Dr. Clyde Hall, lifelong resident of Sherman and retired professor emeritus of Austin College, celebrates his 100th birthday on Saturday, October 15, 2022.

Hall was born at home on South Travis Street in 1922 and planned for his Austin College education most of his life.

His earliest memories of the College date back to the early 1920s when he was just a toddler and would visit campus with his father, Hugh Hall. He recalls that the president of Austin College, President Thomas Clyce, and his father were close friends in the local Presbyterian Church. He says they visited often as his father also oversaw much of the landscaping of the campus.

Hall enrolled as a member of the Class of 1944 and paid his tuition with money earned as a paper boy for the Sherman Daily Democrat.

World War II interrupted his education and he left to serve with the U.S. Army in North Africa and Italy. He returned to Sherman in late 1945 and graduated in spring 1946. He left town to earn an MBA and Ph.D., returning to Sherman in late 1949 to join the Austin College business faculty. Beginning in January 1950, the associate professor of economics arrived on campus each morning at 7:25 for his 8 a.m. class. He continued full-time teaching until 1988 when he retired from the classroom as professor emeritus of business administration and economics. In nearly 40 years of teaching, Dr. Hall has helped shape thousands of students.

 He has had connections to eight of the 16 presidents of the College and received most every College honor possible. He and his wife, Virginia, who passed away in 2015, had four children, two of whom are Austin College alumni.

 On campus and across Grayson County, Hall has been commemorated with the naming of a computer lab in Abell Library, The Clyde L. Hall Graduation Court, and the Sherman Museum’s Dr. Clyde L. Hall Resource Room.

In 2015 he was awarded an Austin College honorary Doctor of Humane letters degree. As a historian who lived through the many changes and events, he has collected and researched Grayson County’s history and made many presentations on his findings. He has been involved with securing official Texas historical markers such the Fredrick Douglass School marker, the railroad coming to Grayson County, the Butterfield Trail marker at the courthouse in Sherman, and many more. He has written historical narratives for more than 20 historic sites and provided editing and advising for at least 70 more.

Hall held leadership positions in the Grayson County Historical Commission, the Grayson County Historical Society, Old Settlers Association, and the Sherman Preservation League. He is a member of Covenant Presbyterian Church and also served in leadership positions for Boy Scouts of America, Sherman Chamber of Commerce, and Sherman ISD School Board.

Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, pre-professional foundations, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 50 percent of students identifying as persons of color. The residential student body of approximately 1,300 students and an expert faculty of more than 100 educators allow a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. Related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA), Austin College cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. The College, founded in 1849, is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.