Jewelry Burglary & Church Vandalism, 02/11/68: Police officers make an arrest at the scene of a burglary
Crime Week, 02/11/68: Houston Mayor Louie Welch signs the proclamation designating February 11 to 17 Crime Prevention Week. Crime Prevention Week was an annual nationwide event organized by local chapters of the National Exchange Club, a community service organization.
Boy Scouts, 02/11/68: Active service members salute a parade of Boy Scout troops
Chinese New Year, 02/11/68: Mayor Welch attends a Houston-area Chinese New Year celebration, during which revelers set off fireworks and perform a dragon dance. 1968 was the year of the monkey.
Flying Nurses, 02/11/68: A group of nurses load into an Air Force plane at Ellington Field
Mailmen March of Dimes, 02/11/68: Postal workers drop off donations at the Houston office of the March of Dimes, a nonprofit organization established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt that focuses on preventing birth defects and infant mortality
Cop HQ Opening, 02/11/68: Law enforcement officials and their families attend the opening of a new headquarters office
John Hill, 02/11/68: Against the backdrop of the Texas State Capitol Building in Austin, a KHOU reporter asks Texas Secretary of State John Hill about the response to his gubernatorial campaign. In a stacked Democratic primary, Hill lost to Lieutenant Governor Preston Smith, who also won in the general election. Hill went on to serve as Texas attorney general from 1973 to 1979 and chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court from 1985 to 1988.
Moon Sites, 02/11/68: A NASA representative stands before a lunar map to illustrate possible Apollo 11 landing sites
Pasadena Murder, 02/11/68: Detectives question an individual, possibly Robert Akridge, in the course of a murder investigation. On December 9, 1966, a sniper fatally shot Dr. Robert Pendleton as he was exiting the Red Bluff General Hospital in Pasadena. Law enforcement arrested Robert Akridge and Delmonte Whitehurst on February 10, 1968. The following day, Harris County authorities extradited Roy Franklin Brashier from Jackson, Mississippi, where he was being held by the Hines County Sheriff’s Department. A grand jury indicted all three men on murder charges on February 13. Harris County District Attorney Carol Vance argued that someone hired the trio to commit the crime. Dr. Archie Burkhalter (Pendleton’s medical partner), James Oliver Steambarge, and Robert Tucker (an operating room technician) were later charged as accomplices to the murder. Akridge was convicted as the triggerman and sentenced to death. Tucker and Burkhalter were convicted as accomplices, and given 99 years and a life sentence, respectively.
Law enforcement officials at the courthouse following the grand jury indictment
Second from the left is Harris County Sheriff C. V. “Buster” Kerns
A prosecuting attorney details the state’s understanding of the crime
4-Alarm Fire, Hamms Bldg, 02/12/68: Firefighters respond to a four-alarm fire
Welch (Ship Channel Fire Protection), 02/12/68: Mayor Welch questions who carries the legal responsibility to provide additional fire protection to the Houston Ship Channel
Justice Clark, 02/08/68: Former Supreme Court Justice Tom Clark comments on the impact of Miranda v. Arizona, a landmark case that defined the conditions under which a suspect’s confession is deemed admissible at trial. Clark, a Dallas lawyer, served as United States attorney general from 1945 to 1949 and on the United States Supreme Court from 1949 to 1967.
Ballots, 02/08/68: Printing sample ballots
Job Program, 02/07/68
Preston Smith, 02/06/68: Lieutenant Governor Preston Smith answers questions about possible tax legislation during an upcoming special session, which began on June 4. Smith served as lieutenant governor from 1963 to 1969 and governor from 1969 to 1973.
Mark Video Segment:
begin
end
play
See someone or something you recognize? TAMI Tagging
Click begin and end to mark the segment you wish to tag. Then enter your comment and click on Tag!
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 February 6-12, 1968. This series includes news segments about Chinese New Year, the 1968 gubernatorial election, and a Pasadena murder investigation. Also included is a brief interview with Lieutenant Governor Preston Smith.
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.
Politician Louie Welch was born in Lockney, Texas, on December 9, 1918. He received a degree in history from Abilene Christian College, now Abilene Christian University.
Welch began his political career in 1950, serving four terms on the Houston City Council. He unsuccessfully sought the Houston mayoral office three times before being elected to the position in 1963. Houston grew immensely during Welch’s five terms as mayor, from the population topping one million people to the opening of the Astrodome in 1965 and the Houston Intercontinental Airport in 1969.
His tenure, however, was not without its controversy. A 1967 conflict between police and Texas Southern University students created a rift between the local administration and many of Houston’s African Americans. Welch’s reputation also came under fire during his last term over his relationship with well-known crime leaders, leading to suspicions about how his second mayoral bid was financed.
In 1985, Welch ran for mayor again, campaigning in opposition to the extension of job protection rights to homosexuals employed by the city government. He lost to incumbent Kathy Whitmore.
Welch died from lung cancer on January 27, 2008 in his Harris County residence. He was 89.
Share this video
