Old Timers

Bill Murphy has provided these links for the old times.

The 40s

The 50s

The 60s

The Cars We Drove

Do You Remember These?

and,
Remember Those Old Westerns?

April 26, 1963 - The Night the Devil Didn't Win

The Devils Bowl Speedway was opened in 1949 in Dallas on John West Road near the back of Buckner Blvd drive-in theater. The Bowl moved to its current location in Mesquite in 1968, but in 1963, that racetrack was still at its original location. It featured stock car and other auto races, and was a popular venue for hot rod buffs.

On Friday evening, April 26, 1963, Roy Carter, who with his wife operated the facility, was changing a butane tank for a hamburger grill when it sprung a leak. Escaping gas was ignited by a water heater pilot light. The flames engulfed an office under the stands, blowing Carter out the door.

Carter’s 10 year old daughter Sandra was trapped in the burning office sure to burn to death when Dallas Police Sergeant Donald F. Flusche, Sr. broke through a ticket window, crawled inside and hurled Sandra out the window before escaping himself. Carter, Sandra, and Sgt. Flusche suffered painful burns, but all recovered. For his heroism, Sgt. Flusche received the Dallas Police Medal of Honor, the highest award given for exceptional bravery in the line of duty.

Only 26 officers have been awarded the Police Medal of Honor in the history of the Dallas Police Department. More than ten thousand have served, at least since badge numbers were first assigned. In 1963, three men were recipients: Sgt. Flusche, J. D. Tippit, who was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald, and Nick McDonald, who would have been had not the web of his hand caught the hammer of Oswald’s pistol as the assassin was being subdued in the Texas Theater.

Don Flusche went on to serve more than 30 years with the DPD. I had the honor of meeting Don, Sr. my first day on the job as a police officer. His oldest son, Don, Jr. was one of my classmates in the 1972 Police Academy Class #123. One evening after class, Don, Jr. told me about his dad’s rescue of Sandra over a beer at Club Schmitz. He told me that Don, Sr. never mentioned it, except when asked, and then only to say it was "part of the job."

Sadly, Don, Jr. died of injuries he received in a car crash on Greenville Avenue in 1992 while responding to assist another officer. In 2004, Sgt. Mike Flusche, another son who followed in his father’s footsteps – almost literally – was awarded the DPD Medal of Honor, along with two of his fellow officers.

Donald F. Flusche, Sr. died in 2008 at the age of 80. Not the least of his claims to fame in this world was that he was a member of the first graduating class of Dallas' Jesuit High School in 1945. R.I.P.

Housekeeping Note Comments

I reset the "comments" criteria so anyone can comment. It had been set to require registration first, and I know many don't like to have to do that.

God made Jesuit

Here is a you tube video Kevin Mullan sent today.

http://youtu.be/X8kYq8dkS48

Who?

The Economist is a century-and-a-half old British magazine (it styles itself as a "newspaper") that has published a U.S. edition for several decades. It also calls itself conservative, and, though that term has a somewhat different meaning in Britain than it does here, it generally is, on economic issues anyway. I find it to be informative and objective in its news coverage; it does editorialize, but clearly labels it opinions as such.

The magazine has an online  feature called "The Economist explains." Of interest to us is its Q&A prompted by the election of Pope Francis, "Who are the Jesuits?"

"The election of Pope Francis on March 13th was surprising for several reasons. He is the first pope from South America, making him the first non-European since the 8th century. He is also the only pope to take the name Francis—evoking the humility of St Francis of Assisi, a 12th century Italian monk. Most surprising of all, he is the only member of the Society of Jesus, a religious order dating from the 16th century, to become a pope. But just who are the Jesuits, exactly?"

The Economist answers with its version here..

Anyone who has attended a Jesuit school knows about the soldier Ignatius Loyola's inspiration to pursue a life of learning and missionary work while convalescing from battle wounds and the founding of the Society of Jesus. I have not, however, sound a comprehensive history of the order in English. If anyone knows of one, I wold appreciate the reference.

A Shot Close to Home

Just north of the old Jesuit High School campus, at the corner of Turtle Creek Blvd and Avondale Avenue, around 9:30 p.m. on the evening of April 10, 1963, a rifle shot rang out, shattered a glass window of the house, and barely missed the man hunched over his income tax return. Former Major General Edwin A. Walker, a decorated World War II veteran turned political activist escaped with his life by a slight movement of his body at just the right time.

As high school seniors, we were too full of anticipation of our upcoming graduation to pay much attention to the attempted murder of a somewhat goofy political activist. Still, I recall reading about the incident, and wondering who could have been responsible. Little did I or anyone else know. We would find out before the year end.

Walker was well known in Dallas and elsewhere for his extreme and oddball politics. He resigned from the army in 1961 after being reprimanded by President Kennedy for violating federal law by attempting to influence the vote of his troops in the 24^th Division in Germany. Walker had earlier been criticized by President Eisenhower for political promotion while in uniform. After his resignation, Walker took up residence in Dallas. In 1962 finished last in a field of candidates running for governor of Texas in the Democratic primary. John Connally won that race in a run-off.

