Texas Almanac, 1947-1948 Page: 38
[610] p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this book.
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city planning as it has unfold
back untold benefits in th
thirty-seven years, it was th
It was the basis also of th
Dealey as the father of city
the Southwest.
Gave Alamo RepliTEXAS ALM
ded and paid
e succeeding
e foundation.
e acclaim of
planning in
ca.Constantly in his mind as he waged his
fight for a well-planned city were corol-
lary improvements making for a better
community life. As early as 1901 the
Dallas Public Library came into being,
with The News among its chief sponsors.
The State Fair of Texas from its start
had enjoyed the unqualified backing of
The News, but Dealey's insistence was
ever for a broadening of the influence of
this annual exposition. The fine arts no
less than domestic arts, the products of
Texas minds no less than of her fields and
pastures were encouraged by him at the
fair. In 1904 he had The News present a
replica of Texas' immortal Alamo to the
fairgrounds, there to be seen over the
years by millions of men, women and
children, many of whom might not ever
get to the shrine at San Antonio itself. It
was a significant first expression of an
interest in Texas history which later
would become one of the publisher's
greatest contributions.
No city could lay claim to greatness in
Dealey's opinion if it did not provide for
the proper instruction and edification of
its youth. The basis of the common school
system of Dallas had been laid. There
was, however, no full-fledged college in
Dallas. That is why he was among the
first to realize the value in securing the
location of Southern Methodist University
when this new institution was proposed
in 1912. After Dallas civic leaders secured
the designation, there was much work to
be done, chiefly in arousing local interest
to raise the then appreciable sums which
Dallas spokesmen had pledged on behalf
of the community. At last the university
opened its doors in 1915, and then as well
as later its officials gave credit to Dealey
as the decisive and sustaining factor in
the darkest hours of discouragement.
Even the physical surroundings of the
new institution interested him greatly.
His vision extended beyond the first bare
structure on the bald black waxy prairie,
and as chairman for years of the campus
beautification committee he saw grounds
and buildings soundly planned by archi-
tectural and landscape artists. What is
more, in his calm, persistent fashion he
saw to it that the campus was trans-
formed into one of the beauty spots of
Texas.
Indicative of the wide and ranging con-
cern of the newspaper executive in all
phases of community life was Dealey's
part in securing headquarters of the
Eleventh District Federal Reserve BankANAC -1947-1948
in Dallas. It must be kept in mind that
Dealey was first of all a successful man
of business. His mastery of the mechanics
of running a business in our American
system of free enterprise was so complete
that even his closest associates tended at
times to forget the mastery behind such
efficient and apparently effortless suc-
cess. He knew the needs of business and
industry, and particularly the importance
of a sound banking and currency system.
He followed the national banking reform
movement which culminated in the crea-
tion of the Federal Reserve System in
1914. He was determined, first of all, that
Texas should have its own district bank,
rather than be subordinate to such dis-
tant centers as St. Louis or Kansas City.
Secondly, he believed most sincerely that
his own city was the logical and most
convenient banking center for the South-
west. When success crowned the efforts
of Dallas interests, it was seen and ad-
mitted that the steady, persistent work
of Dealey, personally as well as through
the columns of his newspaper, had been
instrumental.
Inherits Heavy Load.
Dealey's passion for a better life for his
neighbors, his community, his state and
his nation was not pursued in a vacuum
separate from his major task of manag-
ing The News. Rather, it was part and
parcel of the busiest managerial job of
his life. Following Colonel Belo's death in
1901 his only son, Alfred H. Belo Jr., be-
came president of the publishing firm. He
was ably initiated into his heavy respon-
sibilities by the manager at Dallas as well
as by Vice-President R. G. Lowe and
Treasurer Thomas W. Dealey at Galves-
ton. But the greatest corporate tragedy
in the history of the publishing firm fell
within the span of only six weeks in the
early part of 1906. Lowe, followed by
young Belo and then Thomas W. Dealey,
were suddenly taken by death Colonel
Belo's widow, his daughter and his re-
cently bereaved daughter-in-law turned
instinctively to G. B. Dealey. They knew
what reliance Colonel Belo had always
had in him. They knew him as a close
and trusted friend. They asked him to
head the entire institution.
The decision which Dealey made to this
request was typical of his consideration
of others, of his own sense of responsi-
bility and of his essential selflessness. He
was willing to become vice-president and
general manager. That meant he was to
shoulder the major part of the load. But
he felt that a member of the family
which owned the property should be
brought in as their direct representative.
So it was decided that C. Lombardi, a
brother-in-law of Mrs. A. H. Belo Sr.,
should join The News in an executive
capacity and Mrs. Belo should become the
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Texas Almanac, 1947-1948, book, 1947; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117136/m1/40/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.