Table Hosts
Sabri Ateş
Associate professor/chair ad-interim, Clements Department of History, SMU
Topic: Developments in the Middle East
Topic: Developments in the Middle East
Sabri's biography
Sabri Ateş is an Associate Professor and Chair ad-Interim of the Clements Department of History. Ates’ research focuses on Ottoman-Iranian relations, Kurdish history, borderlands and the borderland peoples, and the history of sectarianism in the Middle East. His first book, Tunalı Hilmi Bey: Osmanlıdan Cumhuriyet’e Bir Aydın (Istanbul: Iletişim Yayınları, 2009), examined competing projects of Ottoman intellectuals to keep the disparate parts of the Empire together, as well as their responses to the age of nationalism and the birth of the Turkish Republic. His second book, Ottoman-Iranian Borderlands: Making a Boundary (Cambridge University Press, 2013), discusses the process of making the boundaries that the modern states of Iraq, Turkey and Iran share. At present, Ateş is working on the emergence of Kurdish nationalism, and his book is tentatively titled Shaykh Ubeydullah Nehrî Uprising of 1880 and the Pursuit of an Independent Kurdistan.
J. H. Cullum Clark
Director, Bush Institute and Adjunct Professor of Economics, SMU
Topic: How America built the world’s best model for innovation and economic growth
He is co-author of the 2021 book The Texas Triangle: An Emerging Power in the Global Economy. Cullum’s work has appeared in City Journal, Real Clear Policy, the Dallas Morning News, and numerous other publications and has been featured in the Freakonomics radio podcast. Cullum previously served as President of Prothro Clark Company, a family investment firm in Dallas; Portfolio Manager and Equity Analyst at Warburg Pincus Asset Management and Brown Brothers Harriman & Co; and Research Analyst for the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He serves on the Boards of Uplift Education (the leading charter school network in North Texas), the Eugene McDermott Foundation, the S.W. Wright Foundation, and the Foundation for the Arts, as well as the Investment Committee of SMU and the advisory board of SMU’s John Goodwin Tower Center for Public Policy and International Affairs. Cullum earned a B.A. in History from Yale University, a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Economics from Southern Methodist University. He is married to Nita Prothro Clark, and the couple have three daughters, Lili, Annabel, and Charlotte.
Topic: How America built the world’s best model for innovation and economic growth
Cullum's biography
J. H. Cullum Clark is the George W. Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative Fellow at the George W. Bush Presidential Center and an Adjunct Professor of Economics at Southern Methodist University. Cullum’s work focuses on advancing the Bush Center’s foundational principle of private markets humanized by compassionate government and on creating prosperous, high-opportunity cities, towns, and neighborhoods as a path to expanding economic opportunity in America.He is co-author of the 2021 book The Texas Triangle: An Emerging Power in the Global Economy. Cullum’s work has appeared in City Journal, Real Clear Policy, the Dallas Morning News, and numerous other publications and has been featured in the Freakonomics radio podcast. Cullum previously served as President of Prothro Clark Company, a family investment firm in Dallas; Portfolio Manager and Equity Analyst at Warburg Pincus Asset Management and Brown Brothers Harriman & Co; and Research Analyst for the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He serves on the Boards of Uplift Education (the leading charter school network in North Texas), the Eugene McDermott Foundation, the S.W. Wright Foundation, and the Foundation for the Arts, as well as the Investment Committee of SMU and the advisory board of SMU’s John Goodwin Tower Center for Public Policy and International Affairs. Cullum earned a B.A. in History from Yale University, a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Economics from Southern Methodist University. He is married to Nita Prothro Clark, and the couple have three daughters, Lili, Annabel, and Charlotte.
Justin Curtsinger, AIA
Architect and Preservation Dallas board member
Topic: Places of Memory: The Importance of Library Collections to Historic Preservation
Topic: Places of Memory: The Importance of Library Collections to Historic Preservation
Justin's biography
As a sixth-generation Texan, Justin Curtsinger’s roots run deep. From an early age, he was aware of his family’s pride and connection to their humble corner of Texas. It is that sense of place, the journey of discovery, and his love of history and architecture that inspired him to become a preservation architect. As an associate principal in the Historic Preservation studio at Treanor, Justin works with buildings that are tangible links to the past. Many of his projects have focused on buildings with deep connections to their surrounding communities. Through collaboration with owners and the community, he works to find a successful balance between adapting historic buildings and preserving their historic character.
