[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 21, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1144-E1145]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATING SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT R. GERALD TURNER

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 21, 2011

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
congratulate Southern Methodist University (SMU) President R. Gerald 
Turner for receiving a quadrangle on the SMU Campus named in his honor. 
This week current and former members of the SMU board of trustees 
approved the naming of the R. Gerald Turner Centennial Quadrangle. This 
project is currently under construction and will be complete in the 
fall so SMU students, faculty and campus visitors can enjoy this 
gathering place for many years to come.
  SMU is currently celebrating its Centennial Celebration, and I 
commend President Turner on his accomplishments and vision for the 
century ahead. I am a proud alumnus of SMU, and have greatly 
appreciated President Turner's service and leadership. He and his wife 
Gail Turner have made tremendous contributions to the university and 
this honor is well deserved.
  SMU has made amazing strides over the past century, rising from a 
small rural college to an internationally renowned university. From its 
founding in 1911 till today, SMU has graduated more than 100,000 
alumni. The outstanding achievement and leadership of those alumni 
serves as a testament to SMU's tradition of success. With seven 
different schools, SMU ranks as one of the best universities in the 
nation. The Cox School of Business routinely ranks in the top 25 
business schools in the United States. In addition to twelve alumni who 
are past and present Members of the

[[Page E1145]]

U.S. Congress, SMU has graduated such notable individuals as: John 
Tyson, CEO of Tyson Foods; former First Lady, Laura Bush; Lamar Hunt, 
founder of the American Football League; Harriet Miers, former White 
House Counsel and Supreme Court nominee; James Cronin, Nobel Prize 
winning physicist; Mary Ellen Weber, NASA astronaut; and Karen Hughes, 
former Under Secretary of State.
  For these well-known alumni, myself, and thousands of former and 
current students, SMU holds a special place in our hearts. There is a 
strong sense of pride amongst the SMU community, and the values we 
learned in school have stayed with us throughout our lives. We were and 
always will be SMU Mustangs.
  With an eye towards the next generation, SMU is not only celebrating 
the past, but planning for the future. This Centennial Celebration will 
serve as a time to ensure the next hundred years are even more 
successful than the first one hundred. I am confident that under 
President Turner's leadership, SMU will continue to thrive as a center 
of excellence not only for Dallas, but for the world.

                          ____________________