SMU remembers Linda Pitts Custard ’60, ’99, cultural and philanthropic leader
A proud alumna from the Cox School of Business and driving force behind the Meadows Museum, Custard contributed to a multitude of philanthropic, educational and artistic causes throughout Dallas and North Texas.
SMU mourns the loss of SMU alumna, University trustee emerita and civic leader Linda Pitts Custard ’60, ’99, who passed away on January 22, 2026. A passionate advocate for the arts, education and community development, Custard was a decorated Dallas icon, receiving accolades from local and national organizations, as well as international commendations for her promotion of Spanish art and culture.
“Linda Custard was an extraordinarily influential figure at SMU and in Dallas,” said President Jay Hartzell. “She and her late husband Bill’s devotion to giving back not only expanded the impact of the artistic education and research conducted in both the Meadows School of the Arts and the Meadows Museum but also fostered a spirit of inspiration and cultural appreciation in thousands of SMU’s students, faculty, partners and visitors from around the world.”
Custard initially attended SMU as a first-year speech arts major, transferring to and graduating from Mills College with a Bachelor of Arts, before making her academic return to the Hilltop for graduate school. A proud alumna from the Edwin L. Cox School of Business, Custard contributed to a multitude of philanthropic, educational and artistic causes throughout Dallas and North Texas. Earning her MBA from the Cox School in 1999, she went on to serve SMU as both a generous donor and active volunteer and community member for decades, alongside her husband, William (Bill) Custard ’57, who passed in March 2025.
A partner of Custard & Pitts Investment Co., Custard was an active member of the SMU Board of Trustees from 2000-2012 and was named an SMU Trustee Emerita in 2018, recognizing her years of service and generosity to the University. Custard also served on the Meadows Museum Advisory Council, the Meadows School of the Arts Executive Board, the SMU Ignited Meadows School of the Arts Campaign Steering Committee, the Maguire Center for Ethic and Public Responsibility advisory board, the Second Century Meadows School of the Arts Campaign Steering Committee, among many others. Supporting the artistic community on campus, she also served as chair of both the Greer Garson Theatre Jubilee opening and the International Festival of Opening Events for the New Meadows Museum committee.
From students on campus to visiting European monarchs, Linda Custard was widely renowned for her spirit of community, her graceful and caring personality, and her dedication to her community. Her lasting impact on the University, its students and its mission led to several earned awards and accolades, including the 2002 Meadows at the Meyerson honoree, the 2004 Cox School of Business Distinguished Alumni Award, two-time receipt of the SMU Students’ Association’s Outstanding Trustee Award and the 2007 SMU Distinguished Alumni Award. Custard was honored in 2016 by H.M. King Felipe VI of Spain with the The Encomienda de la Orden de Isabel la Catolica (The Order of Isabella the Catholic) for her support of the art and culture of Spain, including serving as co-signer on the landmark agreement between the Meadows Museum and the Museo Nacional del Prado. In 2022, the Custards were honored with the prestigious Mustang Award in recognition of their extraordinary philanthropy to and impact on the University.
“Linda’s passion for education and the arts was an inspiring force within the Meadows School for the Arts,” said Algur H. Meadows Dean and Professor of Music Sam Holland. “We will forever be appreciative of her generosity, and we are gratified to know that her legacy at the Meadows School and the Meadows Museum will continue to inspire future generations of art enthusiasts, researchers and volunteers here at SMU.”
A testament to their enduring dedication to the Meadows Museum and the study and preservation of Spanish culture, a 2021 gift from the Custards, matched by funds from The Meadows Foundation, established the Custard Institute for Spanish Art and Culture at the Meadows Museum. The gift also named the institute’s inaugural directorship in honor of the late Mark A. Roglán, SMU professor of Arts Management and Entrepreneurship and the inaugural Linda P. and William A. Custard Director of the Meadows Museum. A longtime and dear friend of the Custards, Roglán was later honored by the creation of the Custard Institute’s Mark A. Roglán Publication Award, first presented in 2024.
