The centennial flag was raised and fireworks filled the sky above Dallas Hall as SMU celebrated its first 100 years and welcomed the years to come.

“This is the most magnificent day of my life,” said Robert Hyer Thomas, grandson of SMU’s first president, Robert Hyer. “Today was the true vision of what my grandfather wanted.”

Family members of the first 10 presidents of SMU united with more than 1,000 students, faculty and alumni on the Main Quad Friday afternoon to commemorate the founding of SMU.

President R. Gerald Turner honored those who laid SMU’s foundation while emphasizing the focus of moving upwards and forward in the next 100 years.

“Today is a call to action,” Turner said. “A time to reflect and then return to the work at hand.”

Joining Turner was Brad Cheves, vice president for development and external affairs; Caren Prothro, the chair of SMU’s Board of Trustees; Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe ‘85, representing the Dallas area-North Texas conference of the United Methodist Church; Carl Sewell ‘66, the co-chair of the Second Century Celebration Organizing Committee, and others.

Dressed in red and white, members of the Mustang Band helped the crowd “Walk Down Memory Lane” by playing an assortment of popular songs from 1915 to 2011.

Alumni traveled from all over to take part in the celebration.

Ruth Morgan, Provost Emerita and former president of Faculty Senate, worked at SMU for more than 20 years and said she would not have missed this event.

“SMU is very near and dear to my heart,” she said.

Gene Mallory ‘48 agreed.

Traveling from across Texas, he said he was ready to participate in the “big party.” Mallory was also excited to see other Golden Mustangs and his Kappa Sigma fraternity brothers.

Dorothy Thompson ‘53 said she has “always been a loyal supporter of SMU.”

Living in Dallas today, Thompson and her late husband were one of the first couples to be married in Perkins Chapel.

While alumni enjoyed returning to campus, students were also thrilled to be a part of the Founder’s Day weekend celebration.

“It’s a really big deal that we are 100 years old,” freshman Jennifer Smith said. “It only happens once, so it’s neat to get to be a part of it and to get to bring out kids here someday and say, ‘we were a part of this.’“

Junior Trigg Burrage said, “It’s great that the SMU centennial is so forward-focused. It’s as much about where are we going in the future as it is what we have done.”

While Turner acknowledged SMU’s emergence from the cotton fields into an accomplished university, he encouraged former and current students to continue to make SMU a leader and innovator with a growing international prominence

“Let’s carry the torch they [the founders] carried across the century and lead the university into the second century with energy and commitment,” Turner said.

The Centennial Celebration was the first of many events celebrating SMU’s 100th anniversary. Festivities will continue until 2015, the centennial of the year Dallas Hall’s doors first opened to students.