November 4th, 1986: White wins reelection with another upset victory & the aftermath (The TL)

[49ersFootball]

Zindler
10:00 PM CST, Friday, October 30th, 1987
Ch. 13 Studios, Houston, TX.

Action 13's Consumer Reporter Marvin Zindler was the talk of the town in the Space City since coming to the ABC O&O Station in 1973. His investigative journalism, through which he mostly represented the city's elderly & working class, made him one of Houston's most influential & well-known media personalities not only in Houston, but across the Lone Star State & throughout the United States.

Born on August 10th, 1921 in Houston, TX. Zindler attended Pershing Middle School & Lamar High School in Houston before graduating from San Jacinto High School. He went on to John Tarleton Agricultural College (now Tarlenton State University in Stephenville, TX). In 1941, when the United States entered World War II, Zindler joined the United States Marine Corps & later received an honorable discharge for medical reasons. His father, Abraham Zindler, founded & owned a successful clothing store in Houston, was disappointed in Marvin, whom he considered frivolous & irresponsible. Abraham wanted his sons to inherit the store, a career course that Marvin was reluctant to take because of his father's sometimes angry behavior. When Abraham Zindler died in 1963, Marvin's inheritance was instead allocated to a trust for Zindler's kids.

In 1941, Zindler married the former Gertrude Kugler & would be blessed with 4 sons: Marvin, Jr., Donny, Danny & Mark & 1 daughter: Helen. He would also have 9 grandchildren & 1 great-grandchild. The Zindler's lived in the Houston neighborhood of Maplewood, where he resided for 48 years. Following being honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps, Zindler began his broadcasting career in 1943 as a part-time night radio disc jockey & spot news reporter at Houston radio station KATL (currently KMIC 1590) while working for his family's clothing store. Beginning in 1951, when he worked for KATL, he hosted The Roving Mike, a 30-minute radio program airing on Sundays that documented crime & the people involved in Houston. In 1950, Zindler became a reporter & cameraman for Southwest Film Production Company which produced the 6:00 PM news for NBC 2 KPRC-TV Houston, but in 1954, he was fired by an executive who said he was "too ugly" to work in TV. Less than 2 years later, Zindler joined the Scripps Howard Houston Press to work part-time as a crime reporter & photographer. While working for the newspaper & his father's store, Zindler became dissatisfied with the retail business & in 1962 took a career detour to join the Harris County Sheriff's Office. He handled Civil Process for two years & then joined the Fugitive Squad where his work took him all over the world to extradite fugitives.

Two years before joining Ch. 13 KTRK-TV Houston, Zindler was assigned by the Sheriff & DA to establishing a Consumer Fraud Division with the Harris County DA's Office. This division is still operating today. It was during this time of his career that he got his first taste of working on behalf of the people. After Jack Heard was elected Harris County Sheriff in 1972, Zindler was unceremoniously let go, a move that Zindler blamed on agitated car dealers who were alleged to have been rolling back odometers.

Upon hearing about Zindler's unceremonious departure from the Harris County Sheriff's Department, Ch. 13 KTRK-TV News Anchor Dave Ward recommended Zindler to the station's assistant news director. On January 1st, 1973, Zindler joined Ch. 13, a station with a news program languishing in 3rd place. The rest is history....

Zindler made local & national headlines when he & fellow journalist Larry Conners reported on a long-lived brothel known as The Chicken Ranch in Fayette County, TX near La Grange, which led to its closure in 1973. The Chicken Ranch story was featured in a 1973 edition of Texas Monthly Magazine, two 1974 issues of Playboy Magazine, was the basis for the Broadway & film musical "The Best Little Whorehouse in TX," in which the character of Melvin P. Thorpe was based on Zindler. It also served as the basis of the song "La Grange" by ZZ Top. The closing did not go well with the Sheriff of Fayette County, Jim T. Flournoy, who later attacked Zindler in a fight that left Zindler with two fractured ribs, along with a snatched toupee. Reportedly, Flournoy waved the hairpiece in the air as if it were a prized enemy scalp & threw it in the street.

