M A B L E P HI L L I P S ‘ 3 4
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his fall McMurry University lost a beloved life-long friend in Mable Phillips ’34. Mable was born in Andrews, Texas on August 8, 1912 and passed from this life on December 10, 2011. Mable began a long history with McMurry University when the Phillips family settled in Abilene in 1924. After graduating from Abilene High School, Mable enrolled at McMurry in the fall of 1930, just seven years after the university opened its doors. In an interview several years ago, Mable shared her remembrances about McMurry. When asked why she chose to attend McMurry, she recalled the following: "I graduated from high school on a Friday night. Twenty five of us graduates decided we would visit McMurry. Willard Brown was a senior at McMurry and was in the young people's department at St. Paul's Methodist Church. He told me he would
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The Loss of a Dear Friend come by for me on Monday morning if I'd go to McMurry. So he came by for me, and I did." Phillips enjoyed the McMurry campus so much she decided to register for classes that morning. In breaking the news to her mother, she recalled the following conversation: "I came home and told Mother, ‘Okay, you don't have to worry about college anymore. I've already registered.’ She said, ‘Where did you register?’ I told her McMurry.” Like any good parent, Phillips' mother was concerned about financial aid and asked Mable what they [McMurry] said about money. “I told her it wasn't mentioned. She said, ‘It will be. Let's go back out there in the morning, and we'll get that settled.’ ” The following morning, they met with Dr. J.W. Hunt, McMurry's president at the time. He put her to work in the library as part of a government program. She appreciated his assistance in helping her get her college
