The Library’s newsletter Cover to Cover is returning three times a year to share library accomplishments and goals, as well as updates.
About the Library
Bryan Wildenthal Memorial Library, known colloquially as Sul Ross Library, serves the students, faculty, staff, and communities of Sul Ross State University in the Trans-Pecos and Big Bend Regions. While the physical building and staff are based in Alpine, Texas, the Sul Ross Library also serves SRSU campuses in Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and Uvalde, Texas.
The Bryan Wildenthal Memorial Library also houses the Archives of the Big Bend.
Our Vision and Mission
In support of the Sul Ross State University Mission, the Bryan Wildenthal Memorial Library provides collections and services needed to conduct research and to effectively and efficiently teach; as well as instruction and assistance in information retrieval, information literacy, and scholarly communication; and provides the required physical place for students and faculty to collaborate and exchange ideas.
Library Vision
The Library is a strategic institutional asset in the creative exploration, intellectual growth, and scholarly pursuits of the students, faculty, and staff at Sul Ross State University and the community of the Big Bend and US-Mexico border regions of Texas.
Library Mission
The mission of the Library is to provide the learning resources and services necessary to support the educational, research, and informational needs of the University, our communities, and the Big Bend area. The primary resources of the Library are its collections and its staff.
Library Strategic Plan
The Library Strategic Plan (coming soon) is closely aligned and highly supportive of Sul Ross State University’s Strategies for the Second Century.
Library Reports
Who was Bryan Wildenthal?
Bryan Wildenthal, teacher and administrator, son of Bernard and Aissa (Wadgymar) Wildenthal, was born on April 10, 1904, in Cotulla, Texas. He attended Cotulla public schools before entering Southwest Texas State Teachers College in San Marcos; he was graduated from there in 1925, at which time he was appointed auditor of the school. He held that position while he continued his education at the University of Texas in Austin, where in 1927 he earned an M.A. degree in economics and in 1942 received the Ph.D. In 1928 he was married to Doris Kellam; they had two children. He became business manager for Southwest Texas State, a position he held until 1940, when he was appointed a professor of economics. During World War II, on leave of absence, Wildenthal served as general assistant to the secretary of the Red Cross in the Pacific area. He returned to Southwest Texas State following the war.
In 1950 Wildenthal was appointed president of Angelo College. In 1952 he was appointed president of Sul Ross State College in Alpine, and he served in that capacity until his death on June 1, 1965; he was buried in the San Marcos cemetery.
The Bryan Wildenthal Memorial Library, named for former Sul Ross President Bryan Wildenthal, first opened in 1969.
(From Texas State Historical Association https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwi12)