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Houston Chronicle

 

The University of Texas' governing board voted unanimously this morning to rename a dormitory and park named after former leaders of the Ku Klux Klan.

"There has never been any doubt in my mind about what direction they were going to go," said regent Printice L. Gary of Dallas, the only African-American to serve on the board.

The new names will be Creekside Residence Hall and Creekside Park.

The dormitory, built in 1955 on the banks of Waller Creek, was named for William Stewart Simkins, who taught at the law school from 1899 to 1929 and previously had been a leader of the Ku Klux Klan in Florida.

The park had been named for Simkins' brother, former UT regent Judge Eldred Simkins, who also was involved with the Klan.

The decision came after several months of campus discussion that spread beyond the name to include efforts to increase diversity. Just 4.5 percent of students on the Austin campus are African-American.

Few on campus were aware of the history behind the dorm and park until the issue was raised by University of Denver law professor Tom Russell, who said he became aware of it when he taught at the UT law school in the 1990s.

Tags: Texas, UT

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