A major gift from Jan and Trevor D. Rees-Jones ’78 will strengthen the University’s reputation as a vital place for education and research related to the American West. At the center of the couple’s gift is a significant portion of the expansive Rees-Jones Collection consisting of thousands of items – including rare books, manuscripts, maps, photographs and ephemera.
The donors have also committed $25 million to establish and build the Rees-Jones Library of the American West and a $5 million endowment to support the library and its collections. The couple’s generous commitment is the largest gift benefitting SMU Libraries that has yet been given during SMU Ignited: Boldly Shaping Tomorrow, the University’s multiyear $1.5 billion campaign for impact.
His connection to both SMU Libraries and the Dallas legal arena can be partly accredited to his father, SMU alumnus and prominent Dallas attorney Trevor William Rees-Jones ’43, who served as the lawyer for the estate of the late E.L. DeGolyer, Sr., the namesake for SMU’s DeGolyer Library.
“Donors like Jan and Trevor Rees-Jones inspire scholars to look at the past with new perspectives and to gain a deeper understanding of how the present is influenced by history,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. “Through this generous commitment, they will further our understanding of a pivotal time in American history and elevate SMU as one of the foremost institutions for the study of the American West.”
“As we continue to gain momentum toward Carnegie R1 status, donors like Jan and Trevor Rees-Jones are vital to the impact of our research and the strength of our academic offerings,” said Elizabeth G. Loboa, SMU provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “Through their gift, SMU will continue to raise its reputation as a place of future-focused inquiry and research with impact.”
https://www.smu.edu/ignited/news/gifts/ ... t-may-2023