Anthony Elia
Director of Bridwell Library and J.S. Bridwell Foundation Endowed Librarian, SMU
Topic: Mystics, Saints, and Rebels! -- the Naughty 12th Century
Topic: Mystics, Saints, and Rebels! -- the Naughty 12th Century
Anthony's biography
Anthony Elia is the director of Bridwell Library and associate dean for Special Collections and Academic Publishing. At Bridwell, he has overseen the acquisitions of various historical theology collections, including the World Methodist Museum, archives from the United Methodist Publishing House, and the Upper Room. He is interested in the histories of paper, printmaking, typography, ink, calligraphy, and books. Looking at East and Central Asia, where the paper trade coincided with the emergence and flourishing of new schools of thought, he will recount the curious histories of the paper and print world leading up to the Gutenberg revolution in the 15th century.
Norm Hitzges
Author and sports radio pioneer
Topic: Sports and Travel
Norm is known for his enthusiasm and knowledge of sports and his penchant for and success in handicapping all sports. But especially for his first love outside of broadcasting: horse racing.
He is also the author of four books, including the highly acclaimed "Greatest Team Ever" about the early 1990s Dallas Cowboys, Essential Baseball about a whole new way to evaluate players, and a book of poetry.
Hitzges was a TV analyst for Texas Rangers games for 15 years and for Dallas Mavericks games for six years. He also spent seven years in various roles with ESPN-TV . In 1986, he became the first person to broadcast the entire NFL draft live.
Hitzges has been honored by the Texas Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame, the Dallas All-Sports Association, and the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame. He was the recipient of the 2024 Literati Award, presented by Friends of SMU Libraries.
Norm also hosts the “Norm-A-Thon”, a yearly day-long marathon broadcast to raise money for the homeless in Dallas-Fort Worth. In 25 years, the event has raised over $9 million for Austin Street Center for the Homeless.
Hitzges lives in Little Elm with his beautiful, photographer wife, Mary, two dogs named Koko and Hazel and Apple the vampire cat.
Topic: Sports and Travel
Norm's biography
A pioneer in sports radio, Norm Hitzges hosted the first full-time sports talk show in the country in morning drive time, right here in Dallas-Fort Worth, on KLIF over 30 years ago. In 2000, Hitzges moved to Sportsradio 96.7 and 1310 The Ticket. After 48 years on the air talking sports in Dallas-Fort Worth, he announced his retirement and completed his final show in June 2023.Norm is known for his enthusiasm and knowledge of sports and his penchant for and success in handicapping all sports. But especially for his first love outside of broadcasting: horse racing.
He is also the author of four books, including the highly acclaimed "Greatest Team Ever" about the early 1990s Dallas Cowboys, Essential Baseball about a whole new way to evaluate players, and a book of poetry.
Hitzges was a TV analyst for Texas Rangers games for 15 years and for Dallas Mavericks games for six years. He also spent seven years in various roles with ESPN-TV . In 1986, he became the first person to broadcast the entire NFL draft live.
Hitzges has been honored by the Texas Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame, the Dallas All-Sports Association, and the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame. He was the recipient of the 2024 Literati Award, presented by Friends of SMU Libraries.
Norm also hosts the “Norm-A-Thon”, a yearly day-long marathon broadcast to raise money for the homeless in Dallas-Fort Worth. In 25 years, the event has raised over $9 million for Austin Street Center for the Homeless.
Hitzges lives in Little Elm with his beautiful, photographer wife, Mary, two dogs named Koko and Hazel and Apple the vampire cat.
Dave Lieber
Author and journalist
Topic: Dandy Don Meredith – The First Dallas Cowboy
In addition to his work as a journalist, Dave is an accomplished author who has written 10 books. His latest is Dandy Don Meredith – The First Dallas Cowboy, winner of two national book awards. He’s also a playwright with two hit plays.
He’s a certified professional speaker with an emphasis on comedy and storytelling for business. He’s spoken to audiences across the U.S., Mexico and Canada. His work has earned him numerous local, state and national awards, emphasizing his dedication to transparency, fairness and advocacy through reporting. He also gave a highly acclaimed TED talk at SMU on how to change the world through storytelling.
When he’s not speaking or writing, you can probably find Dave searching for his lost car in a parking lot because he can’t remember where he parked.
Topic: Dandy Don Meredith – The First Dallas Cowboy
Dave's biography
Dave Lieber is the national award-winning “Watchdog” columnist in The Dallas Morning News, where he is known for his investigative reporting and storytelling. Lieber’s columns focus on topics such as consumer advocacy, public accountability and ethics in government and business.In addition to his work as a journalist, Dave is an accomplished author who has written 10 books. His latest is Dandy Don Meredith – The First Dallas Cowboy, winner of two national book awards. He’s also a playwright with two hit plays.
