Flashback : Dallas

by Paula Bosse

I saw these covers of Dallas Fire Fighter magazine on eBay and thought they looked really interesting. I can’t find anything about this publication other than a one-sentence glancing mention in a Dallas Morning News article on fire prevention in January, 1962 — so it had been around at least since the early ’60s. Here are four covers — one from 1963, two from 1965, and one from 1966.

Love Field engine, July 1963

Rescue of a toddler, April, 1965

Aero-Unit inspection, No. 1 Station, October, 1966

The person listing these magazines on eBay included a few (very low-resolution!) photos of some of the pages inside. Below are a few interesting tidbits from the October, 1966 issue.

The Fire House Rhythm Kings was a country band made up of Dallas firefighters, formed in 1956. They played well over 300 gigs a year (one article noted they sometimes performed at four venues in one DAY!), combining entertainment with education on fire prevention. The caption: “Fire House Rhythm Kings – left to right, Jack Mewbourne, Doug May, Les Wilson, Spurgeon Harris, Don Smith, ‘Big Ed’ Hunt, J. W. Hadaway, Don Spruell, and Leland Loggins. Members not present in the photo include Harvey Lanier, Troy England, W. T. Babb and Wendel Jenkins. Newest additions to the band include Larry Gotchel and Earl Rowe who have also joined since the photo was made.”

They also had a regular show on radio station KPCN (click to see larger image):

Dallas Fire Fighter, October, 1966

The department had recently acquired new equipment, including a heavy-duty rescue-salvage unit and an aero-unit (apologies for image quality!):

“New heavy duty rescue-salvage unit now in service at No. 3 Station”

Aero-Unit

And, lastly, an ad announcing a new section of Hillcrest Memorial Park created exclusively for fire-fighters and their families: “Firemen’s Rest.” This section of the cemetery featured a large marble statue by memorial sculptor Bernhard Zuckermann, which appears to be a copy of the bronze Firemen’s Monument dedicated in City Park in 1903 (the original bronze statue has been relocated to the Dallas Fire-Rescue Training Center on Dolphin Rd.). (See a transcription of the ad’s hard-to-read text here.)

Below, the original monument topped with the bronze likeness of Dallas fireman John Clark (who died fighting a huge East Dallas fire in 1902) honors Dallas firefighters who have died in the line of duty; it was dedicated on Nov. 26, 1903.

Dallas Morning News, Nov. 27, 1903

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Sources & Notes

Dallas Fire Fighter magazine (published by the Dallas Fire Fighters Association) found on eBay, here (now sold!).

An interesting article on the Fire House Rhythm Kings band can be found in the Dallas Morning News archives in the article “Firehouse Band Goes Like Blazes” by the always entertaining Kent Biffle (DMN, Dec. 13, 1965)

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Copyright © 2019 Paula Bosse. All Rights Reserved.