Later that year, Walker led a protest against the use of army troops to enforce the court-ordered desegregation of the University of Mississippi. (Walker claimed he was not against desegregation; but he believed it was an unconstitutional infringement on states' rights to use federal troops to enforce it.) During that incident he was arrested and ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluation. Initially he was charged with sedition and inciting insurrection, but a federal grand jury declined to indict Walker for any crime. In October 1963, Walker was reputed to have organized the protest against the United Nations when Ambassador Adlai Stevenson spoke at the Dallas Memorial Auditorium. While leaving the arena, Stevenson was spat upon and struck with a placard by an overly enthusiastic protester.

After President Kennedy was assassinated a month later, Marina Oswald revealed to investigators that the President’s assassin and Walker’s assailant were the same person. Lee Harvey Oswald loathed Walker for his anti-communism and conservative politics. Forensic examination revealed that the ammunition Oswald used to kill Kennedy was consistent with the bullet recovered at Walker’s home.

The national press and political cognoscenti initially blamed the conservative political climate in Dallas for Kennedy’s assassination, and many continued to believe that misconception. Jacqueline Kennedy expressed disappointment that the President’s death was rendered meaningless because, instead of being shot by a racist segregationist, given aid and comfort by the Dallas citizenry, Kennedy was murdered by a "silly little communist." Silly indeed, but deadly.

Edwin Walker, for all his nuttiness, and John F. Kennedy had one thing in common. They were, each in his own way, both Cold Warriors. Kennedy died as a casualty of that War; Walker nearly did. Walker survived to see the end of the Cold War. He died here in Dallas in October 1993, 30 years and six months after Lee Harvey Oswald tried to kill him.

Here is the Dallas Morning News story on April 11, 1963:

More Legacy

Catherine Cuellar, otherwise famous as the offspring of classmate John Cuellar, is the new executive director of, the Dallas Arts District, She succeeds former city councilwoman Veletta Forsythe Lill.

Catherine is a longtime arts journalist and advocate. Since 2003 she worked as a reporter for KERA and managing editor of PegasusNews.com. She also hosted the literary series “The Writers’ Studio” that featured authors of fiction and non-fiction. She leaves her job at Oncor, where she managed public relations, employee communications and social media for the electric utility. 

For more on Catherine's appointment and the Dallas Arts District see this link.

Incipient Geezers on Wheels

Tour Dallas is an annual bicycle ride (though some have used similar self-propelled devices such as roller-blades) through the city on the first Saturday in April. It has 8, 20. and 30 mile courses. It is a tour, not a race, so it's not for Lance Armstrong wannabes (although given recent revelations, who would want to be). Nevertheless, it is an accomplishment to do the 30 mile course in two and a half hours (with two breaks). Especially for 1963 Class Members and bike aficionados Paul Vinton and Bob Reagan.   Witnesseth:

 

Ervay and Young Streets 7:50 a.m.

Tour starts at 8

Paul at the White Rock Lake Bath House

13.3 miles 9:05 a.m

Rest Stop

 



 

Bob at the While Rock Lake Bath House

 

.

 

At the Finish Line in front of City Hall

 @ 10:30 a.m.

Ready for the food court

 

 



A Legacy of Patriotism and Service

From Bill Murphy:

The William Murphy Family is proud to announce that our oldest son has been promoted to the rank of Major, USMC. Joe spent three tours in Iraq and then became an instructor pilot at the Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, Texas. Joe currently flies the Marine Corps C-9. I know all of you will join me in praying for our troops and wishing them all a safe return home. America, Land of the Free, Because of the Brave! Thank a Soldier!

Congratulations to Major Murphy. Hope and prayer for his safety.

Grim Anniversary

Remember this?

I recall just getting home from school on April 2,1957 when I heard that a tornado had touched down.

We lived west of Love Field, near Our Lady of Perpetual Help church and school, where I was in the 6th grade. I guess most of us were 6th graders at the time. The tornado passed about 4 blocks northwest of our house not far from Grauweyler Park at Harry Hines Blvd. When I looked out the window after hearing the warning, this is more or less what it looked like.

In this photo, it was over Arlington Park, near where St. Paul Hospital is today. Probably about a mile from our house.

My mom, brothers and sisters, and I huddled under the dining room table for awhile, and then I, possibly foolishly, and saw the funnel passing to the northwest heading for Bachman Lake. It passed through what was then called the Mill Block near where Southwest Airlines HQ is now located, destroyed of the houses there, and then dissipated over the Lake.

For more, see this website: 

http://www.1957dallastornado.net/index.html

Nineteen years later, in May or June 1977, another twister cut a swath through North Dallas in the Royal Lane - Northhaven area.