He’s a certified professional speaker with an emphasis on comedy and storytelling for business. He’s spoken to audiences across the U.S., Mexico and Canada. His work has earned him numerous local, state and national awards, emphasizing his dedication to transparency, fairness and advocacy through reporting. He also gave a highly acclaimed TED talk at SMU on how to change the world through storytelling.
When he’s not speaking or writing, you can probably find Dave searching for his lost car in a parking lot because he can’t remember where he parked.
Quin Mathews
Filmmaker and journalist
Topic: Building our culture through stories
Though he did not attend SMU, he studied piano at Meadows privately and later taught in the journalism division. His wife and sister are Mustangs, and his father was a grad student at SMU.
He has made hundreds of films, videos, and broadcast television programs on the arts, culture, and history, many of them now archived in the G. William Jones Film and Video Collection in the SMU Libraries.
Among recent films is “City of Hate: Dallas and the Assassination,” which has been broadcast on KERA-TV and other PBS stations. It has also screened at numerous film festivals from Hico to London. Also recently released and viewed by several thousand is “A Vision for Dallas,” a history of Dallas City Hall.
In production now is a documentary on 125 years on the student newspaper at UT Austin, the Daily Texan, a film about the artist Karen Gunderson, who for the last forty years has produced only black paintings, and a short film on the Texas artist James Magee.
Topic: Building our culture through stories
Quin's biography
Quin Mathews is a filmmaker and journalist who was born, grew up in, and lives in Dallas. He worked in television news for over twenty years and hosted radio programs on the arts even longer.Though he did not attend SMU, he studied piano at Meadows privately and later taught in the journalism division. His wife and sister are Mustangs, and his father was a grad student at SMU.
He has made hundreds of films, videos, and broadcast television programs on the arts, culture, and history, many of them now archived in the G. William Jones Film and Video Collection in the SMU Libraries.
Among recent films is “City of Hate: Dallas and the Assassination,” which has been broadcast on KERA-TV and other PBS stations. It has also screened at numerous film festivals from Hico to London. Also recently released and viewed by several thousand is “A Vision for Dallas,” a history of Dallas City Hall.
In production now is a documentary on 125 years on the student newspaper at UT Austin, the Daily Texan, a film about the artist Karen Gunderson, who for the last forty years has produced only black paintings, and a short film on the Texas artist James Magee.
Simone Melvin
Reporter, Forbes
Topic: Inside Reporting at Forbes: Celebrity Profiles, Billionaire Scoops and 30 Under 30
At SMU, she served as co-editor-in-chief of SMU’s Rotunda Yearbook and held multiple editorial roles at The Daily Campus–digital editor, arts and culture writer, book reviews editor, and podcast producer--reporting on Dallas’s vibrant arts scene and creating original cultural programming. She completed internships at the Dallas Morning News and the Dallas Media Collaborative, where she helped develop a solutions journalism guide to home repair resources for Dallas residents. After graduation, Simone went on to complete a lifestyle internship at Forbes, where she covered breaking entertainment news and helped build the ForbesLife Passport travel newsletter. Today, Simone is living in Brooklyn, and in her spare time plays tennis, enjoys Broadway shows and great restaurants, and is training for the 2026 New York City Marathon.
Topic: Inside Reporting at Forbes: Celebrity Profiles, Billionaire Scoops and 30 Under 30
Simone's biography
Simone Melvin (B.A. ’23) is a reporter at Forbes covering billionaires and wealth. Based in New York City, she previously wrote about lifestyle and entertainment for the business magazine, ranging from luxury goods and consumer trends to the entrepreneurs behind art and style. She also leads Forbes' 30 Under 30: Art & Style list and co-edits the Under 30 Food and Drink list.At SMU, she served as co-editor-in-chief of SMU’s Rotunda Yearbook and held multiple editorial roles at The Daily Campus–digital editor, arts and culture writer, book reviews editor, and podcast producer--reporting on Dallas’s vibrant arts scene and creating original cultural programming. She completed internships at the Dallas Morning News and the Dallas Media Collaborative, where she helped develop a solutions journalism guide to home repair resources for Dallas residents. After graduation, Simone went on to complete a lifestyle internship at Forbes, where she covered breaking entertainment news and helped build the ForbesLife Passport travel newsletter. Today, Simone is living in Brooklyn, and in her spare time plays tennis, enjoys Broadway shows and great restaurants, and is training for the 2026 New York City Marathon.
