In 1964, the Texas Industrial Arts Association appointed a new executive secretary to its ranks: Dr. M. D. Williamson, Associate Professor of Industrial Arts at North Texas State University. He was chosen at the annual TIAA conference at Texas A & M University in College Station. Williamson is pictured above, alongside the rest of the… Read more »
In 1978, proponents of equal rights for women were beginning to feel a little trapped. When the 27th amendment passed the Senate and House of Representatives in 1972, Congress placed a seven-year deadline on the ratification process–1979. In the first year, 22 of the required 38 states (including Texas) ratified the amendment. Hope dwindled, however,… Read more »
Industrial arts education–woodshop, metalworking, plastics, upholstery . . . the list of classes goes on for quite a while. Whatever it may be, industrial arts, or IA, helps students learn a skilled trade. IA played an important role in America’s public education system during the 20th century, especially during and after the second World… Read more »
In 2015, there aren’t many people who pay a cable bill anymore. Instead, they opt for streaming services that offer more flexibility with a much lower cost. However, it wasn’t long ago when people were so excited to get a clear picture on their TV’s, they’d eagerly pay the $8.50 a month for 30… Read more »
After the second World War, people across the nation were staking claims in North Texas. In Fort Worth, the population jumped 57% between 1940 and 1950 (177,662 to 278,778), and the population mushroomed another 28% by 1960 (up to 356,268). And in Dallas, the population rose 47% between 1940 and 1950 (294,734 to 434,462), and… Read more »
Remember when your grandmother’s farm was “the brick house with a basset hound out front, about three miles south of the old cemetery?” Now, that farm probably has a real address, something more like 123 Country Road. Beginning in the late 1960’s and throughout the 1970’s, communities began implementing 911 Addressing standards, which meant that… Read more »
This spring, DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transportation) started service on its new streetcar route, a 1.6 mile stretch connecting Oak Cliff commuters with Union Station in Dallas. The city’s new streetcar is the latest in a trend sweeping urban centers across the country. (Tucson, Arizona launched a successful streetcar project in 2014, and Kansas City… Read more »
This spring, most North Texas lakes and rivers saw a sudden, sharp surplus in their water levels, and the Trinity River was certainly among them. Areas of Dallas were flooded by the river at the end of May, causing many businesses to close. It also gave several citizens cause for concern over the proposed Trinity… Read more »
School hasn’t been out for long, but many North Texas parents already can’t wait for summer vacation to be over. While the youth of today may be more likely to play video games than engage in outdoor shenanigans, they are also more likely to take part in interracial friendships than the Dallas children of prior… Read more »
The collections being exposed within the Southwest Metroplex blog all share the chaos and excitement that overcame the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the decades following World War II. UNT’s Special Collections department houses items documenting the enormous population boom in North Texas, tremendous strides made in transportation and urban planning, political environments, and a… Read more »