Then-TX Governor Dolph Briscoe (D) closed the operation..... only to have it open again after a few months. Then Zindler stepped in to shed more light on the operation, which led to its being closed for good.

 

[49ersFootball]

Doggett
6:16 PM CST, Monday, November 2nd, 1987
Austin, TX.

​

Former State Senator Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) was licking his political wounds after getting spanked by United States Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX) in a landslide from the 1984 TX US Senate contest. After 12 years in the TX State Senate, when he left office in 1985, he was only 38 years old without any political options. He ventured into the private sector for a few years before being courted to run for statewide office again: either for the TX Railroad Commission, TX Supreme Court or TX Court of Criminal Appeals.

 

[GeographyDude]

Zindler
10:00 PM CST, Friday, October 30th, 1987
Ch. 13 Studios, Houston, TX.

Action 13's Consumer Reporter Marvin Zindler was the talk of the town in the Space City since coming to the ABC O&O Station in 1973. . .

Zindler is a prime example that there is a very thin line indeed between being a laughingstock and a beloved pop culture. For example, he ended broadcasts in this loud, discordant voice:

“ . . . This is Marvin Zindler, Eye-WITNESS NEWS!!!”

——————

And when he did his restaurant report and said, “Slime in the Ice Machine!”, yes, we can say that people were laughing with him, but I think in point of fact, just as many people were laughing AT him.

And I guess when he used it as part of his shtick and played it up, he was showing himself as the bigger man, as well as detoxifying the joke and also making it more awkward and less funny.

—————

PS I support legalized, regulated prostitution as the best available choice in regards to the issue. Sorry, Marvin.

PSS I lived in Houston most of the 1970s and ‘80s.

 

[49ersFootball]

Zindler is a prime example that there is a very thin line indeed between being a laughingstock and a beloved pop culture. For example, he ended broadcasts in this loud, discordant voice:

“ . . . This is Marvin Zindler, Eye-WITNESS NEWS!!!”

——————

And when he did his restaurant report and said, “Slime in the Ice Machine!”, yes, we can say that people were laughing with him, but I think in point of fact, just as many people were laughing AT him.

And I guess when he used it as part of his shtick and played it up, he was showing himself as the bigger man, as well as detoxifying the joke and also making it more awkward and less funny.

—————

PS I support legalized, regulated prostitution as the best available choice in regards to the issue. Sorry, Marvin.

PSS I lived in Houston most of the 1970s and ‘80s.

The most popular man in Houston & across the Lone Star State.

 

[GeographyDude]

. . . across the Lone Star State.

Marvin Zindler certainly had name recognition and a memorable appearance (white hair, blue glasses),

but if we’re going to talk about most popular man, I think it’s more likely to be Roger Staubach in the ‘70s, Willie Nelson in the ‘80s.

 

[49ersFootball]

Marvin Zindler certainly had name recognition and a memorable appearance (white hair, blue glasses),

but if we’re going to talk about most popular man, I think it’s more likely to be Roger Staubach in the ‘70s, Willie Nelson in the ‘80s.

Speaking of Willie Nelson, I'll include him in this TL.

 

[49ersFootball]

White
9:47 AM, Monday, November 2nd, 1987
Governor's Office (2nd Floor), TX State Capitol, Austin, TX.

​

Governor White was working inside the Governor's Office on the 2nd Floor of the TX State Capitol. Putting the legislative & special sessions of the 70th Legislature behind him, White was ramping up the national TV exposure circuit considering he had served on the National Governors Association Executive Committee, DGA & Southern Governors Association as well as serving on the DLC, a moderate-centrist organization focused on moving the Dems to the center of the national political spectrum.

 

[49ersFootball]

Clinton
1:15 PM CST, November 2nd, 1987
AR Governor's Mansion, Little Rock, AR.

