Bill Foster, editor and publisher of the Waco Citizen for years is, writing a book about his experiences.

PRESS PASS GETS YOU IN THE DOOR

One chapter is about that momentous year of the tornado 1953. Many other events occurred that year such as the homosexual convention.

The Heart of Texas Coliseum also opened that year.

If you want a copy of his book when it finally comes out, email him: billfoster@wacocitizen.com. Cost will probably be under $30.

Photo by: Billy Hathorn, Wikicommons

1953… A Momentous Year

1953 would have to go down as one of the most — if not the most — memorable year in the history of Waco and The Waco Citizen, because of the downtown tornado, a homosexual convention and a long list of other events. Personally, it was the year I got married, a momentous event in my life.

The 1953 the Waco tornado struck shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Monday, May 11, 1953, twisting its way through several blocks in the downtown area. While many of the buildings in that area had been designed to withstand heavy winds, they still collapsed under the power of the deadly twister.

People on the streets had crowded into downtown buildings due to a pounding thunderstorm, many of those were counted in the final death toll of over well over 140, with as many as 600 being injured.

I was setting up a home show display at the brand-new Heart of Texas Coliseum. The building had a tin roof, and the thunderstorm began dropping hail, the sound of which on the roof was nearly deafening.

I decided to go back to the office, which was located at 317-319 Franklin. I was driving down 5th St., when I saw the R.T. Dennis building had collapsed, making the streets impassable.

The six-story R.T. Dennis furniture store looked like a sandwich had slid over. It killed an estimated 30 of the people who had huddled inside for protection from the storm.

Since I couldn’t get by, I parked my car and started walking to office. When I got there, I found we had leaks in the roof, and a board had been blown into the brick wall and stuck there like a splinter. Employees had covered up the Linotype machines. We had no electricity. I got my camera and went out, taking pictures of the devastation.

Martial Law had been declared later, as they wanted to keep people away from the devastation until all the bodies and injured survivors had been recovered. “Major” Jeffries worked for The Citizen at that time. He had an old major’s uniform he’d wore, so he was able to get through the police lines. Of course, I could get access using my press pass.

It took several days for everyone to get electrical power back Because of that, the issue following the storm was the first and only issue of The Citizen ever missed.

The tornado ranks as the 11th most-deadly in the country’s history, and is tied with one in Goliad some 50 years prior as the deadliest in Texas history.
The storm was a major factor in the development of a new severe weather warning system to eventually be implemented nationwide.
ANOTHER STORM

LESS THAN A MONTH before the tornado, another sort of storm hit Waco — we called it “The Homosexual Interstate Affair.” It happened Saturday night, April 11, 1953.

The homosexual “convention” that was held here that year probably would not be much of a news story today, but back then it was big news, and made the front page of The Citizen. Prominent people from all over the state had gathered in a modest two-bedroom house at 2117 S. 19th St., which was located a few blocks East of what is now I-35.

Before the night was done, Waco police had arrested more than five dozen people. Including the man who owned the house. 67 men were charged with vagrancy. One man was also arrested on a narcotics violation.

Our newspaper reported that Captain Wiley Stem called the raid “…the greatest piece of detective work the boys on the force have ever done.” A large cache of women’s apparel was confiscated on site, and at least three of the men arrested were wearing women’s attire. There were no women found at the “party.”

We heard about the raid over a police scanner. Jimmy Willis, a AP freelancer, took a picture of one of the men in women’s clothing. We got picture, and the whole story. We ran it with all the names of those involved and where they were from. They came from all over.Some from the DFW Metroplex, Austin, Houston, Corsicana, Wichita Falls, Marlin, Fort Hood, and even one from the little town of Clifton in neighboring Bosque County. Over a dozen were from the Waco area or nearby. One man came from as far as Florida.

One of the participants we interviewed said “It’s simply a private party and I think it’s the biggest disgrace I have ever heard of that we’re being bothered. It’s simply outrageous.”

We had to reprint the Thursday, April 16, 1953 issue, several times over the following weeks due to the demand by readers. We ended up selling around 13,000 copies. In fact, we still have calls for it today, and sell reprints of the front page for $20 each. A newsstand in front of the Waco Theatre had a sign in chalk on the sidewalk: Waco Citizen on sale here.

Not long after that, Waco received even more notoriety because of the “convention,” when Male Magazine published an article branding Waco the “prostitute center of the country.”

I guess Waco got some real good publicity that time.

