Special Collections Division the University of Texas at Arlington Libraries Vol. X * No. 2 * Fall 1996

A Quarter-Century of Change, Controversy, and Chaos
by Jerry L. Stafford

In June 1996 the Special Collections Division of the University Libraries received a valuable addition to its Fort Worth Star-Telegram Photograph Collection, when the newspaper donated nearly 300,000 negatives dating from 1955 through 1979, images that document a quarter of a century of significant change, controversy, and chaos. The negatives complement the voluminous prints and negatives the division received from the paper in the mid-1980s and early 1990s. "Baby-Boomers" in particular will enjoy these negatives. Focal points of interest range from local to world-wide concerns of the time, including a local connection with America's teenage heartthrob, Elvis; the Washington Senators move to Arlington's Turnpike Stadium and becoming the Texas Rangers; construction of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport; the war in Vietnam; Rosa Park's stand for equality; and the tragic visit of President John F. Kennedy to the Dallas-Fort Worth area in 1963.

The following images are from the recent Star-Telegram donation, and each tells its own story. The first of these was taken in 1956 in Montgomery, Alabama. Forty years ago, an unimposing and quiet African-American woman, Rosa Parks, took a stand for equality by refusing to give up her seat on a city bus in Montgomery. She was not a radical or even an activist--just an ordinary citizen who worked as a domestic. Not seeking glory and fame, all Rosa Parks wanted was equality. Her soft-spoken protest did lead to her arrest and subsequent fingerprinting as shown in this photograph. But more important, it led to the Supreme Court ruling that segregation was unlawful.

Elvis Pressley

The year was 1958; Elvis Presley was the "King of Rock 'n Roll" and the heartthrob of thousands of young teenage girls. From the door of his personal Pullman car on the Texas & Pacific that crossed through Fort Worth to Hollywood, Elvis greeted his adoring fans. This lucky young visitor from Oklahoma City, Mary Savage, had climbed up the steps to gain an autograph, but got much more as seen in this photo of she and Elvis.

John F. Kennedy

President John F. Kennedy took office in 1961 and challenged the American people at the inaguration to, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country!" His tenure in office has sometimes been referred to as "Camelot," but is representative of this era of change, controversy, and chaos: change in the form of civil rights rulings and laws, chaos resulting from the nation's involvement in Vietnam, and controversy arising over Kennedy being the first Roman Catholic president and culminating in the mystery surrounding his death. This image shows President Kennedy and his motorcade proceeding down Fort Worth's Main Street on November 22, 1963. The very next day, in Dallas, an assassin's bullet would strike down the young leader. Controversy still surrounds his death, giving rise to numerous theories advanced in books and film.

Beatle fans.

The British "invasion," in the form of four young men from Liverpool, led to a sensational new age in music and hairstyles. Never again would popular music be staged by the "clean-cut American kid next door." Beatle mania quickly spread through TV appearances, record deals, and even their first movie, "A Hard Day's Night." The young women in this image are exerting their political rights with an interesting alternative for leader of the nation in 1964. How would Ringo, drummer for the Beatles, stack up against then incumbent president, Lyndon Johnson?

Trucks in Vietnam.

The conflict in Vietnam grew to fever pitch during this era and divided the nation. Change would come in society's response to the returning soldiers. There was not a resounding ring of triumph and glory, but the cold shoulder of a nation wishing to quickly forget defeat. Change can also be seen in this photograph taken in 1966 by a staff photographer from the Star-Telegram on assignment in Vietnam. The juxtaposition of the modern war machine as it passes the age-old ox cart represents a forced move into the modern world that many Vietnamese were not ready for nor did they desire.

Lyndon Baines Johnson.

Lyndon Baines Johnson, a long-time senator from Texas and vice-president under John F. Kennedy, became president as the result of the assassination. Johnson would later serve a full term, elected by the American people. A man of humble beginnings, LBJ started as a school teacher in Central Texas and later embarked on a political career. His tenure in the Oval Office was also one filled with both success and failure. In 1964 Johnson signed the Civil Rights Bill, paving the way for equality among all men. During his administration and as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, he issued orders for the bombing of Hanoi, thus escalating the war in Vietnam.

Dallas-Fort Worth Regional Airport under construction.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Regional Airport came a step closer to reality when construction began in 1968 amid controversy and rivalry between the two cities. Erik Jonsson, chairman of the D-FW Regional Airport Board, was quoted in Stanley Scott and Levi Davis' book, A Giant in Texas, calling the project an "impossible dream." After its opening in 1973, the airport soon became one of the largest and busiest airports in the world. The facility was designed with the latest in technology and design, employing nearly 4,000 workers at the 17,000 acre site during construction.

Pitcher Nolan Ryan 1973.

1972 was the year that Bob Short bought the Washington Senators and moved them to Arlington, Texas. The team was renamed the Texas Rangers, and played at Turnpike Stadium for manager Ted Williams. According to Mike Shropshire, author of Seasons in Hell, Short planned to keep the team for a couple of years and then sell it to some rich Texan for a profit. The California Angels pitcher in this photograph is Nolan Ryan and the year is 1973, when the Rangers were known as the worst team in baseball. Two decades later, Ryan would be pitching for the Rangers, not against them, and the turn-around would propel the team into the national spotlight.

Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry and quarterback Roger Staubach, November 1976.

Even more than baseball, the sports fans of the Metroplex love football. And like the Rangers, change and controversy have played a big part in the development of the Dallas Cowboys. The team's first name was the Dallas Rangers, but this was changed to avoid conflict with the Texas Rangers baseball team. The Cowboys have gone on to be one of football's winningest franchises, due in large measure to individuals like Coach Tom Landry and Roger Staubach. Fate and fortune could never be seen in the face of the Cowboys' first coach, Tom Landry. That stoic expression is pictured in this photograph of Landry with one of the team's most popular quarterbacks, Roger Staubach, taken in November 1976.

Scene from the 1979 production of "the Wizard of Oz" atCasa Manana.

Another thread also runs through this twenty-five year period--one of fantasy, fun, and family entertainment. That thread is reflected in the children's stage productions at Casa Manana in Fort Worth. Although its beginnings can be traced to the open air dinner theater of the same name in the 1936 Centennial Celebration, Casa Manana's stage productions developed a national following in the 1950s, and have attracted some of the top names in the entertainment business. This scene from the 1979 production of "The Wizard of Oz" is a favorite of young and old alike. It features the local talent of Karen Dodds as Dorothy, Cran Dodds as the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion portrayed by Art Lippa.

Dr. Janice Fennell, Director of the Library Information Center of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, has worked closely with Special Collections staff to move the seventeen storage cabinets that house these negatives. This mutually beneficial relationship between the Star-Telegram and UTA's Special Collections will ensure that this important historical resource is preserved and available to the public.

The Star-Telegram Photograph Collection, with nearly 750,000 images, is one of the largest and most diverse photo collections in Texas and the Southwest. Other major photographic collections in Special Collections are the Basil Clemons Photograph Collection, the William Wood Photograph Collection, and the Jack White Photograph Collection, In addition, there are other newspaper photograph collections and numerous small collections of photographs housed within the division's manuscript and archival holdings. If the old cliche is true, that "every picture tells a story," then there are tens of thousands of stories to be told by the images in the Special Collections Division.

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