Pamela Nelson
Artist
Topic: “Art is the highest form of hope”
Public artworks by Nelson include designing five Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) light rail stations, designing 24 stained-glass windows for a Richardson church, creating a terrazzo floor medallion at DFW Airport, installing a color theory project, Color Equations, at NorthPark Center, and a permanent piece at UTSW Clements.
Pamela has been an instructor for Dallas County Community Colleges, the Arlington Museum of Art, the Gateway Gallery at the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Stewpot Open Art Program for the homeless in Dallas. She received her BFA in 1974 from Southern Methodist University.
Active in many community art organizations, Pamela has served on the boards of EASL, the Emergency Artists Support League, and the MAC, the McKinney Avenue Contemporary. She served for eight years and two as Vice Chair of the U. S. Commission of Fine Arts in Washington DC, a monthly review panel for public art and architecture in Washington; appointed by President G. W. Bush in 2001. She is currently serving on the Board of the College of Art and Design at UNT, and advisory board of the Museum at Jesuit Preparatory School.
Her work is included in U.S. Embassies in the Ivory Coast and Tajikistan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, at the El Paso Museum of Art, the corporate collections at MTV in New York, U.S. Trust in New York, the Bush Presidential Center, and the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Her archives are housed at the Dallas Museum of Art. Learn more: www.pamelahnelson.com
Pamela’s topic, “Art is the highest form of hope,” quoted from Gerhard Richter, will focus on public art and private collections.
Topic: “Art is the highest form of hope”
Pamela's biography
Pamela Nelson is an artist living in Dallas, working in painting, mixed media, and public art installations. Pamela has exhibited in over 100 national venues, including the Dallas Museum of Art, Austin Museum of Art, Arkansas Art Center in Little Rock, Beaumont Museum of Art, Texas, National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC, and the National Arts Club in New York City.Public artworks by Nelson include designing five Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) light rail stations, designing 24 stained-glass windows for a Richardson church, creating a terrazzo floor medallion at DFW Airport, installing a color theory project, Color Equations, at NorthPark Center, and a permanent piece at UTSW Clements.
Pamela has been an instructor for Dallas County Community Colleges, the Arlington Museum of Art, the Gateway Gallery at the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Stewpot Open Art Program for the homeless in Dallas. She received her BFA in 1974 from Southern Methodist University.
Active in many community art organizations, Pamela has served on the boards of EASL, the Emergency Artists Support League, and the MAC, the McKinney Avenue Contemporary. She served for eight years and two as Vice Chair of the U. S. Commission of Fine Arts in Washington DC, a monthly review panel for public art and architecture in Washington; appointed by President G. W. Bush in 2001. She is currently serving on the Board of the College of Art and Design at UNT, and advisory board of the Museum at Jesuit Preparatory School.
Her work is included in U.S. Embassies in the Ivory Coast and Tajikistan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, at the El Paso Museum of Art, the corporate collections at MTV in New York, U.S. Trust in New York, the Bush Presidential Center, and the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Her archives are housed at the Dallas Museum of Art. Learn more: www.pamelahnelson.com
Pamela’s topic, “Art is the highest form of hope,” quoted from Gerhard Richter, will focus on public art and private collections.
Darwin Payne
Author and historian, SMU
Topic: SMU and Dallas
A reporter for the Dallas Times Herald in 1963, Payne was in Abraham Zapruder’s office shortly after the JFK assassination and covered the events of that weekend, visiting the Texas School Book Depository and Lee Harvey Oswald’s rooming house in Oak Cliff.
Darwin, a native of Dallas, earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism and his Ph.D. in American civilization from the University of Texas at Austin. His master’s degree, from Southern Methodist University, is in History. He and his wife Phyllis live in Dallas and love spending time with their children and grandchildren.
Topic: SMU and Dallas
Darwin's biography
A prominent Dallas historian and author of numerous books, Darwin Payne is professor emeritus of communications at Southern Methodist University. His books include Behind the Scenes: Covering the JFK Assassination; Indomitable Sarah: The Life of Judge Sarah T. Hughes; Big D: Triumphs and Troubles of an American Supercity in the 20th Century; One Hundred Years on the Hilltop: The Centennial History of Southern Methodist University; In Honor of the Mustangs: The Centennial History of SMU Athletics, 1911-2010; and Dallas, an Illustrated History.A reporter for the Dallas Times Herald in 1963, Payne was in Abraham Zapruder’s office shortly after the JFK assassination and covered the events of that weekend, visiting the Texas School Book Depository and Lee Harvey Oswald’s rooming house in Oak Cliff.