“Linda was both a dear personal friend to Gail and me and an inspiring force of generosity in our community, and her passing is a great loss to all of us,” said President Emeritus R. Gerald Turner. “She brought extraordinary energy and focus to everything she did —especially her commitment to supporting women—and her love for SMU was unmistakable, often reflected in her signature red-and-blue attire and colorful scarves. Through her generosity and leadership, particularly at the Meadows Museum, Linda inspired countless innovations and collaborations that will continue to shape the Hilltop for generations.”
In addition to the institute, the Custards gave generously to a wide array of programs and initiatives across campus, including the Linda P. Custard and William A. Custard Conference Room in the David B. Miller Business Quadrangle in the Cox School of Business; the Custard and Pitts Family Endowed President's Scholarship Fund; the William A. and Linda P. Custard Meadows Scholar Endowment Fund; the Linda P. and William A. Custard Director of the Meadows Museum and Centennial Chair of the Meadows School of the Arts; the L. Frank Pitts Oil and Gas Lecture Series; and the L. Frank Pitts Oil and Gas Scholars program.
“Linda’s generosity to the Meadows Museum extended far beyond the philanthropic. Her grace with grit, wisdom, advocacy, and attention to detail immeasurably enriched all the museum’s endeavors,” said Amanda W. Dotseth, Linda P. and William A. Custard Director of the Meadows Museum and Centennial Chair in the Meadows School of Arts. “With Bill by her side, Linda was instrumental in establishing the Meadows Museum as a world leader in the exhibition and acquisition of Spanish art. The recent foundation of the Custard Institute is testament to a vision we shared: that the Meadows and SMU would lead in academic research as well. The institutional and personal loss is profound, but so too is our commitment to her legacy.”
Outside of SMU, Custard gave her time to bettering the Dallas and North Texas communities through art, education and civic leadership. A life trustee of the Dallas Theater Center and chair of the Hockaday School, she was also an honorary lifetime director for the education-focused Hoblitzelle Foundation, director of the Dedman Foundation, director of the Baylor Health Care System Foundation, secretary and treasurer of the Communities Foundation of Texas Board of Trustees, chairman of the Susan G. Komen Foundation and president of the Junior League of Dallas.
“Linda was a treasured friend whose partnership helped shape the Meadows School of the Arts and Meadows Museum in immeasurable ways. For more than three decades, she saw opportunities and invested in them with a grace and dedication that were uniquely hers,” said Eric Meadows, President and CEO of The Meadows Foundation. “From championing the new museum building to establishing the Custard Institute for Spanish Art and Culture, Linda not only believed in the vision of Al Meadows’ “Prado on the Prairie”, but she was also instrumental in bringing international prominence to the museum. Her and her beloved husband Bill’s generosity shows in the achievements we celebrate today. She inspired all of us in the Meadows family and The Meadows Foundation with the same warmth and passion she brought to everything she did.”
Custard’s community work earned her numerous awards and achievements in the region, including the 2001 Dallas Historical Society Award for Excellence in Art Leadership; the joint receipt of both the 2002 TACA/Neiman Marcus Silver Cup Award and the 2005 Dallas Opera’s Juanita and Henry S. Miller Jr. Founders’ Award with husband Bill; the 2005 Maura “Women Helping Women” Award; the 2006 Robert H. Dedman Award for Philanthropy; the 2007 Susan G. Komen Fondation Founders Award; and the 2007 Texas Trailblazer Award by the Family Place. Additionally, she was the recipient of the 2011 Hearts of Texas Lifetime Achievement Award from the Volunteer Center of North Texas. In 2025, she was awarded the Linz Award, one of the most prominent civic honors in Dallas, in recognition of her community and humanitarian efforts throughout the city. Custard was also one of only five recipients, to date, of the Junior League of Dallas’ coveted Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Custards were also widely recognized for their support of local civic and non-profit organizations, including the Dallas Theater Center, the March of Dimes, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Children’s Medical Center, Dallas Opera, Dallas Museum of Art, Texas Ballet Theater, Friends of Katy Trail and World Affairs Council of Dallas-Fort Worth.
Linda Custard is survived by her son, W. Allen Custard, III and his wife Mason; daughter, Laura Custard Burcham and her husband Richard Burcham; and daughter, Marla Custard, as well as five grandchildren.