University of Texas to Consider Taking Klansman’s Name Off Dorm: The president of the University of Texas will ask the school's regents to remove the name of a former professor and Ku Klux Klan member from a campus dormitory.
Simkins Hall, a two-story brick dorm built in the 1950s, is named after William Simkins, who was a popular law school professor in the early part of the 20th century but one with a dubious past. He served as a Confederate fighter and early organizer of the Ku Klux Klan in Florida, promoting the Klan and bragging about efforts to terrorize and harass 'darkey' in campus speeches and publications.
Today, Texas President William Powers Jr. will ask university regents to take his name off the dorm a move that comes after weeks of deliberations by an advisory panel and two public hearings. The regents are expected to bring the issue to a vote.