AR Governor Bill Clinton & his wife, AR First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton having breakfast
inside the AR Governor's Mansion (which they called home for 11 years).
​

AR Governor William Jefferson Clinton (D) was entrenched, having won the Governorship first in 1978 before losing reelection in 1980 to Frank White (R) during the Reagan Revolution & backlash against then-President Jerry Brown (where the Dems lost not only the White House, but also lost control of the United States Senate losing 12 US Senate seats). However, Clinton rebounded from his defeat & reclaimed the AR Governor's Mansion in 1982 by winning reelection against the unpopular White & again in 1984, 1986 & again in 1990. He was the talk of the town outside the Natural State, where serving on the National Governor's Association (where he served as Chairman of the National Governors Association from 1986 to 1987), organizing the DLC among Centrist Dems, who advocated welfare reform, smaller government & other policies & delivering the Dem Response to President Reagan's 1985 SOTU.

Like his fellow Governors Mark Wells White, Jr., of TX & Michael Dukakis of MA., Clinton was being hyped up as a potential contender for the White House in 1988. It had all seemed pointing toward that direction, but on July 15th, 1987, he chose not to run for the Presidency in 1988; preferring to focus his energies as Governor & waiting his turn for a better opportunity..... "I'm just not ready to pull the trigger in 1988, because looking at the field right now is non-existent. So if Bush wins next fall, 1992 will be a perfect opportunity for me to do it. However, I need to focus on my current job as Governor of the Natural State."

Stay tuned...

 

[49ersFootball]

Wright
4:12 PM EST, Monday, November 2nd, 1987
US House Speaker's Office, Sam Rayburn BLDG, Washington, DC.

US House Speaker Jim Wright (D-TX) had accomplished quite alot during his long tenure in Congress: rising to House Majority Leader & eventually the Speakership replacing the prominent Tip O
'Neill (D-MA). Let's go back to how his story began....

Born on December 22nd, 1922 in Fort Worth, TX to Marie (Lyster) & James Claude Wright. Because his father was a traveling salesman, Wright & his two sisters were reared in numerous communities in TX & OK. He mostly attended Fort Worth & Dallas public schools, eventually graduating from Adamson High School (formerly Oak Cliff High School) & furthered his education at Weatherford College in his mother's hometown of Weatherford, the seat of Parker County west of Fort Worth, & later the University of Texas at Austin, but never received a Bachelor's Degree. In the height of World War II, Wright enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in December of 1941 (once Japan bombed Pearl Harbor resulting in the United States joining the war effort) & after training, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Corps in 1942. He trained as a bombraider & earned the Distinguished Flying Cross flying during combat in B-24 Liberators with the 530th Bomb Squadron, 380th Bomb Group in the South Pacific during World War II.

Wright was married to Mary Ethelyn "Mab" Lemons in 1942; they would have 4 kids, this marriage lasted until their divorce in 1972; he later married Betty Hay in 1972. Following World War II, Wright made his home in Weatherford, where he joined partners in forming a Trade Show exhibition & marketing firm. As a Dem, he won his first election without opposition in 1946 to a seat in the TX House of Representatives; he lost his reelection bid in 1948, after a rival claimed Wright was weak in opposing communism & interracial marriage. He quickly rebounded by winning election as Weatherford, TX Mayor in 1950, serving until 1954. In 1953, he served as president of the League of TX Municipalities.

In 1954, he was elected to Congress from TX's 12th Congressional District, which included Fort Worth & Weatherford. He won despite the fervid opposition of Amon G. Carter. He would go on to win reelection in 1956, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986 & again in 1988, gradually rising in prominence inside the Dems & in Congress. He developed a close relationship thereafter with Carter. Wright often said that the easiest way to "defeat your enemy is to make him your friend." In 1956, he refused to join fellow Southerners in signing the Southern Manifesto; in 1957, he voted in favor of the 1957 Civil Rights Act, which created the Division of Civil Rights within the US Department of Justice & the investigatory Civil Rights Commission. Signed by then-President Dwight Eisenhower, this law was pushed through by United States Senator (then-US Senate Majority Leader) Lyndon Baines Johnson (D-TX) & US House Speaker Sam Rayburn (D-TX). However, Wright refused to support the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which required desegregation of public accommodations & established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. His reason for not supporting the legislation had nothing to do with the voting rights provision of the law, which Wright enthusiastically supported, & felt the Civil Rights Act was weak without the right to vote granted to all citizens. It was signed into law by Wright's friend, President Johnson. Wright later supported key civil rights legislation in 1965 & 1966.

