Should Texas Southern University rename its library to honor a former president or a lifelong educator?
The debate started after the historically black college mourned the death of its lauded longtime debate coach Thomas F. Freeman, whose legacy at TSU spanned 70 years. To some alumni, Freeman’s name seemed to be the obvious choice for the Library Learning Center.
The scholar and trained minister, who died June 6 of natural causes at age 100, joined TSU’s faculty in 1949 and quickly became a legend on the campus, training students and celebrities alike in public speaking and debate.
But TSU board of regents had another idea.
A now-tabled resolution for a June board meeting said the Library Learning Center would be named after John M. Rudley, a certified public accountant who served as the historically black college’s president from 2008 to 2016. The resolution listed several of Rudley’s accomplishments, including the college’s substantial growth under his leadership. While Rudley served as president, TSU launched an aviation sciences flight training program and a number of degree programs in engineering and education, and secured $50 million in funding for the college library.
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“The naming of a facility is an appropriate recognition for such a distinguished person who made a significant impact on the footprint of the University,” said the resolution, which was signed by TSU Interim President Kenneth Huewitt and Provost Kendall Harris.
But some alumni pushed back, launching a Change.org petition to rename the college after Freeman. As of Friday morning, the petition has garnered just shy of 4,000 signatures.
“A Baptist minister as well as a professor, Thomas F. Freeman was one of those rare instructors whose mentorship and guidance outside the classroom was prized as much as his teaching,” the alumni wrote.
Several former students voiced their support for the Freeman name during a June 25 teleconference board meeting.
Alumna Alicia Hughes, who also served as a debate team vice president at TSU, pushed for the board to table the agenda item, questioning whether the regents’ committee held a public hearing or took public comment before deciding on the name. She emphasized the need for board members to rethink their decision.
Wendell King II, a TSU alumnus and former assistant coach who worked under Freeman, said the late debate coach’s impact was immeasurable and had lasted longer than most people at the meeting had been alive.
“There is no financial quantitative way [to] look at all good has done when the first stop of every recruiting tour (at TSU) is at the debate office” where Freeman worked, King said. The debate suite, like the Honors College, is now named after Freeman, but King emphasized that “now is an opportunity to place his name on a building rather than a unit.”
“Give students, the community and alumni something they’re proud of,” King said.
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The board’s resolution favoring Rudley noted a multi-million dollar grant that established the Urban Academic Village, the development of two new parking garages and two residence halls, and $83 million raised to build the BBVA Compass Stadium for TSU football, among his other accomplishments.
But Rudley’s tenure did not go without some tension. At one point, the faculty senate censured him, students blamed him for delays in the construction of a new dorm, which resulted in students living in hotels on the university’s dime, and he clashed with former board members.
Vickee Gray, a vocal alumna who has repeatedly called for the resignation of the current regents, said Rudley hurt morale at the school, nearly driving supportive alumni away. Freeman, however, left a legacy through his students that made alumni proud.
“I may forgive you if you get this one right,” Gray told regents.
Georgia Provost, alumna and community activist, emphasized her love for both Freeman and Rudley, and noted that despite Rudley’s controversial moments, his efforts to obtain money for the library and for students could not go unnoticed. Provost also credited Rudley with increasing enrollment, enhancing the brand of TSU, and reviving the college’s athletics.
Board chair Albert H. Myres Sr. thanked the public for the spirited comments and after a closed executive session, postponed the official naming of the library.
“There are a few things right now that are critically important for our success,” Myres said. “With the COVID-19 and the impact, getting them back to the university is priority number one.”
The board’s next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 13. An agenda has not been released, and, for now, the library is still being called the Library Learning Center.
brittany.britto@chron.com
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