Excerpt
The following is from the Dec. 23, 2006, edition of The Dallas Morning News.

Opinion: A Big Boost for Dallas

Fifty years or more from now, when big-think people gather to discuss Dallas' development, they will look back to yesterday as one of the city's pivotal moments.

The announcement that the White House will start negotiations with Southern Methodist University about a George W. Bush library, museum and possible institute gives Dallas the chance to add a new layer to its intellectual life.

Just ask Austin what happened when the LBJ Library and School of Public Affairs arrived in the 1970s. The library, museum and school brought scholars to research the Johnson presidency, participate in conferences and prepare graduate students for public life.

Whether you support Mr. Bush or can't stand his administration, there's a historical significance to his tenure that goes beyond partisanship. The first major attack on the U.S. mainland. The battle against terrorism. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A devastating hurricane. A bipartisan effort to upgrade schools. And responses to border issues.

Long after today's tumult subsides, experts will examine how those events – and so many others – affected America and the world.

We hope the Bush complex also benefits America's future. A serious research institution would allow experts to add to the nation's debate on many fronts.

A discussion already has started at SMU about the academic freedom such an institution would have. That's a worthy debate, which we hope will lead to an operation like the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. While right-of-center in its approach to many issues, Hoover brings in a range of scholars to work on large international and domestic problems.

The fact that SMU could host all this work will not only benefit the university, it also will strengthen the city. Everyone knows Dallas as a financial center. If negotiations go right, the complex will seed its creative class.

As we said, this could be a turning point.