The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 67, July 1963 - April, 1964 Page: 343
This periodical is part of the collection entitled: Southwestern Historical Quarterly and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Texas State Historical Association.
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Alexander Penn Wooldridge
either write the Regents themselves or instruct me and I will write
them.69
The additional responsibility of arranging for the printing
and distribution of publicity was given Wooldridge, who not only
complied with that request, but also supervised the organization,
printing, and distribution of the university's first catalogues."8
From time to time, as appropriations from the legislature
would run short, or money fail to be available, Wooldridge per-
sonally would advance professors money. This generous gesture
began as early as the summer of 1883, when Wooldridge loaned
money to cover the traveling expenses of two of the university's
first faculty, and continued for at least two years, when in a letter
to Smith, from James B. Clark, acting secretary while Wooldridge
was on a trip to the East, it was stated that Wooldridge should
be reimbursed as soon as possible."'
Sometime before the summer of 1885, Wooldridge became
president of the City National Bank of Austin and in this ca-
pacity continued his generosity to the university.
Something new was added to the Wooldridge family in 1885-
this time Mrs. Wooldridge presented the family with a baby girl.
Born the first of January, the New Year's present was named
Mabel. Although the infant could not know how important her
father was becoming, she would grow to cherish him and to share
his love of history. In the same year that she was born, Wooldridge
became a life member of the Southern Historical Society and
continued to take part in more and more history-making events.
The temporary capitol building, which had housed not only the
state government, after the 1881 fire destroyed the old capitol,
but the first classes of the University of Texas, as well, was soon
to give way to a new capitol and A. P. Wooldridge was selected
as chairman of the executive committee in charge of the cere-
monies to lay the cornerstone for the new building.
So popular was Wooldridge that even the younger set liked
him. To quote one of the young males:
asA. P. Wooldridge to Col. Ashbel Smith, April 5, 1883 (Ashbel Smith Collection,
Archives, University of Texas Library).
60A. P. Wooldridge to Col. Ashbel Smith, July 2d, 1883 (Ashbel Smith Collection,
Archives, University of Texas Library).
OlJames B. Clark to Hon. Ashbel Smith, July 25, 1885 (Ashbel Smith Collection,
Archives, University of Texas Library).343
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 67, July 1963 - April, 1964, periodical, 1964; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101197/m1/401/?rotate=90: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.