Darwin, a native of Dallas, earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism and his Ph.D. in American civilization from the University of Texas at Austin. His master’s degree, from Southern Methodist University, is in History. He and his wife Phyllis live in Dallas and love spending time with their children and grandchildren.
Isabella Popo
SMU student and D Magazine editorial intern
Topic: From Student Media to Major Media
Topic: From Student Media to Major Media
Isabella's biography
Isabella Popo is a senior journalism and fashion media major at SMU. During her time in the program, she has worked as a digital writer for the student-run fashion magazine, Look, and as a general reporter for the campus newspaper, The Daily Campus. She has also worked and been published in D Magazine and The Dallas Morning News, as SMU helped propel her career by connecting students with internships at both organizations.
Claire St. Amant
Investigative journalist
Topic: Why does true crime fascinate us?
Topic: Why does true crime fascinate us?
Claire's biography
Claire St. Amant, Investigative journalist, produced crime stories for CBS News for nearly a decade, first at 48 Hours, and later contributing to 60 Minutes. She built her unconventional career one story at a time, rising through local media to national television and her own network podcast, Final Days on Earth with Claire St. Amant. Her 2025 memoir, Killer Story: The Truth Behind True Crime Television, is an inside look at the real-life drama of working in true crime. In 2026, St. Amant created and executive produced "Killer Confessions: Case Files of a Texas Ranger” for Warner Brothers Discovery and HBO Max. She is also a visiting professor at Baylor University.
Steven Stodgill
Collector
Topic: The Modern Collector
Mr. Stodghill is the present chairman (and former vice chair) of the National Advisory Council of the American Film Institute, the inaugural chair of the Dallas International Film Festival, the former chair and honorary chair of the John Wayne Film Festival, the Opening Night Host of the USA Film Festival and the co-founder and chairman of the Board of the Dallas Classic Film Festival. Mr. Stodghill sits on the Advisory Board of the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin, which contains numerous film related archives, including the collection of Robert De Niro, Peter O’Toole, David O. Selznick, Gloria Swanson and Matthew Weiner, the creator of Mad Men. Mr. Stodghill also serves on the board of the SMU Meadows School of the Arts, where he is an advisor to their film department. Mr. Stodghill serves as chair of the Senior Board of Advisors to the Dallas Film Society, which created the Stodghill Award, an award given annually to someone in the Dallas community who has made significant contributions towards the advancement of film in North Texas. Mr. Stodghill is known for his film and documentary projects, as well as his acting performances, most notably as Luke Wilson’s attorney in The Wendell Baker Story.
In 2021, Mr. Stodghill, was awarded the prestigious Silver Telly Award for his co-production of BIG NIGHT (At the Museum), a film which highlighted the legacy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. The American Alliance of Museums awarded BIG NIGHT a 2021 Bronze MUSE Award, acknowledging “outstanding achievement” in the engagement of audiences with useful and innovative programs and services and went on to receive over four million views while raising over one million dollars for The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. BIG NIGHT (At the Museum) earned three additional Telly Awards in the Concert, Non-For Profit and Fundraising, and Museums and Galleries categories.
Mr. Stodghill’s topic for discussion will be “The Modern Collector.” As a basis for this conversation, he will explore the development of his extensive collections of Batman memorabilia (the largest in the Southwest), his Old West collection (Doc Holliday’s jacket from the gunfight at the OK Corral, Buffalo Bill Cody’s megaphone, Wild Bill Hickok’s boot knife, George Armstrong Custer’s travel desk, Davy Crockett’s bowie knife), his Old Hollywood collection (Orson Welles jacket from Citizen Kane, a flying monkey head from The Wizard of Oz, a cast signed program from the world premiere of Gone With the Wind, Humphrey Bogart’s saddle, Clint Eastwood’s cowboy hat from Pale Rider, John Wayne’s Shriner hat, Roy Rogers' boots), his celebrated author collection (Tennessee Williams' typewriter, autographed materials from Ian Fleming, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker) his world history collection (letters from Harry Houdini, Mata Hari, Henry the 8th, Napoleon Bonaparte, Marie Antoinette, Charles Darwin; George Patton’s riding crop, a 140 million year old Triceratops horn) and his art collection (Picasso, Warhol, Leichtenstein, Stella, Dali).
