Looking Back at Dallas

In his Flashback series, staff photographer Guy Reynolds features some of the neatest old photos on our Photography Blog. This one is from a domino parlor in Lampasas on March 2, 1986 (Texas Sesquicentennial Day). It was part of A Day in the Life of Texas project, which had photographers shooting in all 254 Texas counties, but the ambitious effort (and book deal) fell through. Guy finally scanned in his negatives in 2008 and shares them over on the blog.

Our photo librarian, Jerome Sims, recently compiled a few of his favorite Dallas Morning News photos from the last 30 years. Yes, he's been with the newspaper for 30 years! Here's what he has to say about this picture:

"Evans Caglage – who’s been here longer than I have (!) – shot this alternative view of the Old Red Courthouse using an infrared filter in December 2009.  I like this photo for the same reasons I like haunted-house movies and horror novels (whatever those reasons might be.)"

A reminder of when Dallas-Fort Worth really was an automobile-or-nothing culture. Our Sunday, August 14, 1983, front page reported that voters in Dallas and 13 suburbs agreed to board the Dallas Area Rapid Transit train. At the time, Glenn Heights was the only southern Dallas County city to vote yes for DART.

This picture wasn't taken by one of our photographers, but it's too gorgeous not to share. Lloyd Long's dramatic night view of downtown Dallas around 1935 shows an urban skyline dominated by the Magnolia Petroleum Building, the tallest west of the Mississippi, and its rooftop neon Pegasus.

February 14, 1993: Sgt. Mike Adamek of the Dallas Police Department keeps an eye on abortion protesters outside the home of Dr. Norman Tompkins from his squad car.  

The Jackson 5 performed Oct. 23, 1973, at a party in honor of Chan Cox, held by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin L. Cox, at the Grand Ballroom of the Statler Hilton in downtown Dallas. Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University is named after Edwin Cox. 

Louis A. Bedford, Dallas County’s first black judge, died today on his 88th birthday. In 1966 Bedford became the first black to serve on Dallas' municipal court.

A graduate of Booker T. Washington High School, he attended Prairie View A&M University and received a law degree from Brooklyn Law School.

State Sen. Royce West, one of the many lawyers mentored by Bedford, said the trailblazer had to leave Texas to go to law school.

“His passing comes at a time when we’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which he was involved in,” West said. “And his passing leaves a void. He was a person we could talk to about different issues in the community.”

Learn more about Judge Bedford here.

The Dallas City Council is once again taking up the topic over whether downtown's Dallas Pedestrian Network -- or simply, "the tunnels" -- should be killed. "Slowly but surely the life is moving up to the street level and the retailers [in the tunnels] are going away,"  assistant city manager Ryan Evans says.

A look at the 1700 block of Elm Street in downtown Dallas circa 1960. Nearby establishments included the Apollo Hotel, Shaw's Jewelers, Lee Optical, Johnny Miranda Shoes, Majestic Steaks, Ben Morris Jewelry Company, Majestic Hotel, Askin's Credit Clothing, Hall's Credit Clothiers, and Titche-Goettinger department store (later just Titche's).