Southern Arkansas University began as a residential agricultural high school, the Third District Agricultural School, in 1909. The school evolved into a junior college, popularly known as Magnolia A&M College, and later into a four-year institution, Southern State College. These four institutions served, primarily, young people of southwest Arkansas and provided extraordinary support to students, often the first in their families to seek degrees. The schools' educational value has been exceptional, as measured in graduates' achievements. Distinguished graduates have included, among many others, Gen. Horace Wade, '36, vice chief of staff, US Air Force; Leland Tollett, '56, president of Tyson Foods; Harry Thomason, '62, Hollywood producer and director; Cinda Hallman, '66, CEO, Spherion Corporation; Joyce Elliot, '73, Arkansas state senator and educational reformer; Joan Dempsey, '81, deputy director, US Central Intelligence Agency; and Fernando Barbosa, '92, managing director, Walt Disney Television International.