This film from KHOU-TV Channel 11 in Houston contains a series of short news segments that would have aired as highlights to news stories. Many are silent and would have been voiced over by the anchorperson during a live broadcast. The titles for each segment are the originals created by KHOU-TV. The clips on this reel all date from the fall of 1961. This series includes news segments about a pair of murder trials, the execution of convicted murderer Howard Stickney, and the opening of a new KTRK-TV studio. Also included are interviews with Houston Colt .45s General Manager Paul Richards and Congressman Albert Thomas of Texas.
The digital preservation of this collection was made possible by a grant to the Texas Archive of the Moving Image and the Houston Public Library from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Born in Waxahachie, Paul Richards (1908 - 1986) was a professional baseball player, manager, scout, and MLB executive. He made his major league debut in 1932 as a catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers. In his professional career, Richards also played for the New York Giants, Philadelphia Athletics, and Detroit Tigers. He won the World Series with the Tigers in 1945. After retiring from play, Richards turned to managing, serving as manager and general manager for the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles and general manager for the Houston Colt .45s (later known as the Houston Astros) and Atlanta Braves. Richards died in his hometown of Waxahachie on May 4, 1986, at the age of 77.
Congressman Albert Thomas was born in Nacogdoches, Texas, on April 12, 1898. Before going into politics, he practiced law and served as Nacogdoches County Attorney and Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. In 1936, Congressman Joe Eagle decided not to seek reelection in order to run for United States Senate. (He lost.)Thomas sought Eagle’s former seat, defeating Mayor of Houston Oscar F. Holcombe in the Democratic primary and winning the general election. In Congress, Thomas used his position on various committees to steer projects to Texas. The most important of these was NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center (now known as the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center), with Thomas playing an integral role in the selection of Houston as its location.
On November 21, 1963, local Democrats organized an appreciation dinner for Thomas, who was at the time considering not running for a fifteenth term. Attendees included President John F. Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, who both delivered speeches. Thomas accompanied the presidential party to Dallas the following day, where Kennedy was assassinated. Thomas was aboard Air Force One when Johnson was sworn in as president.
Thomas died on February 15, 1966. His constituents voted for his wife Lera to complete his congressional term. As a result, she became the first woman elected to Congress from the state of Texas.
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