Topic: The Modern Collector
Steven's biography
Steve Stodghill is a native Texan, who graduated from both The University of Texas School of Law and The University of Texas School of Liberal Arts (with high honors), where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Mr. Stodghill has been a commercial litigator for over 30 years at the following national firms: Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Fish & Richardson and Winston & Strawn. Mr. Stodghill has been named a Top 500 lawyer in the United States and a top trial lawyer in Texas numerous times in his career. Mr. Stodghill has represented many of Mark Cuban’s entertainment entities, including HDNet, 2929 Productions, Magnolia Distribution and the Landmark Theater chains. Mr. Stodghill is also a former Eagle Scout who has obtained the highest rank in scouting, The Silver Palm.Mr. Stodghill is the present chairman (and former vice chair) of the National Advisory Council of the American Film Institute, the inaugural chair of the Dallas International Film Festival, the former chair and honorary chair of the John Wayne Film Festival, the Opening Night Host of the USA Film Festival and the co-founder and chairman of the Board of the Dallas Classic Film Festival. Mr. Stodghill sits on the Advisory Board of the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin, which contains numerous film related archives, including the collection of Robert De Niro, Peter O’Toole, David O. Selznick, Gloria Swanson and Matthew Weiner, the creator of Mad Men. Mr. Stodghill also serves on the board of the SMU Meadows School of the Arts, where he is an advisor to their film department. Mr. Stodghill serves as chair of the Senior Board of Advisors to the Dallas Film Society, which created the Stodghill Award, an award given annually to someone in the Dallas community who has made significant contributions towards the advancement of film in North Texas. Mr. Stodghill is known for his film and documentary projects, as well as his acting performances, most notably as Luke Wilson’s attorney in The Wendell Baker Story.
In 2021, Mr. Stodghill, was awarded the prestigious Silver Telly Award for his co-production of BIG NIGHT (At the Museum), a film which highlighted the legacy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. The American Alliance of Museums awarded BIG NIGHT a 2021 Bronze MUSE Award, acknowledging “outstanding achievement” in the engagement of audiences with useful and innovative programs and services and went on to receive over four million views while raising over one million dollars for The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. BIG NIGHT (At the Museum) earned three additional Telly Awards in the Concert, Non-For Profit and Fundraising, and Museums and Galleries categories.
Mr. Stodghill’s topic for discussion will be “The Modern Collector.” As a basis for this conversation, he will explore the development of his extensive collections of Batman memorabilia (the largest in the Southwest), his Old West collection (Doc Holliday’s jacket from the gunfight at the OK Corral, Buffalo Bill Cody’s megaphone, Wild Bill Hickok’s boot knife, George Armstrong Custer’s travel desk, Davy Crockett’s bowie knife), his Old Hollywood collection (Orson Welles jacket from Citizen Kane, a flying monkey head from The Wizard of Oz, a cast signed program from the world premiere of Gone With the Wind, Humphrey Bogart’s saddle, Clint Eastwood’s cowboy hat from Pale Rider, John Wayne’s Shriner hat, Roy Rogers' boots), his celebrated author collection (Tennessee Williams' typewriter, autographed materials from Ian Fleming, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker) his world history collection (letters from Harry Houdini, Mata Hari, Henry the 8th, Napoleon Bonaparte, Marie Antoinette, Charles Darwin; George Patton’s riding crop, a 140 million year old Triceratops horn) and his art collection (Picasso, Warhol, Leichtenstein, Stella, Dali).
Andy Streitfeld
Founder and CEO, AMS Studios
Topic: The Lost Footage of Larry McMurtry
Andy Streitfeld serves as executive producer of an upcoming documentary on legendary Texas writer Larry McMurtry, timed to the release of a major new biography arriving in bookstores this March. Anchored by a never-before-seen interview, the film tells McMurtry’s story largely in his own words.
McMurtry wrote—and brought to the screen—The Last Picture Show, Terms of Endearment, Brokeback Mountain, and Lonesome Dove, a novel that remains as beloved today as it was more than 40 years ago. An enigmatic figure, McMurtry famously shunned accolades and maintained a complicated, often adversarial relationship with small-town Texas, even as he unapologetically embraced simple pleasures like Dr Pepper and Dairy Queen. This documentary marks the first full-length film ever produced about his life and work.
Topic: The Lost Footage of Larry McMurtry
Andy's biography
Andy Streitfeld is the founder and CEO of AMS Pictures, a Dallas-based media company now in its 43rd year. He launched AMS with a simple goal: to tell compelling stories on screen—a mission the company has pursued since day one. Today, Andy’s primary focus is documentary filmmaking, producing multiple films each year across a wide range of subjects. Recent releases include Mysteries of Oz, Jackpot: America’s Biggest Lotto Scam, Rolling Film, Rocking History: Al Maysles Captures the Beatles, along with several true-crime projects. AMS distributes its original programming primarily through YouTube, reaching a broad and growing audience.Andy Streitfeld serves as executive producer of an upcoming documentary on legendary Texas writer Larry McMurtry, timed to the release of a major new biography arriving in bookstores this March. Anchored by a never-before-seen interview, the film tells McMurtry’s story largely in his own words.
