Of benefit to students. Elton M. Hyder, Jr. (1920-1995; UT Law Class of '43) believed that today's law students would benefit from studying in an environment which visually imparts the tradition, history, and majesty of the law. He believed that law students would thereby take in more deeply their responsibility for carrying on an ancient and noble tradition. He was not disappointed in his beliefs: over the years hundreds of law students have expressed in deeply appreciative terms how much the Hyder Collection has meant to them.
The beginnings of the Hyder Collection. Nearly fifty years ago, while taking postgraduate courses at Harvard University, Mr. Hyder was inspired by the Harvard Law Library's collection of art on legal themes. He purposed to build his own collection of legal prints and paintings (such as courtroom scenes and portraits of eminent judges) and antiquarian legal documents (such as manuscript land grants and indentures). In 1961, he first placed his collection on semi-permanent loan to The University of Texas School of Law for display in the old Tarlton Law Library at the east end of Townes Hall. At that time, the Hyder Collection consisted of fewer than 100 items. It now numbers almost 4,000.
A turning point. When the new Tarlton Law Library building was dedicated in 1981, the Law School asked Mr. Hyder to help add warmth, distinction, and prestige to the Library's four public levels, reading rooms, and conference rooms. Mr. Hyder looked at the bare walls of the new building and asked Mrs. Hyder (UT Class of '48) to consider the site as a possible design project. Mrs. Hyder's response was superb: tirelessly heading a team of designers and assistants, she worked intensively to build the Collection and comprehensively upgrade the interior of the building. The present Hyder Collection resulted, giving a great institutional library the beauty and ambiance of a fine private library.
Collection development. The Hyder Collection has accordingly evolved into two major components: a strong core of materials in the history of law; and a vast decorative component which is not strictly law-related yet serves the vital educational purpose of helping to create an environment conducive to the study of law. Mr. and Mrs. Hyder determined to develop the Collection in harmony with the spaces and proportions of the new library building. Therefore each piece acquired for the Collection since 1981 was chosen for the particular location in which it is exhibited.
A welcome to all. While UT law students are the primary beneficiaries of the Hyder Collection, the Hyders have always wished to share their Collection with a broad community. Thus the Collection has been visited and enjoyed by many University classes from outside the Law School, by the parents of law and other UT students, by alumni in disciplines from English to engineering, by administrators and distinguished guests of The University, by judges, lawyers, and public figures, and by cultural organizations, as well as by the public at large.