Upon Johnson's election as the 38th VP of the United States in 1960, (which LBJ resigned his US Senate seat on January 20th, 1961 following being inaugurated as VP), Wright decided to run for the United States Senate in the special election..... he finished in 3rd place, John G. Tower (R), a college professor from Wichita Falls emerged victorious in the runoff election, defeating the incumbent appointee William Blakley (D-TX), resulting in Tower becoming the first GOPer to represent the Lone Star State in the United States Senate since Reconstruction. Wright was in the motorcade route in Dallas on November 22nd, 1963 when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

Continuing to serve in Congress, Wright became a senior member of the Public Works Committee. Though in line to become committee chairman, he jumped in the race for House Majority Leader & was elected by just 1 vote in December of 1976, defeating US Reps. Richard Bolling (D-MO) & Phillip Burton (D-CA). Wright won the majority leadership post with the support of all but 2 Dems from the large TX delegation, all Dems on the Public Works Committee, & virtually all other Southern representatives. When the 100th Congress convened on January 6th, 1987, Wright was elected US House Speaker [254-173 defeating US Rep. Robert H. Michel (R-IL)], succeeding Tip O'Neill, who had retired after 10 years in the post. At the time, Wright said being Speaker of the House "is the greatest responsibility that can come to a lawmaker anywhere in the world." He was reelected as Speaker during the 101st Congress, which convened on January 3rd, 1989.

 

[49ersFootball]

Over in Midland

Beverly Hancock was still shaken from vicious assault she had endured several weeks earlier, "Why did he do this to me ?" "Why ?" still gripping the bed sheets after waking up from horrible dreams of the assault repeatedly. She had worked for this powerful oilman for several years at his business company & couldn't fathom why he would do this to her. Beverly still had the list of audio recordings detailing the assault & more, which would be leaked in a few years from now.

Stay tuned.

 

[49ersFootball]

Thanksgiving Dinner
3:22 PM CST, Thursday, November 26th, 1987
TX Governor's Mansion, Austin, TX.

​

Inside the TX Governor's Mansion, the First Family was having Thanksgiving Dinner with close family relatives. For the White's, this was a wonderful & peaceful time for them (following the contentious 1986 campaign & likely another reelection campaign coming up in 1990), Mark & Linda Gale beamed with joy as their 3 kids were growing up fast before their eyes. "You know Mark, looking back at the past 4 years, all of our 3 kids have grown up very fast since we moved into the Governor's Mansion. I know that Wells, Andrew & Elizabeth will be graduating from high school, going to college & venturing into the next stage of their lives" Linda Gale said.

Looking at the family album of pictures, Mark replied "I see that they've grown up very fast. Now it's time for them to head towards the next stages of their lives including having families of their own. Not to mention that I've gotten more gray hairs in the last few years (laughter)."

​

 

[49ersFootball]

Nelson
5:01 PM CST, Monday, November 30th, 1987
Baton Rouge, LA.

