University of North Texas 
The Beaux-Arts building on Harwood Street in downtown Dallas hasn’t served as city
hall for decades. But on October 18, approximately two dozen city managers and other
public administrators, most now retired, again walked its ornate corridors. They had
gathered to remember former Dallas City Manager George R. Schrader, and to celebrate
a new UNT endowed professorship established in his honor.
“This endowment is important because it funds something unusual, a professor of practice position,” explained Dr. Simon A. Andrew, chair of the UNT Department of Public Administration. “It will enhance our department, and especially our MPA program, by adding a full-time faculty member with extensive, hands-on experience as a public executive. The new position also expands our ability to develop applied research projects.”
The official title of the new faculty post is the George R. Schrader Endowed Professor of Practice in Local Government Management. It is a permanent, nontenure-track, position.
UNT MPA Alumnus Mark McDaniel first suggested an endowed professorship in honor of Schrader about four years ago. McDaniel, who currently serves as deputy city manager of Fort Worth, rallied members of the UNT Public Administration Advisory Board (PAAB), to the cause. He also worked with Associate Professor Brian Collins, who was department chair at the time, and staff in the Office of the Dean of the College of Health & Public Service, to launch the project.
The endowment reached its goal of $500,000 this year. Sixty donors, including friends and former colleagues of Schrader, and UNT public administration faculty members and alumni, contributed to the fund.
When organizers planned a reception to celebrate that achievement, the old Dallas City Hall seemed like the perfect venue. Not only had Schrader and many donors worked in the building, but the imposing, carefully restored landmark is now part of the UNT System. It became home to the UNT Dallas College of Law in 2019.
The October celebration started with traditional formalities, recognizing those who led the fundraising effort, acknowledging alumni and students in attendance, and thanking donors. Then McDaniel invited guests to share their memories of Schrader, who died of complications of COVID-19 in 2020.
Schrader was a Kansas native whose first job – an internship – in public administration was in San Angelo, Texas. He joined the city of Dallas in 1966, was promoted to city manager in 1972, and retired in 1981. During his tenure in Dallas, he oversaw the planning or development of DFW International Airport, a new city hall, a new art museum and surrounding cultural district, a new central library, the Union Station/Reunion Hotel, Tower and Arena complex, the Dallas Arboretum and Botanic Garden, and the Woodall Rodgers Freeway.
“He had more impact during that point in time than any one person could expect to have,” remembered Gerry Henigsman, who had been hired as Schrader’s first intern in 1967. “Those were exciting times, when we were young and ambitious.”
Schrader’s former colleagues recalled his long hours on the job, his efficiency, and his preparation. Friend and former colleague Bob Blodgett quoted one of Schrader’s maxims, “it’s not a real meeting without a written agenda,” while others reminisced about how he would bring out an hourglass to keep meetings moving.
UNT Chancellor Emeritus Lee Jackson, who also served as a county judge and state representative during his decades in public service, said he started his career as an intern in Schrader’s office.
“I ended up as George’s ‘go-fer’,” Jackson recalled. “I was 21 years old, and I was in charge of barking dogs and weeds in the cemeteries. I helped write speeches for council members. It was a great experience.”
Philanthropist Mary McDermott Cook, whose family’s trust contributed the lead gift to the endowment, described Schrader’s ability to forge relationships with all kinds of people. He could talk to anyone, from farmers whose land was needed to build DFW Airport to the city’s wealthiest citizens, she said.
Schrader also made time to counsel and coach younger staffers who were just starting their careers.
“He was my mentor, my friend,” said Robert Herchert, retired CEO, chairman and advisory director of Freese and Nichols, Inc., and a former Fort Worth city manager. “He was just a wonderful leader in the profession, and I miss him a whole lot.”
The Department of Public Administration plans to hire the first George R. Schrader Endowed Professor of Practice in time for the 2025-2026 academic year. To learn more, please click here.