Director's Corner

Dear Members,

We had hoped to introduce a new director at this time, however, the search goes on. The Search Committee continues working toward filling this vital leadership position for the Museum.

Leanne Ray, our curator, has worked to develop and mount exhibits and provide day-to-day management of the Museum. To give Leanne some respite, I have offered to help in the interim.

For those who don't know me, I'm Becky Trammell. I have volunteered with the Museum for over 10 years, coming onto the Board at the urging of Lita Watson. I currently manage social media, membership, and the monthly newsletter for the Museum. I also volunteer with the Wichita County Historical Commission.

Come by the Museum soon. In honor of spring, we are displaying the colorful watercolors commissioned by the City National Bank in the 80s depicting sites around Wichita Falls. During March, we will also open a new exhibit dedicated to the African-American community of Wichita Falls.

Becky Trammell

Wichita Falls elected its first mayor in 1889. Nearly 80 years passed before an African-American served on the Wichita Falls City Council. Despite several unsuccessfully runs for council positions, in October 1967 the first African-American joined the Wichita Falls City Council.  

Following the resignation of S. M. Lyon from the Place Two position, the council selected Aubrey L. Wilson. Wilson, who had lived in Wichita Falls for 25 years at the time, had been active in community efforts such as the United Way and East Branch YMCA. Wilson had also served on the City of Wichita Falls Traffic Commission. Following his selection, C. E. Jackson expressed his thanks for the actions of the alderman to select Wilson. Wilson described himself as wishing “to serve the entire city of Wichita Falls.”

Wilson, a Denison, Texas native, worked as district manager for the Universal Life Insurance Company.   Wilson graduated from Terrell High School and received a Bachelor’s from Bishop College in 1937.

Sadly, less than four months after his selection, Wilson died in January 1968, following a traffic accident in Wichita Falls.

In April 1968, the first elected African-American joined the Wichita Falls City Council. Harrison Taylor served a one-year term and later ran for re-election. Taylor ultimately served many terms as a city councilor and served as Mayor Pro Tem under Mayor Max Kruger’s administration. In 1974, while Kruger spent three months in Israel, Taylor filled the position of Mayor for Wichita Falls.

A 1931 Booker T. Washington graduate, Taylor attended Texas College and did graduate work at Texas Southern University. Taylor was a Certified Teacher/Master Military instructor at the United States Air Force Technical School. Taylor was active in the East Side community, providing leadership to the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and East Side Development Association. He received honors from the National Association for the Advancemnt of Colored people, the Kiwanis, and the Les Belles Lettres Study Club.

Our Curator, Leanne Ray, has been working on an exhibit honoring the African-American community. We are pleased to announce the opening of an exhibit honoring the history, people, and events of the African-American community of Wichita Falls.

Opening March 16th!

These eleven videos are a project of the Wichita County Archives and Brenda Jarrett. Ms. Jarrett served as custodian of a number of 16 mm films of Booker T. Washington football games played during the 60s. Thanks to a partnership with Texas Tech University, the films were digitized and are available to the public on Youtube.

The films include plays from the games. They were probably used as game films for the team.

Click here to see a video.

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