Willie Nelson was on the move becoming more prominent not only in the Lone Star State, but across the entire United States. Born on April 29th, 1933 in Abbott, TX., the son of Myrle Marie (nee Greenhaw) & Ira Doyle Nelson. His musical influences were Hank Williams, Bob Willis, Lefty Frizzell, Ray Price, Ernest Tubb, Hank Snow, Django Reinhardt, Frank Sinatra & Louis Armstrong. He attended Abbott High School, where he was a halfback on the football team, guard on the basketball team, & shortstop on the baseball team. He also raised pigs with the Future Farmers of America. While still at school, he sang & played guitar in the Texans, a band formed by his sister's husband, Bud Fletcher. The band played in honky tonks, & also had a Sunday morning spot at KHBR-AM in Hillsboro, TX. Meanwhile, Nelson had a short stint as a relief phone operator in Abbott, followed by a job as a tree trimmer for the local electric company, as well as a pawn shop employee. After leaving Abbott High in 1950, he enlisted in the United States Air Force for 8 to 9 months, serving until 1952 when he was medically discharged due to back problems.

Following his military service, Nelson married Martha Matthews in 1952 (the first marriage lasted until their divorce in 1962) & they had 3 kids: Lana, Susie & Willie "Billy" Hugh, Jr., His next marriage was to Shirely Collie in 1963 which ended in divorce in 1971: they had a daughter, Paula Carlene Nelson. He later married Connie Koepke that same year, which resulted in the birth of another daughter, Amy Lee Nelson. This marriage lasted 17 years until divorce in 1988. Afterwards, he married Annie D'Angelo in 1991 & had 2 sons: Lukas Autry & Jacob Micah.

 

[49ersFootball]

Dukakis
1:35 PM EST, Thursday, December 3rd, 1987
MA Statehouse, Boston, MA.

​

MA Governor Michael Stanley Dukakis (D) had launched his 1988 Presidential campaign for the White House on March 16th, 1987 (just 2 months after he was inaugurated for a historic 3rd term). He had been urged to seek the Presidency by many Dems but first, let's get started to see how Dukakis got here. Born on November 3rd, 1933 in Brookline, MA to Panos & Euterpe (nee Boukis) Dukakis, who were Greek immigrants. He attended Brookline High School in his hometown, where he was an honor student & a member of of the basketball, baseball, tennis & cross-country teams. As a 17-year-old Senior in high school, he ran the Boston Marathon & graduated from Brookline High School, furthering his education at Swarthmore College: graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree in Political Science in 1955. Soon afterwards, Dukakis enlisted into the United States Army: after finishing basic training at Fort Dix & advanced individual training at Camp Gordon, he was assigned as radio operator to the 8020th Administrative Unit in Munsan, Republic of Korea. The unit was a support group to the United Nations delegation of the Military Armistice Commission, serving from 1955 to 1957 with the rank of Specialist.

Soon after being honorably discharged from the United States Army, Dukakis then received his Juris Doctorate (JD) from Harvard Law School in 1960. He was also an Eagle Scout & recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America. He began his political career as an elected Town Meeting Member in his hometown of Brookline. In 1963, Dukakis married Kitty Dickson & they would have 3 kids: John, Andrea & Kara. In 1962, Dukakis was elected to the MA House of Representatives from Districts 10 (1963 to 1965) & 13 (1965 to 1971) & was reelected in 1964, 1966 & again in 1968. By 1974, Dukakis won the MA Governorship, defeating incumbent Governor Francis Sargent (R) during a period of fiscal crisis. He won in part by promising to be a reformer & pledging a lead pipe guarantee of no new taxes to balance the Commonwealth's state budget. He would later reverse this position after taking office as MA's 65th Governor on January 2nd, 1975.

During his 1st term, Dukakis also pledged to dismantle the powerful Metropolitan District Commission (MDC), a bureaucratic enclave that served as home to hundreds of political patronage employees. The MDC managed state parks, reservoirs, & waterways, as well as the highways & roads abutting those waterways. In addition to its own police force, the MDC had its own maritime patrol force, & an enormous budget from the Commonwealth, for which it provided minimal accounting. Dukakis' efforts to dismantle the MDC failed in the MA State Legislature, where the MDC had many powerful supporters. As a result, the MDC would withhold its critical backing of Dukakis in the 1978 Dem Gubernatorial Primary election.

