The Texas Union and Gregory Gym remain two of the most popular facilities on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. They have been a central gathering place for UT students since the 1930s.

But without the dogged efforts of the Ex-Students' Association (ESA), these buildings might not have been built at all.

Under the leadership of executive secretary John Anderson McCurdy in the 1920s and early 1930s, ESA initiated a fundraising campaign that built four of UT's landmark buildings--the Texas Union, Gregory Gym, Anna Hiss Gym, and Hogg Memorial Auditorium.

It wasn't easy. At first the University president and the Board of Regents opposed the construction. But John McCurdy wasn't discouraged. He knew the students, faculty, and alumni were on his side.

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