Robert T. Hill was a well-regarded geologist, author and teacher. Born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1858, he was orphaned at the age of five and grew to consider Comanche, Texas his hometown during his formative years. Always having an interest in geology, he left his post at the Comanche Chief newspaper to earn his B.S. in geology from Cornell University. Shortly thereafter, Hill worked with the United States Geological Survey and was assigned to study the land in central Texas. He was the first to observe the Lower Cretaceous strata near the town of Comanche; in honor of the town he named his discovery the Comanche Series. Furthermore, he defined the physiographic provinces of Texas and documented the Balcones fault zone. His studies and investigations of underground and artesian waters led to improvements to vast areas of farm and ranch land and provided the foundation for future petroleum exploration. In recognition of his contributions to Texas and geology, SMU was honored to confer upon Robert T. Hill the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa.

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