McMurtry wrote—and brought to the screen—The Last Picture Show, Terms of Endearment, Brokeback Mountain, and Lonesome Dove, a novel that remains as beloved today as it was more than 40 years ago. An enigmatic figure, McMurtry famously shunned accolades and maintained a complicated, often adversarial relationship with small-town Texas, even as he unapologetically embraced simple pleasures like Dr Pepper and Dairy Queen. This documentary marks the first full-length film ever produced about his life and work.
Tracy Walder
Author and national security contributor, former CIA officer and FBI special agent
Topic: The Unexpected Spy: From the CIA to the FBI
She is currently the star of the number one documentary on Netflix, American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden. Tracy was an adjunct instructor of Criminal Justice at Texas Christian University, is the national security contributor for News Nation, and appeared on the Discovery Channel’s Lost Monster Files, and History Channel’s Secrets Declassified. She is the author of the bestselling memoir, The Unexpected Spy: My Secret Life Taking Down the World’s Most Notorious Terrorists.
Topic: The Unexpected Spy: From the CIA to the FBI
Tracy's biography
Two weeks after graduating from USC, Tracy began her career as a Staff Operations Officer in the Central Intelligence Agency's Counterterrorism Center before, during and after September 11th 2001, and as Special Agent at the FBI. During her time at the CIA, Tracy lived in and travelled to countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, and served in war zones such as Afghanistan. After the CIA, Tracy became a Special Agent at the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, Santa Ana Resident Agency.She is currently the star of the number one documentary on Netflix, American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden. Tracy was an adjunct instructor of Criminal Justice at Texas Christian University, is the national security contributor for News Nation, and appeared on the Discovery Channel’s Lost Monster Files, and History Channel’s Secrets Declassified. She is the author of the bestselling memoir, The Unexpected Spy: My Secret Life Taking Down the World’s Most Notorious Terrorists.
Bonnie Wheeler
Associate professor and director of Medieval Studies, SMU
Topic: The Plight of the Humanities in American Universities Today
At SMU she has founded and is active in various intellectual projects, including international programs. She is the founder of Arthuriana, the first peer-reviewed journal of Arthurian studies, which she edited from 1994 to 2009. In addition to several articles on medieval Latin, English, French, and Japanese literature, Professor Wheeler has edited, co-edited, or co-authored eleven peer-reviewed books of essays, most of which kaleidoscope divergent theoretical and biographical information to provoke richer understandings of significant medieval women. She is editor for two book series, Arthurian and Courtly Cultures and The New Middle Ages (with more than 250 peer-reviewed books in print).
She is active in local historic preservation and in second-wave feminism. She is a founder and an elected board member of Veteran Feminists of America, which preserves the history of American feminism and advocates for the constitutional implementation of the Equal Rights Amendment.
Dr. Wheeler has received SMU’s Outstanding Teacher Award six times, and she is a recipient of the Phi Beta Kappa Perrine Prize for excellence in scholarship and teaching. She was appointed by the Medieval Academy of America to initiate its Committee on Teaching Medieval Studies and has been elected to numerous professional leadership positions. A frequent historical and literary consultant for A&E, the History Channel, and the British Broadcasting Corp., she was selected as a “Great Teacher” for the distinguished Teaching Company. At the May 2023 International Congress on Medieval Studies, the world’s largest medieval conference, she received a multitude of honors for her lifelong contributions to the field of Medieval Studies, including the 2023 Medieval Foremother Prize for her extensive publications and support for research on medieval women. A national “Bonnie Wheeler Outstanding Professor Award” was announced, which will be presented annually at the International Congress on Medieval Studies.
Dr. Wheeler was the recipient of the 2025 Literati Award, presented by Friends of SMU Libraries.
Topic: The Plight of the Humanities in American Universities Today
Bonnie's biography
Bonnie Wheeler has taught at SMU since 1975. Her major interests are medieval narrative (especially Arthurian romance), Chaucer’s poetry, medieval gender studies, and interdisciplinary pedagogy. She taught simultaneously at Columbia University and Case Western Reserve University before moving to SMU.At SMU she has founded and is active in various intellectual projects, including international programs. She is the founder of Arthuriana, the first peer-reviewed journal of Arthurian studies, which she edited from 1994 to 2009. In addition to several articles on medieval Latin, English, French, and Japanese literature, Professor Wheeler has edited, co-edited, or co-authored eleven peer-reviewed books of essays, most of which kaleidoscope divergent theoretical and biographical information to provoke richer understandings of significant medieval women. She is editor for two book series, Arthurian and Courtly Cultures and The New Middle Ages (with more than 250 peer-reviewed books in print).
