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History
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1956 to 1984: Development of the Modern Law School 1985-present: Continuing the Tradition
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1956 to 1984: Development of the Modern Law School Soon after the Morrison Constitution Hall opened in the fall of 1955, it was touted as one of the most advanced teaching facilities in the southwest region of the United States. The three-story, air-conditioned building contained a courtroom-auditorium, a small appellate courtroom, and four classrooms. The library, which contained about 30,000 volumes by 1956, had a capacity to hold about 50,000 volumes. Whereas the old facility limited the ability of the law school to attract students, the Morrison Constitution Hall opened the door to significant increases in enrollment. One-hundred-seventy students were enrolled in the fall of 1956, and gradual increases led to an enrollment of almost 400 by the mid-1970s. Numerous changes among the faculty occurred as well. In 1956, William J. Boswell, who had taught on a part-time basis for more than two decades, joined the faculty on a full-time basis. Della Geyer, who served as law librarian for three decades, joined the law school in the same year. During the summer of 1957, Erwin A. Elias joined the law faculty. During the time that the law school adjusted to its new facility, Dean Abner V. McCall assumed many responsibilities that are delegated to other members of the administration and staff members in the current law school. During his eleven years as dean, McCall was responsible not only for long-range plans and policy decisions, but also admissions, budget, alumni relations, curriculum, fund-raising, faculty matters, the law library, placement, scheduling, and scholarships. McCall also taught courses in evidence, practice court, torts, introduction to law, constitutional law, conflict of laws, and legal profession. In 1959, the Baylor Board of Trustees appointed McCall to the office of chief executive vice-president. He was appointed as the tenth president of Baylor University in 1961. When McCall assumed the vice president position, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to appoint Boswell to the position of Dean. The law school continued to grow during this time, reaching 270 students by 1965. A number of changes to the faculty also occurred, including the addition of Hulen D. Wendorf in 1961. In 1963, the law school began recognizing the accomplishments of its alumni and faculty by awarding the Baylor Lawyer of the Year award at the annual Law Day banquet. The first recipient was A.J. Folley, followed by Leon Jaworski (1964) and M. Price Daniel (1965). Boswell served as dean for six years, then resigned to return to full-time teaching. Angus S. McSwain, Jr., who had served as a member of the faculty since 1949, was appointed as dean. McSwain would lead the law school for the next nineteen years, the longest tenure of any dean in the law school's history. McSwain emphasized classroom teaching as the law school's primary objective. By the early 1970s, The law school grew to about 350 students, and the law library increased its holdings to about 75,000. During the early years of McSwain's tenure, a number of new faculty members arrived, including Loy M. Simpkins (1965), an attorney originally from Oklahoma; David Guinn (1966), who was eventually honored as Master Teacher and is currently the senior faculty member; R. Matt Dawson (1971), a 1938 graduate of Baylor Law School who practiced law for many years in Corsicana; W. Frank Newton (1972), who later became the dean at Texas Tech University School of Law; Peeler Williams, Jr. (1972), who had served as a part-time instructor at the law school for several years; and Susan Kendrick (1973), who has served as a professional librarian for more than thirty years. In 1966, Judge Frank M. Wilson, the long-time teacher of the Practice Court program, donated to the law school his collection of 2,135 rare books and fifty documents dating back to the Middle Ages. The law school renovated the Morrison Constitution Hall for the first time in 1974, adding the Leon Jaworski Wing to improve capacity for students and library resources. Jaworski was, among his many accomplishments, a 1925 graduate of the law school, founder of the law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski, and former president of the American Bar Association. The Jaworski Wing nearly doubled the capacity of the law library, and provided ample study space for the student body. One year after the completion of the Jaworski Wing, the law school received a $600,000 gift from Mills Cox, a Houston businessman who was a member of the 1923 graduating class at Baylor. A number of faculty changes occurred in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and many of the current law faculty arrived during this time. Such faculty include Michael Morrison (1977), Thomas Featherston (1982); William Trail (1982); David Swenson (1982); Ronald Beal (1983); Bradley J.B. Toben (1983); and Michael Rogers (1984). Additional changes to the law school occurred in the early 1980s. By 1982, the law school began planning the addition of a new advocacy building and the update of the Morrison Constitution Hall and Jaworski Wing. The project, which provided the law school with four courtrooms that provided audio/visual support, was completed in 1985. The M.D. Anderson Foundation, which had also provided significant funding for the Jaworski Wing, provided significant funding for the Advocacy Wing. The Foundation has continued to be a major provider to Baylor Law School with its generous support for the Sheila and Walter Umphrey Law Center. Prior to its completion, McSwain resigned in 1984 to return to full-time teaching. Baylor appointed Charles W. Barrow, then Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, as McSwain's successor. Barrow had served as a member of the Texas Judiciary for more than 27 years and had been honored as Baylor Lawyer of the Year in 1972. |