Faces of Impact
Jerry Comer MS'77


“Jerry and his wife enhanced UT Dallas’ library with a gift of rare photographs and books, creating the Jerry and Marilyn Comer Photography Collection at UT Dallas. An avid photographer and collector, this partnership with the University provided an opportunity for Jerry to exhibit his collection in a way that would benefit the educational experiences of future generations of students.”

— Dr. Kyle Edgington, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations

A dedicated alumnus whose passion for photography continues to enrich the University experience.

A retired engineer, Jerry Comer MS’77 earned his master’s degree in management from UT Dallas in the midst of his career as a design engineer at Texas Instruments.

Since the late 1950s, Comer has been collecting a wide range of photographs. His personal work earned him eight Best in Show awards from the State Fair of Texas and the city of Richardson. A dedicated supporter of UT Dallas, Comer has made several gifts to the University, including more than 750 photographs dating from the 1930s, as well as 664 books and 531 periodicals on the subject of modern and contemporary art and photography.

Comer also gifted the Eugene McDermott Library Special Collections with a series of 302 aviation-themed photographs from renowned photographer Bob Seidemann. The alumnus’ contributions helped establish the Jerry and Marilyn Comer Photography Collection, housed in a permanent location on the north side of UT Dallas’ campus.

Comer’s generosity and passion for photography has helped advance the arts at UT Dallas through an annual guest photographer program and an effort to offer educational opportunities to students.

In 2018, Comer received the Green and Orange Award for Alumni Service at the UT Dallas Awards Gala.