Price Jr., Holland Young (H.Y.), 1985 October 8

File — Box: 3, Folder: 10

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Price talks about the difficulties he faced while starting up the San Marcos Telephone Company, the task of remaining independent in the midst of other large telephone corporations, and about his involvement with the Campus Christian Community Center at Southwest Texas State University.
Interviewed by Gay James

Dates

1985 October 8

Creator

From the Collection: Southwest Texas State University. Department of History (Organization)
From the Collection: Brown, Ronald C., 1945- (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restriction.

Biographical note

Holland Young Price Jr. (1906–1993) was born in Evant, Texas. Price grew up in the telephone business, as his father ran a telephone company. Price bought the San Marcos Telephone Company in 1949 and retained partial ownership through the 1980s. He was president of the San Marcos Telephone Company until 1976 and chairman of the board until 1980.

Price was nominated to the Independent Telephone Pioneer Association’s Hall of Fame in 1983 for his continued efforts to improve the telephone system. Under his direction, the San Marcos Telephone Company was the first in the nation to provide improved mobile telephone service. The San Marcos Telephone Company was also the first Texas company to provide long distance ticketing and computerized switching, which lowered the labor cost and improved the service time on long distance calls.

Price was active in civic matters and involved with the Campus Christian Community on the university campus. In 1985, Mr. Price established a lectureship though the Campus Christian Community Center. He also helped raise funds for their new building years before.