 

[49ersFootball]

Ellis
5:00 PM CST, Thursday, December 3rd, 1987
ABC 24 KVUE-TV Austin Studios, Austin, TX.

​

ABC 24 KVUE-TV Austin News Anchor Dick Ellis was moving on up inside Austin's ABC O&O Station. He had been anchoring KVUE-TV's newscasts throughout the 1980s & 1990s. Born in Laredo, TX., Ellis began his broadcast career in his hometown of Laredo by working at the local radio station. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin & during the 1970s, he worked for KTBC Radio & served as a City Hall Reporter for CBS 7 KTBC-TV Austin (now FOX 7 KTBC-TV Austin), where he later served as the station's News Anchor.

 

[49ersFootball]

Mattox
12:23 PM CST, Friday, December 11th, 1987
Price Daniel State Office Building
Austin, TX.

​

TX State AG Jim Mattox (D) facing an already steep climb in his uphill challenge to Governor White in the upcoming 1990 Dem Primary, was being told by many politicos "Do you realize how primary challenging an incumbent Governor worked out for John Hill in 1978 ? Clements became the first GOP Governor in TX history since Reconstruction. Why are you doing this Jim ? Whatever happened to party unity for the future ? Jim, I'm disappointed in you for doing this stupid primary challenge garbage, you'll not be getting any political support from me now on or ever. General Mattox, you might want to consider staying put as TX State Attorney General in 1990 because we're going to need all of the help we can get in 3 years from now. Another waste of money by you Jim, don't be shocked if Mark kicks your populist ass in the primary!"

Mattox ignored the criticism & pushed full-steam ahead, blatantly careless of the political consequences including damaging his own political future if he loses (many polling surveys showed Governor White leading by 20+ percentage points). Little did Mattox know that possible corruption scandals began to pop up inside the TX State AG's Office including controversial & questionable campaign contributions from suspicious cast of characters......conflict of interests which the Governor & his reelection campaign team will easily exploit non-stop.

 

[49ersFootball]

Hill
12:44 PM CST, Monday, December 14th, 1987
TX Supreme Court Building, Austin, TX.

​

TX Supreme Court Chief Justice John Luke Hill, Jr., (D) had been known as the man, who choked to Clements in the hotly-contested 1978 Gubernatorial campaign due to his lazy-ass campaigning, lack of strong support from diehard supporters of then-Governor Dolph Briscoe (D), many of Briscoe's family members crossed political party lines to endorse Clements (who won the close election), alienation from hardcore Moderate-to-Conservative TX Dems.

With the retirement of then-TX Supreme Court Chief Justice Jack Pope (D) in 1984, Hill's political career was salvaged when the former TX State AG ran for Chief Justice of the TX Supreme Court & was elected to the post, taking office in 1985---making him the only person to have served as TX Secretary of State, TX State AG & Chief Justice of the TX Supreme Court. However, during his tenure, there were concerns about ethics of the courts which brought about a legislative committee investigation. The State Commission on Judicial Conduct chastized two justices & CBS' "60 Minutes" offered a story on lawyers who practice in the courts making large donations to campaigns. Hill championed reform of the partisan election of judges & argued that judges should be selected based on merit, similar to the system used at the federal level.

Hill's frustration would exacerbate even further, which would lead to his resignation as Chief Justice of the TX Supreme Court in August of 1988.

 

[49ersFootball]

Mauro
1:00 PM CST, Monday, January 11th, 1988
Stephen F. Austin State Office Building, Austin, TX.

​

Analyzing all of the political risks & advantages, TX Commissioner of General Land Office Garry Mauro (D) decided to abandon his plans for the TX State AG's [realizing that State Rep. Dan Morales (D-San Antonio) was running for the state's Chief Law Enforcement post] & chose to seek reelection to a 3rd consecutive term in 1990.

