Fueling student education and leadership
As part of her estate plan, the late Mary Frances McClure Burleson ’57 directed several gifts to SMU totaling more than $1.4 million. The longtime supporter of SMU and the Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture Series was well known in Dallas as president and CEO of the Ebby Halliday Companies for nearly thirty years.
Fewer people were aware that Burleson began working for Ebby Halliday REALTORS® as a part-time secretary and receptionist while she was an SMU undergraduate. She left school early to join the company permanently, inspired by the sales associates with whom she worked. Burleson became an invaluable resource to Ebby Halliday and succeeded her as the head of the company. While president, she also completed her undergraduate degree at SMU.
Burleson joined the board of directors of the Tate Lecture Series in 2013 and worked closely with Dallas leaders to promote and share its impact within the local community. The Tate Lecture Series continues to bring thought-provoking and entertaining icons to the SMU campus and the Dallas community, and each year it raises more than $800,000 for academic scholarships and student programs at the University. In addition, Burleson served on the SMU Planned Giving Council starting in 1997. Planned gifts to the University help students unleash their potential to change the world and ensures that SMU can impact those we serve well into the future.
“We are grateful for the many years Mary Frances Burleson served on the Tate Lecture Series Board of Directors and the SMU Planned Giving Council, and for her commitment to her alma mater,” said R. Gerald Turner, SMU president. “Her generous gift leaves a legacy that will benefit students and our SMU community for years to come.”
In recognition of her many years of her devotion to the Tate Lecture Series, a portion of her generous gift will be allocated to the Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture Series Endowed President’s Scholars Fund, which supports SMU’s most prestigious merit-based scholarship award. The President’s Scholars Program supports exceptional students who have demonstrated remarkable academic achievement and possess a strong commitment to making a positive impact both on campus and beyond.