Southwestern Magazine | Spring 2020

by Megan Betancour t ’21, Ellie Crowley ’19, Jus tin Cruz ’20, Vic toria Galbreath ’22, and T. J. Vel a ’19 A celebration of just some of SU ’ s history - making alumni Contributions of Southwestern Alumni Jessie Daniel Ames (1883–1972) Class of 1902 Jessie Harriet Daniel was admitted to Southwestern University at the tender age of 13 and graduated six years later, in 1902. After being widowed at age 31 and raising three children on her own, Ames felt the societal constraints on women more greatly than ever before. This motivated her to join the movement for women’s rights, and she soon became an active leader within the movement. Ames formed several groups dedicated to advocating for women’s right to vote and educating women on how to exercise their newfound civic freedom once they were granted that right. However, the failure of women’s suffrage to address issues of racial inequality soon became a glaring issue for Ames. She was well aware of the role of white women in the lynching of African Americans: Racial violence was often enacted under the guise of being on their behalf—namely, to preserve white women’s virtue. Ames founded the Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching in 1930, in Atlanta, Georgia. Her efforts proved astoundingly successful, and, in 1940, there were no reported lynchings in the South for the first time since records had been kept. She died of pneumonia on February 21, 1972, in Austin, and is buried at the International Order of Oddfellows Cemetery north of the Southwestern campus. Edward A. Clark (1906–1992) Class of 1927 Born in San Augustine, Texas, Edward A. Clark was a distinguished attorney, banker, and diplomat. After attending Southwestern University and Tulane University, Clark went on to earn his law degree from the University of Texas in 1928. He spent his early professional career serving two terms as a county attorney in San Augustine. From 1932 to 1935, he served as the assistant attorney general of Texas, and he spent the next two years serving as the assistant to Governor James Allred, in Austin. After serving as the secretary of state, Clark helped establish the law firm Clark, Thomas, and Winters in Austin. Until its closing in 2011, the firm was recognized as one of the most influential in Texas. In addition to his legal career, Clark served as senior chairman of Texas Commerce Bank and was a member of various boards. However, politics being his chief interest, he went on to advise many notable political figures, including Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, and John G. Tower. Heavily involved in philanthropy and fundraising for Southwestern, Clark served on the Board of Trustees. In the 1960s, he and his wife, Anne Metcalf Clark, donated more than 2,400 Texana artifacts to the University’s Special Collections; today, the collection contains more than 10,000 objects. 30 SOUTHWESTERN