Enemies J.d. Arnold, a Santa Fe tour operator (and former aide to then-congressman JIM MATTOX), made headlines in October when he suddenly remembered having seen Ann Richards use cocaine at the Stoneleigh P 13 years ago. But Arnold has another claim to fame: he may be the only person ever banned from SMU.
In October of 1967, Arnold became head of the SMU chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, just after the group had been disbanded in the wake of an investigation by Dallas Congressman JOE POOL, who suspected that SDS might harbor communists and draft dodgers.
In the meantime, an “alternative” newspaper titled Notes from the Underground was started that year as part of the Underground Press Syndicate. SMU’s president, the late WILLIS TATE, promptly banned the sale, and later the distribution, of U.P.S. publications.
The two controversies came together on November 9, 1967, as Arnold was cited by the university for distributing the banned Notes on campus despite repeated warnings from on-hand administrators. On November 20, Arnold was suspended from the university until May 1968. The Faculty Senate denied an appeal, and he was banned from campus on November 30-nine days before his finals.
Then Arnold, represented by the ACLU (ironically, he also consulted with lawyer DAVE RICHARDS, who was then married to Ann Richards) sued SMU in Federal District court. He agreed to a judgment that allowed him to take his finals, and then voluntarily withdraw from the school-forever. In turn, SMU agreed to remove any mention of the problems from his transcripts and papers.
Related Articles
Home & Garden
A Look Into the Life of Bowie House’s Jo Ellard
Bowie House owner Jo Ellard has amassed an impressive assemblage of accolades and occupations. Her latest endeavor showcases another prized collection: her art.
By Kendall Morgan
Dallas History
D Magazine’s 50 Greatest Stories: Cullen Davis Finds God as the ‘Evangelical New Right’ Rises
The richest man to be tried for murder falls in with a new clique of ambitious Tarrant County evangelicals.
By Matt Goodman
Home & Garden
The One Thing Bryan Yates Would Save in a Fire
We asked Bryan Yates of Yates Desygn: Aside from people and pictures, what’s the one thing you’d save in a fire?
By Jessica Otte