Tyler Commercial College
Tyler, Smith County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1894, C.L. and Noah Adair opened the Adair Normal School to provide a university-level education, but the school closed in 1896. In 1899, a charter was filed with the secretary of state’s office for Tyler Commercial College. The college used a vacant building, known as the Texas Fruit Palace, for classrooms. On April 1, 1904, Tyler Commercial College was incorporated with C.L. and Noah Adair, H.E. Byrne, and F.A. Glenn as directors of the college. Henry Byrne came to Tyler as the creator of a form of shorthand known as Byrne shorthand and taught courses in transcribing, but also provided the majority of textbooks from his publishing facilities. In 1924, Byrne sold his shares of Tyler commercial college and moved to Dallas where he continued his publishing company. In March 1901, a diploma from Tyler Commercial College entitled holders to a teachers certificate. A fire destroyed the building in 1903 and the college moved to the west side of South College Street. The curriculum was expanded to include courses in the secretarial field, railroad courses, and, by 1931, Tyler Commercial College boasted a radio studio. Tyler Commercial College grew to be the largest commercial college in the nation. In April 1942, the first class of the army signal corps school detachment began with Major Virgil Caldwell commanding officer and John Sheppard instructor and the first group of men began training in radio communications which was in great demand during World War II. In April 1957, the Rutherford Metropolitan School of Business in Dallas purchased Tyler Commercial College and the college moved to South Broadway, remaining in operation until 1980. Tyler Commercial College represented a shift from agricultural education to business education.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Rising in 1899 from the ashes of an earlier normal school, Tyler Commercial College set up in a vacant building once called the Texas Fruit Palace and set out to teach the skills of the new white-collar economy—shorthand, bookkeeping, transcription, and secretarial work. Under teachers like Henry Byrne, inventor of his own shorthand system, it grew into the largest commercial college in the nation, even training Army Signal Corps radio operators during World War II before closing its doors in 1980.
Why it matters
The college marks a pivotal shift in American education away from the farm and toward business and clerical training, as a modernizing economy demanded new kinds of skilled workers.
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Related people
- · C. L. Adair
- · Noah Adair
- · Henry Byrne
Themes & tags
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