad E. Cheves, senior vice president for Development and External Affairs. “The Hutchisons’ legacy of impact at SMU will be felt for generations through our students and the work we do. We will forever be grateful for them and their family’s service and support.”