GETTING MARRIED

One of the most important events for me personally occurred that year, when I married Camelia Rentz. In October 1953. Two preachers, did the ceremony. One a former pastor at FUMC, was Maggaret Howell. He was moving to another church, but stayed on for my wedding. The other was A. B. McCowan. It was held at Bosqueville Methodist Church, McCowans church. Between Camelia’s family and my family, we filled the place up. It was standing room only, and very hot. I wore some blue suede shoes just like Elvis’.

More on my beloved first wife and her illustrious career at The Citizen is covered in another chapter of this book.

MORE STORIES

There were many other major stories that year reported in the pages of The Waco Citizen. Some of them I can recall include:

• A push for Waco to change from a City Manager form of government to a Council-based government. That controversy ran throughout the Citizen most of the year.

• There were quite a few new school buildings built or funded that year, showing that Waco was experiencing great growth at the time.

• The legendary sports reporter, Henry Harrison “Jinx” Tucker passed away in December 1953. He was the longtime sports editor for the competing Waco Tribune-Herald. Both Jinx and my dad got their start as Linotype operators, and I did that too in my day. Of course, the Linotypes are a thing of the past, but I can still remember the configuration of the keyboard: e t a o i n, etc.

• For whatever reason, the Waco postmaster had a big grudge against The Citizen. He tried his darnedest over the years to make things as hard as he could on us. He seemed to be trying to run the paper out of business, but the Waco residents rallied around the Citizen, and eventually the postmaster left for another city.

• Two corporations were fighting for the rights to bring the first television station to the greater Waco area. KANG-TV was the first station. We would take copies of the most recent Citizen out there and read it on the air. Buddy Bostick had a radio station in Waco, put together some investors, such as Woody Callan, founder of Central Freight Lines, and put KWTX Ch. 10 on the air. They were located on Bosque, next to where the Lake Air Bowling Lanes are now. They captured the rights to both ABC and CBS programming. I was there when Robert Mann came to town from Woodville and bought out First National Bank with a $10 million check. Later he decided Ch. 10 shouldn’t have both networks, so he shook ABC loose from Buddy Bostick and built a new station, KXXV Ch. 25. Frank Mayborn, publisher of the Temple Daily Telegram, started Ch. 6 (NBC). The assigned home area for the station was actually Temple, I think, but he wanted coverage of Waco-Temple-Killeen, so he put the station building as far north as he could, in Falls County, where it still is today.

The Citizen has served the Waco area for 69 years and the Courier, which was formerly the Moody Courier, has been in McLennan County for 122 years.

“We are excited about the purchase of both newspapers as part of our overall media strategy,” said Steve Ray, a political consultant and longtime Texas newsman, who will be in charge of the operations for TexRay Media LLC. “We appreciate all the hard work that the Foster family put into these papers over the years and expect to remain a vital part of the Heart of Texas media community.”

Former owner Bill Foster will continue to operate his advertising and marketing company, Bill Foster and Associates, where he sells advertising opportunities that will run in a co-op of area weekly newspapers. He will also continue to serve as a consultant for the papers, helping with writing and advertising as needed.

The Foster family has been a part of the Waco Citizen since W.S. Foster, a former state representative and attorney. In 1930 Foster began publishing a newspaper known as the Waco Press which later became the Waco Citizen.  For several years, Bill Foster’s  wife, the late Camille Foster, served as the newspaper’s editor.  The Citizen has changed hands several times over the past few years  before it went back to the Foster family.

Bill Foster purchased the Moody Courier, and then changed its name to the Suburban Courier,  expanding its focus into several McLennan County communities.

“The Foster family has been an integral part of McLennan County  for decades,” said Ray, who began his journalism career as the editor and publisher of the Whitney Messenger directly out of college.

Ray said the company planned to play an active role in McLennan County.

“In February we began publication of a monthly newspaper called The Waco Messenger, which serves the African-American community in McLennan County,” Ray said. “We are extremely happy with its progress and fully expect the Citizen and Courier to grow along with our other publications.”

While Ray will remain the chief decision maker at the company, he said others will eventually take over the day-to-day operations at the newspapers, while he continues his work as a political consultant. He said that the company is a strong believer in the value that niche and targeted print publications in addition to community newspapers.

“Since TexRay Media began to operate these newspapers in the past several weeks, we tried numerous changes in an effort to appeal to a broader audience and launch a new media program that will fit into our plans,” said Ray, who ended his previous journalism career as the Capital Bureau Chief for Scripps newspapers in Austin.

