James Lindsay Embrey, Jr., also known as J. Lindsay Embrey (September 23, 1925 - November 11, 2005) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

real estate developer and philanthropist. He was a primary benefactor of

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

. He served as a member of the board of trustees of Southern Methodist University from 1970 to 1987. In 1978, he established an endowment for students majoring in engineering at the university. , this endowment has provided scholarships for over 2,000 engineering students. In 1991, he was named emeritus of the board of trustees.

Early life

James Lindsay Embrey, Jr. was born in 1925 in

Gainesville, Texas Gainesville is a city in and the county seat of Cooke County, Texas, United States. Its population was 16,002 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Texoma region and is an important Agri-business center. History Founded in 1850, the city of Gain ...

. He was the son of James Lindsay and Margaret (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Marsh) Embrey. His great-grandfather was James Menees Lindsay (1835-1919), who migrated to

Cooke County, Texas Cooke County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. At the 2020 census, its population was 41,668. The county seat is Gainesville. The county was founded in 1848 and organized the next year. It is named for William Gordon Cooke, a soldier du ...

, from

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

in 1857 and became a real estate developer, judge, and philanthropist. He graduated with honors from Gainesville High School. He received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...

from

in 1945. In 1947, after completing his service in the

V-12 Navy College Training Program The V-12 Navy College Training Program was designed to supplement the force of commissioned officers in the United States Navy during World War II. Between July 1, 1943, and June 30, 1946, more than 125,000 participants were enrolled in 131 colleg ...

, he received a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

Business Administration Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...

from the university. He was President of

Phi Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta (), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, along with Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad ...

, a member of Cycen Fjodr, and lettered as a varsity guard for the school's basketball team.Nielen, Jon (November 13, 2005). "J. LINDSAY EMBREY JR., Developer, top SMU alum invested in his alma mater", ''

The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...

Professional background

;Land development In the mid-1950s, he developed the city Richardson, Texas, with George Underwood, Jr. as well as the North Texas Technology corridor. He later served as Chair of First Continental Enterprises, while co-owning several shopping centers and apartment complexes. ;Philanthropy Embrey sat on the board of trustees of Southern Methodist University from 1970 to 1987. He was the chair of both the university's alumni board and Mustang Club, as well as president of the university's alumni association. He also served on the university's Athletic Forum Board and the School of Engineering's executive board.In 1991, he was named emeritus of the board of trustees. In 1978, he established an endowment for students majoring in engineering at Southern Methodist University. , the endowment has provided scholarships for over 2,000 engineering students. He also donated funds to assist with the construction of the Jerry R. Junkins Engineering Building and the

Gerald J. Ford Stadium Gerald J. Ford Stadium is a stadium in University Park, Texas, with a Dallas mailing address. The stadium is owned by Southern Methodist University (SMU) and used primarily for games played by the SMU Mustangs football team. About Ford Stadiu ...

. In 2003, the J. Lindsay Embrey Engineering Building, located on the Southern Methodist University campus was built, following his donation of $7.5 million.

Honors and awards

In 1999, Embrey was honored with the Mustang Award from the university. In 2004, he was the recipient of the Hall of Leaders Distinguished Alumni Award from the School of Engineering.

Personal life

Embrey was married to Bobbie G. (née Sherwood) Embrey. He had two daughters from his previous marriage to Grace Nelson Embrey, Gayle Nelson Embrey and Lauren Marsh Embrey. In 2008, his daughters established the Human Rights Education Program at Southern Methodist University, run by Professor Rick Halperin. In 2009, they also produced the documentary ''

Playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...

'' against the child sex trade in the United States. Both daughters continue to run the Embrey Family Foundation, established by their father prior to his death. Embrey died on November 11, 2005, in Dallas, Texas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Embrey, J. Lindsay 1925 births 2005 deaths People from Gainesville, Texas Businesspeople from Dallas Southern Methodist University alumni 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American philanthropists