History of East Texas Normal College

The history of East Texas Normal College (ETNC) comprises the history of the university now known as Texas A&M University–Commerce from its foundation as a private normal college in 1889 to its acquisition by the State of Texas in 1917. It was founded in Cooper by Kentucky native William L. Mayo, who served as its president from its foundation until his death in 1917, and moved to Commerce after its original campus burned down in 1894. A popular school for active teachers seeking state certification or recertification, it was largely shaped by Mayo's own personal beliefs about education, which focused on participation and hands-on learning instead of memorization or rote learning.

ETNC's relative success during this period led to rivalry with other nearby colleges such as T. Henry Bridges' Henry College in Campbell, a 1904 attempt by Denison to entice Mayo to relocate the college there for a considerable amount of financial aid, and praise from perhaps its most famous alumnus, future Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Sam Rayburn. By the time the 35th Texas Legislature voted to buy the college in 1917, it had educated more than 30,000 students, including more public school teachers than any other college or university in Texas during the same period.

William L. Mayo was born in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, in 1861, and was educated at Prestonsburg Seminary, Cedar Bluff Academy in Tazewell County, Virginia, and Central Normal College in Danville, Indiana; he had planned to attend Indiana University until financial difficulties prevented him from doing so. He worked as a teacher and principal at Cedar Bluff Academy before taking a public school position in Denver, although he resigned upon arriving and learning that the school was integrated. Mayo then moved to Pecan Gap in Delta County, Texas, in 1886, where his aunt and uncle lived; he began teaching at the local public school, and by 1889 had become superintendent of nearby Cooper's public school system. During his tenure in Pecan Gap, Mayo earned a reputation as a disciplinarian, but also as a sympathetic instructor.

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