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Marshall Terry has had a long relationship with SMU, beginning when he came to Dallas and to SMU as a transfer student (from Amherst and Kenyon) in 1951. He stayed and graduated in 1953, having by then begun the process of moving his roots from Ohio to the Southwest. His degree was in English and his passion was writing. He stayed on to do a Masters degree in English at SMU and his first employment with the University was at this time as a Teaching Fellow in 1954. After a rich experience at the Sam Bloom Advertising Agency Marsh was, in 1958, invited to return to SMU by then President Willis M. Tate. In this return to his alma mater Marsh would have a close relationship not only with Tate but with each of the succeeding presidents and a number of the provosts of the University. In some instances it was an official relationship, as it was with Tate for whom Marsh worked as Director of University Relations. In other presidencies it was an unofficial one, reflecting Marsh's experience, wisdom and his known devotion to the best interests of SMU. Of Marsh's many and important contributions to the University these relationships may well be the most important.
During much of his time in the Tate administration Marsh had taught part time as an Instructor in the Department of English. Toward the end of those years Marsh expressed a desire to return to full time teaching. With reluctance, Tate agreed and so in 1965 Marsh returned to the Department of English full time as Assistant Professor – a courageous thing to do since he did not possess the then-almost-requisite-for-tenure Ph.D. Nevertheless, by dint of steady and recognized production as a writer, great success as a teacher and the level head and institutional knowledge that had always been important "arrows in his quiver," Marsh rose through the ranks to become Professor, and in 1998 was named E. A. Lilly Professor. In addition, he served twice as Department Chair and has served the university in numerous other ways, including founding SMU's Literary Festival, the Chairmanship (and driving force) of the Commission on Undergraduate Studies (better known as the Terry Commission) and as President of the Faculty Senate.
As a writer, Marsh has published 10 books and numerous short stories, essays and reviews. The books range from a Northway family series that includes Tom Northway and Land of Hope and Glory to books such as Ringer and Tex Rex that depict the character and characters of Texas and the Southwest. Short stories are also diverse in subject but include such significant contributions as "The Antichrist" which describes the anti-Semitic challenge that SMU and its faculty met and dealt with as a result of the strident writings and teachings of one of its faculty. He has also written, and continues to revise, From High on the Hilltop: A History of SMU. Marsh has also been active in the professional organizations that relate to writing and to teaching. Significant among these is The Texas Institute of Letters, of which Marsh is a Past President and where he was recently elected a Fellow, a limited company which includes the likes of J. Frank Dobie, Walter Prescott Webb, and Lon Tinkle.
James E. Brooks Institute for the Study of Earth and Man
