YAF Pickets, 02/26/68: Demonstrators picket outside IBM’s offices in Houston to protest the company’s trade business with communist nations
Slot Machines, 02/26/68: Police seize slot machines from a coin-operated machine distribution company
Welch on Bonds, 02/26/68: Houston Mayor Louie Welch reviews the consequences of the failed bond election on February 23
Caldwell on Relations, 03/04/68: A KHOU reporter asks Captain Harry Caldwell, director of the Community Relations Division at the Houston Police Department, about the program’s status. Caldwell stresses the need to establish an atmosphere of good will between law enforcement and the community before a successful dialogue can take place. The department formed the Community Relations Division following the violent confrontation between police officers and Texas Southern University students in May 1967.
Nitrogen in Tires-Al Bell, 03/04/68: A Gulfo technician fills a customer’s car tires with nitrogen, rather than compressed air. Filling tires with nitrogen allows for a more constant tire pressure.
Dale & Roy Rogers on Hippies, 02/29/68: Western film star Dale Evans, a Uvalde native, expresses her disapproval of antiwar demonstrators. She and her husband, famed singing cowboy Roy Rogers, had traveled to Vietnam in 1967 to entertain American troops. Evans further criticizes those who “knock down prayer.” The actress was one of many Hollywood stars to attend the 1964 Project Prayer rally in support of school prayer. The Supreme Court had struck down the practice in a pair of decisions the two years prior.
Caldwell on Public Relations, 03/04/68: Captain Caldwell describes the long-term effort required to improve relations between law enforcement and the community
Polution Man on Polution [sic], 03/04/68: An official explains how the Air Quality Act of 1967 will help cities and states alleviate air pollution. The legislation, a part of the Clean Air Act, enforced interstate air pollution standards and authorized ambient monitoring studies.
Traffic Luncheon, 03/05/68: Members of the Traffic Club of Houston attend a speaker luncheon. Now known as the Transportation Club of Houston, the organizations fosters a professional network of executives from all modes of transportation. It was established in 1915.
Big Search, 03/06/68: A group of men gather for a land search, ultimately discovering a large suitcase in a creek
Astronauts, 03/01/68: Press conference with members of NASA Group 6, the sixth group of astronauts selected by NASA in August 1967. All were scientists with no prior piloting experience. At the far left is Deke Slayton, Mercury Seven astronaut and director of Flight Crew Operations. To the right of Slayton are nine of the 11 members of NASA Group 6. They are Anthony Llewellyn, Brian O’Leary, Robert Parker, William Thornton, Philip Chapman, William Lenoir, Anthony England, Karl Heinze, and Joseph Allen. Not pictured are Donald Holmquest and Story Musgrave. Group 6 was nicknamed the “Excess Eleven” because some NASA senior officials (including Slayton) deemed the group unnecessary, given the roster of active astronauts. Llewellyn and O’Leary resigned in 1968. Chapman and Holmquest left in 1972 and 1973, respectively, due to the lack of spaceflight opportunities. The remaining seven eventually flew as Mission Specialists during the Space Shuttle program.
C 130 for Reserves, 03/01/68: Returning service members land at Ellington Field aboard a C-130 Hercules, a four-engine military transport aircraft
Lamb Auction, 02/29/68: Sheep auction at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
Welch on the TSU-Five Trail [sic], 03/04/68: Mayor Welch comments on the media focus on the trial of the “TSU Five” and considerations about whether to relocate the proceedings to another county. Per his response, the trial was indeed moved from Houston to Victoria.
Mexican Airlines, 03/05/68: Aeronaves de México, the flag carrier airline of Mexico, begins service to Houston. Houston Mayor Louie Welch welcomes airline officials to Hobby Airport upon their arrival. The airline is now known as Aeroméxico.
Finance Hi-Jacking, 03/06/68: Law enforcement investigate a robbery at the Bankers Finance and Thrift Corporation
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 26 to March 6, 1968. This series includes news segments about the Community Relations Division at the Houston Police Department, a press conference with NASA Astronaut Group 6, and an update on the trial of the TSU Five. Also included is an interview with Western film stars Dale Evans and Roy Rogers about antiwar demonstrators.
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.
On the night of May 16, 1967, police blockaded the Texas Southern University campus in response to a student civil rights protest. Amidst the high racial tensions, the confrontation escalated into an “Alamo-scale shootout,” according to the Houston Chronicle. Police fired an estimated 3,000 rounds into TSU’s Lanier Dormitory, where the students were blockaded. Law enforcement raided the building in the early morning hours of May 17, arresting 488 students—the largest mass arrest in Houston history. Two police officers were wounded and another, rookie Louis Kuba, was killed. A small group of students, known as the TSU Five, were indicted on charges of inciting a riot, assault, and murder. They were Charles Freeman, Trazawell Franklin, Douglas Waller, John Parker, and Floyd Nichols. Only Freeman was tried, resulting in a hung jury. A judge ultimately dismissed the case against all five defendants due to insufficient evidence, believing that Kuba most likely died from a ricocheting police bullet.
Share this video
