Richard Selcer

1 week ago | star-telegram.com | Richard Selcer

Willa S. Benton, right, and friends at New Trinity Cemetery, circa 1948. Courtesy Fort Worth Library History Center Few Black women of Fort Worth have made history. That’s not because they didn’t have what it takes but because the deck was stacked against them. Opal Lee and Hazel Harvey Peace rise to the top as exceptions. There is another name that deserves inclusion on that short list: Willa S. Benton. Her platform was education. Her early life is largely a cipher.

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Richard Selcer

Few Black women of Fort Worth have made history. That’s not because they didn’t have what it takes but because the deck was stacked against them. Opal Lee and Hazel Harvey Peace rise to the top as exceptions. There is another name that deserves inclusion on that short list: Willa S. Benton. Her platform was education. Her early life is largely a cipher. She was born either in 1876, 1881, 1884, 1886, or 1888 depending on what Census you consult.

1 month ago | star-telegram.com | Richard Selcer

Hardin D. Gunnels was what they used to call a “hard case,” the kind of Western lawman who lived by his own code and occasionally strayed over the line. But he got results, and that was generally good enough for the people of Fort Worth. He was known as “Hard” Gunnels, which may have been short for “Howard,” or perhaps “Harvey” or “Harry,” all of which appear in contemporary reports of his activities. Regardless of the name on his birth certificate, he was a “hard” man.

2 months ago | star-telegram.com | Richard Selcer

In 1907, the Telegram (predecessor of the Star-Telegram) ran an unusual and never-since-repeated contest asking its readers what changes they would institute if they owned Fort Worth. It was an intriguing challenge to civic-minded Fort Worthers, but the newspaper did not appeal to civic-mindedness alone. The winner, picked by the editorial staff, would receive a prize of $5 cash ($167 in today’s dollars).

2 months ago | yahoo.com | Richard Selcer

In 1907, the Telegram (predecessor of the Star-Telegram) ran an unusual and never-since-repeated contest asking its readers what changes they would institute if they owned Fort Worth. It was an intriguing challenge to civic-minded Fort Worthers, but the newspaper did not appeal to civic-mindedness alone. The winner, picked by the editorial staff, would receive a prize of $5 cash ($167 in today’s dollars).