Mr. Hunt got involved with health care and SMU. After a pay-to-play athletics scandal tarnished SMU's reputation, Mr. Hunt became chairman of its board of trustees and recruited a new president, Ken Pye, who restored integrity to the school.
"There were just a handful of us standing there wringing our hands, and he just seemed willing to do it," said Ruth Altshuler, a longtime SMU trustee.
The episode established Mr. Hunt as a go-to university leader. It also displayed his unique exercise of power.
And there you have it, my friends.
