November 30 in San Antonio history…

1888
The first International Fair, held at the new Fair Grounds at Riverside Park, closes after 17 days.

1977
“Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas” airs on KENS Channel 5 at 8 p.m. after “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”  Crosby records the Christmas special a little over a month before his death on Oct. 14, 1977.  The highlight of the show is his duet with David Bowie on “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy.”

2012
Maryland-based Sinclair Broadcasting Group purchases WOAI Channel 3 from Newport Television for $412.5 million.  WOAI is one broadcast station in a package of six stations in five markets. Sinclair also owns the local Fox station, KABB.

September 24 in San Antonio history…

1977
At a northside restaurant, Hollywood actor Earl Holliman announces plans to open a dinner playhouse at the site of the defunct Hacienda Dinner Theater on Nov. 1.  “There are a lot of big stars who want to come to San Antonio. We are going to give them that opportunity – and give people here a chance to see them,” says Holliman.

1991
Dallas-based Barry’s Camera & Video acquires Studer’s Foto Express, whose first store was opened by Ben Studer on Alamo Plaza in 1926.

1999
The 100th Fighter Squadron of the Tuskeegee Airmen is reactivated at Randolph Air Force Base as the 100th Flying Training Squadron, flying Beeccraft T-6 Texan II, Raytheon T-1 Jayhawk and Northrop T-38C Talon trainers.

August 16 in San Antonio history..

1950
The Northside Rural High School District is formed.

1977
San Antonians mourn the death of singer Elvis Presley, who died at age 42 at his home, Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee early this morning.

1999
North East School District opens their first new high school since 1976 – Ronald Reagan High School – off Huebner Road north of Loop 1604.

 

 

August 9 in San Antonio history…

1963
Mike Nesmith is the featured performer at a hootenanny held in La Villita Assembly Hall to raise money for the March of Dimes.  He will later find fame as one of The Monkees.

1970
Roddy Stinson, 29, editor of two magazines published by the Southern Baptist Brotherhood Commission in Memphis, Tennessee, has been named editor of the San Antonio magazine published monthly by the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.

1977
San Antonio River Authority Manager Fred Pfeiffer reports that modifications to strengthen Olmos Dam will reduce the flow of the San Antonio River and preclude construction of a downtown bypass channel to prevent future downtown flooding.

July 11 in San Antonio history…

1977
Katherine Stinson Otero dies at the age of 86 at her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

1988
The city’s Historic Review Board votes 8-1 to recommend the designation of the Bluebonnet Hotel as a historically significant landmark.

2016
After 19 seasons and five championships with the San Antonio Spurs, forward Tim Duncan announces his retirement.

July 1 in San Antonio history…

advertisement, San Antonio Express, 29 June 1977, p. 16-A

1977
Star Wars (right) debuts in San Antonio at the Wonder Theater (ABC Interstate) and the Century South 6 (Santikos).

1994
St. Luke’s Lutheran Hospital becomes part of the Baptist Memorial Hospital System and is renamed St. Luke’s Baptist Hospital.   This is the fifth in the Baptist system of hospitals and the first in the Medical Center.  With the closure of Lutheran General Hospital in 1991, this merger means that no Lutheran-affiliated hospitals remain in San Antonio.

1995
Demolition of HemisFair Arena officially begins.  The graduation ceremony for the Thomas Jefferson High School Class of 1995 was the last public event held in the old arena.

June 28 in San Antonio history…

Hugman, Robert R. R, “Shops of Aragon and Romula”, photograph, Memories of San Antonio, 22 June 2022, https://memoriesofsanantonio.com/2022/02/08/remembering-the-father-of-the-riverwalk-robert-h-h-hugman-who-was-born-on-this-day-120-years-ago/

1929
Architect Robert H. H. Hugman meets with with Mayor Chambers, two city commissioners, a group of property owners, and other civic leaders and began his presentation on river beautification entitled “Shops of Aragon and Romula.”  The plan, which would become the San Antonio Riverwalk, was based on old world cities in Spain and France.

1977
Construction workers began lifting the roof of the Convention Center Arena in order to add 6,000 extra seats.  The 2,260-ton roof will take three days to be raised 33 feet.  The construction work should be completed in the fall of 1978.

2004
Chlorine gas released from a derailed train tanker car near Loop 1604 and Nelson Road kills three people and sends 50 more to area hospitals. The derailment was caused when a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train, moving east onto a sidetrack, was struck by a westbound Union Pacific train, which failed to stop. The collision was one of eight train derailments that happened in the San Antonio area that year.

April 11 in San Antonio history…

1957
The “Brackenridge Eagle” miniature train begins operation in Brackenridge Park.  This is a “soft opening.”  35,000 passengers will ride the train before the grand opening is held on June 14.

1969
Gus Mutscher, Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, said today that he sees a four-year, state-supported college, a dental school and a nursing school “headed in the direction of San Antonio.”

1977
A $11,097,995 contract was awarded to Browning Construction company for Phase II construction on the campus of UTSA today.  Included will be a 60,075 addition to the Arts building, a classroom and office building facing east on the west side of the campus plaza and a sculpture and ceramics studio to be located on the west side of campus.

April 5 in San Antonio history…

1942
The Baylor University Golden Wave Band presents an Easter Sunday concert in the Thomas Jefferson High School auditorium.

1956
The Bexar County [Freeman] Coliseum was desegregated on the order of the board of managers. An announcement declared that there would be no discrimination “based on race, color or creed of persons lawfully on the Coliseum premises.”

1977
NBA Commissioner Larry O’Brien is the featured speaker at the Spurs Tip-Off Club meeting in the Jersey Lilly room at the Pearl Brewery.  This is O’Brien’s first appearance in San Antonio since the Spurs entered the NBA last year.

April 2 in San Antonio history…

1840
San Antonio City Council records show a man named Valdez asked to buy stones from the walls of the Alamo and the council approved his request, saying, “The corporation resolved to sell him all the stones he may want at 50 cents a cartload.”

1942
Old-time baseball men can’t recall ever having heard of four double plays in all of which the same three players participated as occurred in the game between the Toledo Mudhens and the Minneapolis Millers at Tech Field today.  The Mudhens won, 6-5.

1977
Computers are used for the first time to tabulate the results of the city election.