A century of progress: Timeline of Texas Tech Centennial milestones
(Sources: Texas Tech Centennial Committee, Southwest Collections, Avalanche-Journal archives)
Feb. 10, 1923
Senate Bill No. 103 (commonly referred to as the school charter) was signed by Governor Pat Neff, creating a new college in West Texas to be named Texas Technological College.
Nov. 11, 1924
The laying of the Administration Building cornerstone took place before a crowd of 20,000 people. Governor Pat Neff, standing on a cotton bale, addressed the crowd. Other speakers included Amon G. Carter, Reverend E. E. Robinson, Colonel E. O. Thompson, and Representative R. M. Chitwood.
1925
Texas Technological College opened with four separate colleges - the School of Liberal Arts, the School of Household Economics [later called Home Economics], the School of Agriculture, and the School of Engineering.
Paul Whitfield Horn leads Texas Technological College as its first president.
Sept. 10, 1925
Texas Technological College officially opened its doors to students. The first year of classes held at Texas Tech were comprised of freshman and sophomore level students.
Oct. 3, 1925
The first football game took place at 4 p.m. Texas Tech, as the Matadors, squared off against McMurray College. The final score was a tie - Texas Tech 0, McMurray College 0.
1926
Texas Tech received accreditation by the Association of Texas Colleges and the Texas Education Agency (formerly State Department of Education).
May 30, 1927
Texas Tech's first commencement ceremony took place on Monday morning at 10:30 a.m. in the College Gymnasium. Mary Dale Buckner became the first Texas Tech student to receive a diploma after winning the drawing for which student would get the honor to walk first.
Fall 1932
The first Homecoming Parade was held for Texas Technological College during the 1932 school year.
Oct. 1, 1934
The first men's dormitory No. 1 (West Hall) and the first women's dormitory (Doak Hall) opened.
March 2, 1938
The first Arbor Day celebration was held on the campus of Texas Technological College. The lack of trees and shrubbery caused President Bradford Knapp to proclaim that one day each spring would be dedicated to beautifying the campus. 20,000 trees and shrubs were planted around campus on the first Arbor Day by students, faculty, and campus organizations. Classes were dismissed at noon on this particular day to enable people to participate in the plantings. A chuckwagon served as the refreshment stand, offering doughnuts and coffee.
1942
The School of Business Administration was inaugurated.
Nov. 29, 1947
Dedication of the Clifford B. and Audrey Jones Stadium took place during the half-time of the Texas Tech vs Hardin-Simmons football game.
1950
The first PhD programs were offered beginning in the 1950-1951 academic year.
Feb. 9, 1952
The Board of Directors officially designated The Matador Song as the school song following the recommendation of the Student Association.
March 1, 1954
Making his debut as the first official Masked Rider, Joe Kirk Fulton rode a horse onto the football field during the Gator Bowl game between Texas Tech versus Auburn University. Coach DeWitt Weaver was credited with the idea of having a new Texas Tech mascot make his debut during the Gator Bowl game.
May 12, 1956
Texas Tech was accepted into the Southwest Conference. At 10:32 a.m. KFYO sportscaster Jack Dale made the radio announcement from Fayetteville yelling "Texas Tech is in the Southwest Conference!" The Victory Bells on the Tech campus began ringing and people gathered along College Avenue to loudly celebrate in pep rally No. 1 (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal 5/13/56)
Summer, 1961
In the summer of 1961, Mrs. Lucille Sugar Graves became the first African American student to enroll at Texas Tech.
1964
Approval was received for establishing a new Law School at Texas Tech.
April 1964
The new University Theater opened in April of 1964 with a performance of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
March 6, 1967
Texas Tech launches campus bus service. The first day of the campus bus route was free and the fare later changed to 10 cents.
Sept. 1, 1969
The Texas State Legislature formally approved the TTU Board of Regents name change request. Texas Technological College officially became Texas Tech University.
1985
The Dairy Barn was chosen by the Texas Historical Commission as an historical landmark in 1985.
Sept. 21 1988
Lauro F. Cavazos, Jr., a pioneering education administrator who served as the first Mexican-American president of Texas Tech University and the first Hispanic person to hold a U.S. Cabinet position
April 4, 1993
The Lady Raiders won the national women's basketball championship.
1996
The Texas Tech University System, comprised of both Texas Tech University and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, was established.
2005
Starting in the fall 2005, women began serving in the role of Raider Red. Due to high demand and class schedules, multiple students were selected to portrayed the mascot. The women were selected from the membership of the High Riders and the men from the membership of the Saddle Tramps.
2007
San Angelo State University joined the Texas Tech University System.
January 2012
The new, state of the art Rawls College of Business Building officially opened for classes.
2015
Texas Tech University was listed among the nation's top doctoral universities in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Of the 115 universities listed in the Highest Research Activity category, Texas Tech was one of 81 public institutions in the top tier. Texas Tech has maintained this status each year since 2015.
Sept. 25, 2017
Undergraduate enrollment for full-time equivalent (FTE) Hispanic students reached 27.8% in the fall semester, qualifying Texas Tech to meet the minimum student enrollment requirement for status as an Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). This status opened new funding opportunities for the university, its faculty, researchers and students.
June 7, 2019
The men's track team and field won the national NCAA outdoor track and field championship in Austin, Texas. The achievement marked the first time a Texas Tech men's athletic team won a national championship, and only the second time any Texas Tech athletic team has won a national championship since the university's opening in 1925.
2021
Texas Tech marks 13 consecutive years of enrollment growth and welcomes 40,666 students in the fall.
Summer 2021
Texas Tech launches, Evermore, the Texas Tech University Magazine, to “celebrate the successes of our incredible Red Raider family… …and share a snapshot of our beloved Texas Tech, highlighting a sampling of our 13 colleges, our 40,000+ students, and 275,000 alumni, and thousands of faculty and staff who are committed to furthering the education of all those who pass through their doors.”
August 2021
The new School of Veterinary Medicine welcomed its inaugural student class.
January 2022
Gordon Davis generously gifts Texas Tech University and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources $44M, the single most transformational philanthropic donation in the university's history. CASNR is renamed the Davis College in recognition of Gordon Davis' contributions to the university.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: A Century of progress: Timeline of Texas Tech Centennial milestones
