Tyler Commercial College

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Tyler Commercial College in Smith County. Now settle in, because this one starts small and ends up being the story of the largest commercial college in the entire nation. That's not my embellishment.

That's just what happened. In 1894, two brothers named C.L. and Noah Adair opened the Adair Normal School, aiming to give students a university-level education right there in Tyler, Texas. It didn't take, though.

The school closed in 1896. But the Adairs weren't finished. Not by a long stretch.

In 1899, a charter was filed with the secretary of state's office for something new: Tyler Commercial College. Now, the college needed a home, and the home they found was a vacant building known as the Texas Fruit Palace. You can't make that up.

Classrooms in a place called the Texas Fruit Palace. On April 1, 1904, Tyler Commercial College was incorporated, with C.L. and Noah Adair, H.E. Byrne, and F.A.

Glenn named as directors. One of those directors, Henry Byrne, was no ordinary educator. He came to Tyler as the creator of his own form of shorthand, known as Byrne shorthand, and he taught courses in transcribing.

But he also brought something most schools couldn't claim: he supplied the majority of the textbooks himself, straight out of his own publishing facilities. In 1924, Byrne sold his shares of Tyler Commercial College and moved to Dallas, where he kept his publishing company running. Now, back up just a moment, because 1903 handed the college a genuine crisis.

A fire destroyed the building. The college picked itself up and moved to the west side of South College Street, and it kept going. It had already shown some ambition before that, too.

In March 1901, a diploma from Tyler Commercial College entitled its holders to a teacher's certificate. That was real currency. The curriculum kept growing.

Courses in the secretarial field. Railroad courses. And then, by 1931, Tyler Commercial College was operating its own radio studio.

A radio studio. The place that started in a fruit palace was now broadcasting into the future. And the future kept arriving.

In April 1942, the first class of the Army Signal Corps School Detachment began at Tyler Commercial College. Major Virgil Caldwell was the commanding officer. John Sheppard was the instructor.

And that first group of men began training in radio communications, which was in great demand during World War II. Think about that arc. A shorthand teacher.

A fruit palace. A fire. And then soldiers learning to talk across the noise of a world war.

In April 1957, the Rutherford Metropolitan School of Business in Dallas purchased Tyler Commercial College, and the college moved to South Broadway. It remained in operation until 1980. The marker puts it plainly, and I think it's worth saying plain: Tyler Commercial College represented a shift from agricultural education to business education.

That's the whole sweep of it, right there. From the Adair Normal School to the Army Signal Corps. From the Texas Fruit Palace to South Broadway.

Tyler Commercial College grew to be the largest commercial college in the nation, and it did it one course, one fire, one radio signal at a time.

What the marker says

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.