She is active in local historic preservation and in second-wave feminism. She is a founder and an elected board member of Veteran Feminists of America, which preserves the history of American feminism and advocates for the constitutional implementation of the Equal Rights Amendment.
Dr. Wheeler has received SMU’s Outstanding Teacher Award six times, and she is a recipient of the Phi Beta Kappa Perrine Prize for excellence in scholarship and teaching. She was appointed by the Medieval Academy of America to initiate its Committee on Teaching Medieval Studies and has been elected to numerous professional leadership positions. A frequent historical and literary consultant for A&E, the History Channel, and the British Broadcasting Corp., she was selected as a “Great Teacher” for the distinguished Teaching Company. At the May 2023 International Congress on Medieval Studies, the world’s largest medieval conference, she received a multitude of honors for her lifelong contributions to the field of Medieval Studies, including the 2023 Medieval Foremother Prize for her extensive publications and support for research on medieval women. A national “Bonnie Wheeler Outstanding Professor Award” was announced, which will be presented annually at the International Congress on Medieval Studies.
Dr. Wheeler was the recipient of the 2025 Literati Award, presented by Friends of SMU Libraries.
Laura Wilson
Photographer
Topic: Photographing famous people and their places
Wilson’s latest project, an exploration of Mexico based on decades of travel across the border, was exhibited at the Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University in the fall of 2025. The Writers: Portraits by Laura Wilson is currently on view at SMU's Fondren Library. Comprised of over 150 photographs and inspired by the classic photo essays of Life Magazine in the 1940s and 1950s, the exhibition shows how 38 internationally acclaimed writers live and work. Another initiative, Making Movies, chronicles directors, cinematographers, and actors over the last twenty years.
Wilson was elected to the Philosophical Society of Texas and is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters where she won the Carr P. Collins award. She is on the boards of the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, Austin; The Clements Center for Southwest Studies and the Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University.
She was also awarded the Royal Photographic Society of England Book of the Year for Avedon at Work. Wilson was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 2019, which coincided with her exhibition there, Laura Wilson: Looking West.
Wilson has three sons, Andrew, Owen and Luke Wilson. She is married to Scot Dykema. They live in Dallas, Texas.
Topic: Photographing famous people and their places
Laura's biography
Laura Wilson has published nine books of photographs: Watt Matthews of Lambshead (Texas State Historical Society, 1989); Hutterites of Montana (Yale University Press, 2000); Avedon at Work (University of Texas Press, 2003); Grit and Glory (Bright Sky Press, 2003); That Day: Pictures in the American West (Yale University Press, 2015); From Rodin to Plensa (Meadows Museum, SMU, Dallas, Texas, 2018); The Writers: Portraits by Laura Wilson (Yale University Press, 2022), Alliance Texas: 35 Years of Commerce and Community (Hillwood, a Perot Company, 2024) and Roaming Mexico (Meadows Museum, SMU, 2025). Her photographs have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the New Yorker, Vanity Fair, London’s Sunday Times Magazine, and the Washington Post Magazine.Wilson’s latest project, an exploration of Mexico based on decades of travel across the border, was exhibited at the Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University in the fall of 2025. The Writers: Portraits by Laura Wilson is currently on view at SMU's Fondren Library. Comprised of over 150 photographs and inspired by the classic photo essays of Life Magazine in the 1940s and 1950s, the exhibition shows how 38 internationally acclaimed writers live and work. Another initiative, Making Movies, chronicles directors, cinematographers, and actors over the last twenty years.
Wilson was elected to the Philosophical Society of Texas and is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters where she won the Carr P. Collins award. She is on the boards of the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, Austin; The Clements Center for Southwest Studies and the Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University.
She was also awarded the Royal Photographic Society of England Book of the Year for Avedon at Work. Wilson was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 2019, which coincided with her exhibition there, Laura Wilson: Looking West.
Wilson has three sons, Andrew, Owen and Luke Wilson. She is married to Scot Dykema. They live in Dallas, Texas.
Matthew Wilson
Associate Professor of Political Science, SMU
Topic: Politics in Interesting Times: A 2026 Elections Preview
Topic: Politics in Interesting Times: A 2026 Elections Preview