Born on February 21st, 1948 in Bryan, TX., Mauro attended Reicher Catholic High School in Waco, where he graduated & furthered his education at Texas A&M University in College Station, where he graduated & attended the University of Texas at Austin Law School. Following graduating from the University of Texas Law School, Mauro went to work for then-United States Senator Ralph Yarborough (D-TX). He also became Executive Director of the TX Dems by the time he was 30 years old.

At the age of 34 in 1982, he was elected to statewide office as TX's 25th Commissioner of General Land Office when TX Dems swept every statewide office including seats on the legislative & municipal level during a Blue Wave in the Lone Star State. Despite being targeted by the TX GOP, Mauro won reelection in 1986, 1990 & again in 1994 serving for 16 years becoming the 2nd longest-serving TX Commissioner of General Land Office in TX history. He was credited by bringing new relevance to the office & taking the lead on important issues effecting Texans as well as many environmental issues.

Serving as Chairman of the Veterans Land Board, Mauro pushed legislation passed from the 68th Legislature in 1983 that expanded the investment authority of the board & provided for increased loan ceiling for land & housing. The program was expanded to include certain National Guard personnel. He moved for exceptionally low interest rates, which led to a record number of housing loans for TX military veterans. In 1993, Mauro campaigned to gain voter approval of an additional $500 million in bonds for veterans housing loans & $250 million in bonds for land loans.

He was married to Judith Bagley & later Christina Marino; he would be the father of 5 kids.

 

[49ersFootball]

Mabus
12:00 PM, Noon., Tuesday, January 12th, 1988
MS Statehouse Grounds, Jackson, MS.

Tuesday, January 12th, 1988: MS Governor Ray Mabus (D) & his wife, MS First Lady Julie Hines riding during the Inaugural Parade.
​

MS Governor Raymond Edwin Mabus, Jr., (D) had been inaugurated as MS' 60th Governor, having won the 1987 Gubernatorial Election defeating businessman Jack Reed (R), garnering 385,689 votes (53.4%) to Reed's 336,006 votes (46.6%), becoming the youngest US State Governor in the United States. He won "on a wave of African American votes" (African Americans made up about 30% of the Magnolia State's registered voters) & lost the Anglo vote "by about 3-to-2" despite support from what a coalition one Dem state chairman described as "poor Anglos" & "yuppies". Mabus, who ran on the slogan "MS Will Never Be Last Again", was billed "the face of the New South", much like his counterpart AR Governor Bill Clinton (D). Mabus was featured in a 1988 New York Times Magazine cover story titled "The Yuppies of MS; How They Took Over the Statehouse."

Born on October 11th, 1948 in Starkville, MS, & is a fourth-generation Mississippian; he grew up in Ackerman, the only child of the owner of the local hardware store. After attending public schools, he graduated summa cum laude from the University of Mississippi, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree (BA) in English & Political Science. He earned a Master of Arts Degree (MA) in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University & Juris Doctorate (JD), magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School. He had been offered a Fulbright Scholarship, had held a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, & had traveled widely throughout Europe, the Middle East, Russia & Latin America. Prior to attending law school, Mabus served in the United States Navy from 1970 to 1972 as a surface warfare officer aboard the cruiser USS Little Rock (CLG-4), achieving the rank of Lieutenant (Junior Grade) & worked as a law clerk in the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.

Mabus began his professional career working in Washington, DC., as legal counsel to the US House Committee on Agriculture. Following the election of Governor William Winter (D), he returned to the Magnolia State to work in the Governor's Office at the MS Statehouse, where the youthful staff---which included Mabus, Dick Molpus, John Henegan & Andy Mullins---earned the nickname "Boys of Spring" from a rival state legislator. He would marry Julie Hines in 1987 & the couple would have 2 daughters: this marriage would end in divorce in 2000 following an ugly divorce battle, Mabus would remarry Lynne Horecky in 2007 & would be the parents of 1 daughter.

