Legacies: A History Journal for Dallas and North Central Texas, Volume 30, Number 2, Fall 2018 Page: 3
76 p. : some col., ill.View a full description of this periodical.
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FROM THE EDITOR
/ith this issue, Legacies concludes its thirtieth
year of publication. That's sixty issues, containing
hundreds of research articles, profiles, and photo
essays. Although many have dealt with well
known individuals or events, we have always
sought out stories about lesser known aspects of
our regional history. By adding color and detail
to the tapestry of history, we hope these forgotten
stories may help us understand better how to deal
with challenges of the present. This issue contains
five articles that fit in the category of forgotten,
or at least obscure, stories.
The first one, about the network of inter-
urban trains that spread out from Dallas in the
early 20th century, isn't completely forgotten,
thanks to a fine museum devoted to the subject
in Plano. But it has been sixty years since the last
interurban train operated, and in this era when
various forms of mass transit are receiving atten-
tion, the story of the interurbans is timely, if also
cautionary. Jeff Dunn provides an overview, from
planning through construction and operation, to
eventual abandonment.
The WPA Nurseries that operated in Dallas
in the early 1940s really have been almost
completely forgotten, except perhaps by surviving
adults who benefited from them. Courtney
Welch offers a detailed look at the services given
poor toddlers, many of whose mothers worked in
World War II defense plants-everything from a
daily dose of cod liver oil to a personal toothbrush
to nutritious meals.
The innovative theater-in-the-round created
by Margo Jones at Fair Park is fondly recalled
and mentioned in most histories of Dallas.
But the focus has generally been on the plays
Jones produced by Tennessee Williams, William
Inge, and other playwrights who soon gainedprominence on Broadway. Who knew that she
also presented a play by Dorothy Parker, well
known for her wit as a poet and columnist? Frank
Jackson's article makes clear why her play went
nowhere.
This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the
assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
His leadership in the civil rights movement and
his stirring speeches in Washington, D.C., and
elsewhere are being remembered and celebrated.
But his five visits to Dallas have received scant
attention. Steven Butler recounts these visits,
spanning a ten-year period from 1956 to 1966,
and analyzes the local reaction to them. As a
sidebar, Butler also writes of the two public visits
made to Dallas by Robert F Kennedy, both while
he was serving as Attorney General in his broth-
er's administration.
Finally, we often think of the post-World
War II expansion of Dallas and Fort Worth
in terms of the geographic spread over the
surrounding region, as suburban development
has replaced former farm and ranch land. But
both cities also have downtowns that grew
vertically. Handling increased traffic-both
pedestrian and vehicular-became a growing
challenge. As Jay Firsching explains, several urban
planners proposed separating pedestrians from
automobiles, and trucks from both, through
networks of underground tunnels and occasional
overhead walkways. These proposals were never
fully implemented, and today planners question
their validity. But remnants remain, a frequent
object of curiosity if not use.
Forgotten, obscure, neglected-all these
stories are part of the legacy of our past, stories
worth remembering.
-Michael VHazelLEGACIES Fall 2018 3
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Dallas Historical Society. Legacies: A History Journal for Dallas and North Central Texas, Volume 30, Number 2, Fall 2018, periodical, Autumn 2018; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1137646/m1/5/: accessed May 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Historical Society.