The Hall of Languages on the campus of Texas A&M University-Commerce is one of the oldest buildings in town. It used to be home to the university’s library. On Tuesday, April 18, 2017, the structure will be renamed in recognition of Dr. David Arlington Talbot who was the first African American faculty member at East Texas State University, and later, the first African American university administrator.
In the audio below, A&M-Commerce president Dr. Ray Keck explains how the decision to rename the building came about, and later, how the date was chosen in relation to the availability of former UN Ambassador Andrew Young.