In 1983, Mabus was elected to statewide office as MS's 37th State Auditor taking office on January 10th, 1984. During his tenure, Mabus was high-profile & sometimes very controversial when he participated in a large FBI sting operation which recovered millions in misspent or stolen public funds. By the time it was finished, "Operation Pretense" had engaged in 57 county supervisors in 25 Counties, & all but two of those supervisors served time in federal prison.

 

[49ersFootball]

Brown
2:45 PM CST, Friday, January 15th, 1988
Houston Police Department HQ, Houston, TX.

​

HPD Police Chief Lee Patrick Brown was getting aggressive with implementing community policing initiatives in order to get law enforcement & the community coordinating together as well as finding ways to work together in combating crime.

Born on October 4th, 1937 in Wewoka, OK to Andrew & Zelma Brown, who were sharecroppers in OK. His family including his 6 brothers moved to CA in the second wave of the Great Migration & his parents continued working as farmers. Performing very well as a high school athlete, Brown earned a football scholarship to Fresno State University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree (BS) in Criminology in 1960. He was also married to Yvonne Brown in 1959 & would be the parents of 4 kids: 3 daughters & 1 son. Upon graduating from Fresno State University, Brown began his career in law enforcement by starting as a police officer in the San Jose, CA Police Department, where he served for 8 years. Brown was elected president of the San Jose Police Officers Association Union & served from 1965 to 1966.

He went on to earning a Master's Degree in Sociology from San Jose State University in 1964, & became an assistant professor there in 1968. He also earned a second Master's Degree in Criminology from the University of California-Berkeley in 1968. In the same year, he moved his family to Portland, OR., where he established & served as chairman of the Department of Administration of Justice at Portland State University.

In 1972, Brown was appointed associate director of the Institute of Urban Affairs & Research & professor of Public Administration & director of Criminal Justice programs at Howard University. In 1974, he was named Sheriff of Multnomah County, OR, & in 1976, became director of the Department of Justice Services.

In 1978, he was appointed Public Safety Commissioner of Atlanta, GA, serving until 1982. Brown & his staff oversaw investigation of the Atlanta Child Murders case & increased efforts to provide safety in African American areas of the city during the period when the murders were committed. A critical element of reform during Brown's tenure was increasing diversity of the police force. By the time Brown resigned to accept the top police job in Houston, Atlanta's police force was 20% African American.

In 1982, Brown was the first African American to be appointed as Police Chief of the City of Houston, TX, serving until 1990. He was first appointed by Houston Mayor Kathy Whitmire (D). The Houston Police Department seemed to be in constant turmoil & badly needed reform. According to one of Brown's colleagues at Atlanta,..... "Everybody knows Lee likes challenges & anyone who knows about the Houston Police Department knows its one helluva challenge." After coming to Houston, Brown quickly began to implement methods of community policing, building relationships with the city's diverse communities.

The Houston Police Officers Union (HPOU) described in more detail how Brown's reforms were implemented & how it became accepted by the officers as well as the communities they served over a period of years. Initially, the officers were unimpressed by what Brown called Neighborhood-Oriented Policing (NOP). Old-time officers (those who wanted to maintain the status quo) saw it as simply reverting to a long-discredited policy of "walking a beat", & claimed the acronym meant "never on patrol."

Brown & his staff divided the city into 23 identifiable "neighborhoods". Each neighborhood had a small informal office, located in a storefront, where people from the neighborhood were invited to come in & discuss their concerns or problems with one of the officers that served there. Brown emphasized through his officer training sessions that getting feedback from the public was as important as writing up tickets or doing paperwork chores. The neighborhood officers soon recognized the hot spots & the neighborhood "movers & shakers" who could be helpful in preventing problems.

Brown was credited with getting more police officers into neighborhoods during his tenure. Relations between the residents & HPD were far better than ever before, with residents becoming more willing to work with the police implementing various activities.

 

[GeographyDude]

. . .

He was also an Eagle Scout & recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America. . . ​

I hate to say it, but being an Eagle Scout may have worked against Mike Dukakis!

He may have been better off being in a rock band as a teenager, or a country & western band. Even if not very good at either.