James H. McCrocklin and Billy Mac Jones papers

Collection

Identifier: 21-900-04-05-McC-Jones

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The papers document the presidencies of James H. McCrocklin (1965-69) and Billy Mac Jones (1969-73) as well as the interim presidencies of Leland E. Derrick (1969) and Jerome (Jack) Cates (1973-74). Due to the absence of a usable original order and volume of documents and materials, the arrangement was artificially imposed during processing. Personally identifiable information has either been separated from or redacted in this collection. Note that some papers and correspondence date to President John Flowers time, and were found filed with these papers.

The accession is divided into two series: Internal and External. Internal documents encompass the internal workings of the university, such as administrative departments, internal correspondence, student groups, and university government. External documents contain records, documents, and correspondence pertaining to the university’s relationship with local communities, other colleges and universities, and state and federal governments.

The Internal files consist of five subseries. Academic documents include degree programs, personnel information, policy council documents, and correspondence between university Vice Presidents’ offices. The Events and Awards subseries is comprised primarily of commencement and homecoming documents, including invitations and programs. The Student Correspondence subseries includes correspondence to and about students as well as correspondence from various deans and directors. The Student subseries is composed mainly of fraternity and sorority documents and student senate bills and minutes. The University Administration subseries includes documents related to the functioning of the university itself, such as building maintenance, executive council minutes, and receptions for faculty and freshmen.

The External files consist of twenty-seven subseries. Academic Programs and Proposals includes documents about bilingual programs and the ROTC, as well as other topics. Two subseries involve Associations and Organizations – one Academic, and one Nonacademic. The Academic group includes various organizations the university belongs to, such as the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), and the Texas Association of College Teachers (TACT). The Nonacademic group includes outside organizations, such as the Boy Scouts of America, the Lions Club, and the Red Cross. The Business Affairs subseries includes architectural correspondence, purchase orders, and other documentation related to large businesses, such as Coca-Cola, IBM, and Xerox.

Three subseries involve newspaper clippings on various topics – Chronological, Presidents, and SWTSU. Notably, the Presidents subseries includes newspaper articles regarding President McCrocklin’s plagiarism controversy. The Conferences subseries includes conferences put on by Texas State as well as outside organizations.

Eleven subseries include correspondence files – Colleges and Universities, General, Inquiries, Invitations, Johnson Family, Outside Communities, Presidents, SWTSU Employment, SWTSU Faculty, SWTSU Programs, and SWTSU students. The Colleges and Universities subseries is primarily composed of correspondence to and from other state colleges. The General Correspondence subseries is sorted alphabetically by the first letter of the last name, or (in the case of companies) by the first letter of the organization name. The Inquiries subseries includes administrative, employment, and enrollment inquiries.

The Federal Government subseries includes budgets, pamphlets, and proposals from the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), now known as the Department of Health and Human Services. It also contains reports and documents from the Selective Service. The Grants, Scholarships, and Donations subseries includes information about the funding provided by both private and public donors, such as Dow Chemical, Exxon, and J.C. Kellam.

The Other Communities subseries includes files from Galveston, Lake Travis, and South Texas. The San Marcos subseries includes information about San Marcos banks, schools, and other local businesses. Additionally, this subseries contains Hays County information about history, schools, and hospitals. The Special Events subseries includes information about the college bicentennial program, the College Bowl, and the annual friendship gathering.

The State Government subseries includes documents from multiple state departments and committees, such as the Governor’s Committee on Public Education; Offices of the Attorney General, Governor, and Lieutenant Governor; and the Texas Departments of Agriculture, Corrections, Mental Health, Public Safety, and Public Welfare. The University Governance subseries is primarily comprised of documents pertaining to the Board of Regents, evaluation documents, and the Texas Education Agency.

Dates

1935-1988
Majority of material found within 1964-1974

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers with some restrictions. Student information is redacted from some documents due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99). Copies have been made with the information redacted. Original materials will be made available 100 years after date of creation.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright held by Texas State University. Educational reproduction is allowed without permission. Authorization to publish must be obtained from the Special Collections and Archives.

Archives and Records Request Form: https://askalibrarian.library.txstate.edu/form?queue_id=6934

Historical note

This accession of presidential papers dating from 1965-1974 consists of the merged files of four individuals who served as president during a 10-year period.

James H. McCrocklin, fourth president, 1965-1969:
McCrocklin drew the college into the national spotlight, beginning with an inaugural address by President Lyndon B. Johnson, who later returned to campus to sign the Higher Education Act of 1965. McCrocklin led the school through five years of explosive growth and national turmoil, reorganizing it into five schools, modernizing many of its processes, and easing free-speech restrictions on students.

Leland Derrick, acting president, 1968, 1969:
Derrick’s 45-year career at SWT began as an instructor in English in the fall of 1926. He worked his way up to full professor, becoming director of the English Department in 1954 and Dean of Graduate Studies in 1958. In 1965 he added the title of Vice President of University Affairs. Derrick served as acting president from July 1968 to January 1969, and from April to September 1969.

Billy Mac Jones, fifth president, 1969-1973:
The college became a university as Jones' presidency began. Growth and national turmoil continued during Jones’ four-year tenure as president. Enrollment soared to 11,804 as Jones began his last year in fall 1972. The changing times included the LBJ Student Center (now the Academic Services Building) and Education Building, a new speech/drama center, and a five-school liberal arts college replaced by a three-school university.

Jerome (Jack) Cates, interim president, 1973-1974:
Cates joined SWT in 1950 as a professor of business administration and held the title of Vice President for Fiscal Affairs. He served under five presidents in his 25-year tenure, and spent nearly a full year as the university’s interim president, from August 21, 1973 to July 15, 1974.

Sources:
Texas State University, Office of the President, Past Presidents: http://www.president.txstate.edu/presidents-office/past-presidents.html
University News Service morgue files

Extent

40.66 Linear Feet (48 boxes (partially processed))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

These papers document the presidencies of four individuals who served as president during a 10-year period from 1965-1974 consists of the merged files . The merged files encompass the internal workings of the university, such as administrative departments, internal correspondence, student groups, and university government. External documents contain records, documents, and correspondence pertaining to the university’s relationship with local communities, other colleges and universities, and state and federal governments.