Ray said the company worked with local focus groups and met with businesses and local readers to determine what direction to take the newspapers.
“A lot of so-called experts believe that the days of newspapers are fast coming to an end,” Ray said. “I disagree. Instead I think there are new opportunities and new partnerships out there that will connect with readers and keep newspapers a vital part of the information industry.”

•    Install a Programmable Thermostat – One of the most expensive ways to waste energy is having your central heating and air conditioning system run all day, even when no one is home. It’s a common misconception that having your system run at all times saves energy. In fact, if you use a programmable thermostat to set your system so that it only runs during the times that you need it, you’ll be able secure some significant savings. There are even smart thermostats on the market these days that are even more efficient and can be controlled remotely over the internet!

•    Upgrade all your light bulbs to CFLs – Traditional incandescent light bulbs haven’t changed much since Thomas Edison invented them. They are inefficient, and ultimately produce more heat than light! Compact fluorescent light bulbs are the wave of the future, and while they may be more expensive than incandescent bulbs, they use up to 75% less energy and that can really add up to long term savings. Plus, each CFL can last up to 6 times longer than an incandescent bulb, so you can forget about pulling out the ladder ever few weeks to replace the bulb in your pesky overhead light.

•    Use fans year round to circulate air – Fans of all types are useful year round. Many ceiling fans have a switch on the side that adjusts the direction they rotate. Set them to push air downward in the summer to maximize the effectiveness of your air conditioning, and have them push air upwards in the winter to help move the warm air collected there back toward the floor. Fans don’t use much power, and they can help reduce your heating and air conditioning bills significantly.

•    Replace your old appliances with new Energy Star Certified models – Old appliances use a lot more energy than newer models. When you’re ready to make this sizeable investment, be sure to purchase appliances that have been certified with the Energy Star program. You’ll save energy every time you use the appliance, saving you money along the way.

There are plenty of other ways to save on your energy costs each month, but these four suggestions are a great place to start. Even if you’re not ready to replace your major appliances, simple things like only using the dishwasher when it’s full can help save energy too. Just remember, the more energy you save, the more money you’ll keep in your bank account.

- Guest Contributor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBgryP6gEO0&feature=youtu.be

It’s a great time for Baylor sports teams! The men’s basketball team knocked out Providence Wednesday night 79 to 68 to earn a trip to New York to the NIt for the second time. They play BYU Tuesday, April 2, 6 p.m. Cory Jefferson and Pierre Jackson again were the leading players.

The Lady Bears lit up the Scoreboard at Ferrell Center Tuesday night, March 26, leaving a good Florida team in the dust 85 to 47. to earn their way to Oklahoma for the next round of the semi finals.

It was an emotional night because for the seniors like Brittney Grimmer it was their last game at Ferrell Center on the Baylor campus. The Lady Bears hope to keep punching their ticket to get to the final four in New Orleans.

TV networks have found a home at Baylor in the last few years, after Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III made headline on the football field and winning the Alamo Bowl. RGIII is now with Washington, but other players are stepping up to fill the vacancy. Spring practice has been good said Art Briles. Now players seek out Baylor.

With the new stadium rising on the banks of the Brazos we look forward to many exciting games there and maybe even another bowl for Texas.

For 25 years Waco Community Development has been remodeling or building homes in the North Waco neighborhood. Most have been in the Brook Oaks Neighborhood.   February 20th they celebrated 20 years of changing the neighborhood for the better. Robert Jackson, current president of the neighborhood says this helps keep down crime, drugs and a depreciating housing stock.

BONA was formed in 1993 when Robert Sheehy was mayor. Since 2001 Waco CD has built 46 homes on some of the 140 vacant lots in the area. However their goal is to also renovate older homes and bring them up to date.

Waco CDC will have a Homebuilders Education II class April 20th, 1 to 6 p. m.

Waco CD plans a golf Scramble at Cotton Wood golf course April 26.

Billy Davis, Jr. is President Board of Directors.

Emilie Cunningham shared the joy and satisfaction she got out of restoring an older home in the neighborhood in their March newsletter.

On July 8 – 12 World Changes will be in Waco.

This is where volunteers come to Waco to help residents restore their homes, by painting and making repairs as needed. If live in the neighborhood and feel you need help call 235-7358.

Follow them with these links:

Big 12 Digital Network:  http://big12.us/ZVmLTG

YouTube:  http://big12.us/16ER5r9