In fifty years, Houston Harte guided an organization that grew from one afternoon daily to a chain of nineteen newspapers in six states, and one television station. Much of the civic activity in San Angelo, his hometown, revolved around Harte from 1930 until 1970. He knew many politicians, such as Lyndon Johnson, and was willing to ask their help. Harte's major contributions were retaining Goodfellow Air Force Base's active status, helping San Angelo College attain four-year status, and influencing General Telephone Company of the Southwest to locate its headquarters in San Angelo. His numerous other projects were of lesser magnitude. This study probes Harte's sources of power, examining why he was successful in getting the projects he wanted for his community.

This study presents detailed analyses of public relations practices of the Communications Services Department, Dallas (Texas) Power & Light Company. Information sources included interviews with company personnel, company publications, and other publications. Four chapters deal with unique problems with which the electric utility industry in the United States is confronted; history and development of the electric power industry in Dallas; history and development of Dallas Power & Light Company, and organizations, functions, and operations of Communications Services Department of Dallas Power & Light Company. The study finds much strength in the department, but recommends several minor writing and clerical changes in the department's practices. It recommends further scholarly examination of public relations activities in other electric utilities.

Changes of ownership, a seeming lack of interest in history, several deaths, and a fire prompted this study into the history of The Weatherford Democrat. Data for the thesis came from back issues of The Democrat, Ayer Directory of Newspapers and Periodicals, letters from former publishers, and personal observations and experiences of the writer, who worked on the paper 14 years. All but about a dozen years of the back issues are available. The thesis is written in chronological order, dating from the beginning in 1895 to 1967, when the Donrey Media Group gained control, ending local ownership. The Democrat is the survivor of more than 20 newspaper ventures in the city and is still the principal county paper.

This study was conducted to detail the history of The Arlington Citizen-Journal newspaper and its editors and the effect of an active newspaper on the orderly growth of a town. The Arlington Citizen-Journal evolved from a merger of two Arlington weekly newspapers, The Arlington Journal and The Arlington Citizen, which for more than fifty years reported Arlington happenings. The study includes historical information about the city, its people, and its institutions, and direct quotations of both editorial comment and news reports of Arlington events and people. It was found that throughout the years of Arlington's rapid growth, The Citizen-Journal was a vital force behind its citizens.

This study examines the public relations practices of the Public Relations Department and the Human Relations Department at National Semiconductor Corporation. Source material included interviews with twelve company employees, company publications, and other publications. Five chapters deal with particular problems with which the semiconductor industry in the 'United States is confronted; background and development of National Semiconductor Corporation; organization and practices of the Public Relations Department; and public relations practices of the Human Relations Department. The study finds much strength in each of the two departments but concludes that the public relations function would be strengthened by consolidation into one department. It recommends further scholarly research of public relations practices at other electronics companies.

The problem of this study was to examine the community, stockholder, and consumer public relations of the Dr Pepper Company. The data were collected by an examination of the major areas in Dr Pepper's public relations department. Detailed questionnaires were used in interviewing the department's head, Harry Ellis, and his assistant, Jim Ball. Follow-up interviews clarified Ball's and Ellis's responses to the questionnaires. Chapter I introduces the thesis. Chapter II presents information about Dr Pepper's consumer relations, Chapter III presents data about stockholder relations, and Chapter IV presents information about community relations. Chapter V summarizes the study and makes conclusions and recommendations. Dr Pepper's overriding weakness was the lack of pre- or post-testing of its public relations efforts; and its strengths are that it has never been accused of doing misleading advertising and it labels its products so that the consumer knows its content. The recommendation was made to expand and departmentalize the public relations operation.

Sun Yat-sen used six propaganda techniques in the United States to help overthrow the Ching Dynasty in 1911: (a) individual propaganda to gain supporters through personal contact and individual persuasion; (b) propaganda of deed to solicit donations and to mobilize his supporters for military actions; (c) travel propaganda to broaden the base of revolutionary support; (d) newspaper propaganda to publicize and explain his revolutionary program; (e) debate propaganda to refute antirevolutionary criticism through speeches and pamphlets; and (f) missionary propaganda to seek sympathy and support from American missionaries and Christians.

Economic retrenchment, social shifts, and technological changes endanger journalism's democratic role. Journalism education faces parallel threats. I review the state of journalism and education, linking the crisis to society's loss of story, framed philosophically by the Dewey-critical theory split over journalism and power. I explore the potential for renewing journalism and education with Carey's ritual model and Postman's restoration of storytelling. I then summarize existing major academic programs and suggest a new interdisciplinary curriculum for environmental journalism, a specialty well suited to experimental, democracy-centered education. The curriculum uses as pedagogy active and conversational learning and reflection. A graduate introductory course is detailed, followed by additional suggested classes that could form the basis of a graduate certificate program or, with further expansion, a graduate degree concentration.

Condemned prisoners in Texas and most other states are given an opportunity to make a final statement in the last moments before death. An anecdotal review by the author of this study over the last 15 years indicates that condemned prisoners use the opportunity for a variety of purposes. They ask forgiveness, explain themselves, lash out at accusers, rail at the system, read poems, say goodbyes to friends and family, praise God, curse fate - and assert their innocence with their last breaths. The final words also are typically heard by a select group of witnesses, which may include a prisoner's family and friends, victim's relatives, and one or more journalists. What the public knows about a particular condemned person's statement largely depends on what the journalists who witness the executions chose to include in their accounts of executions, the accuracy of their notes, and the completeness of the statements that are recorded on departments of correction websites or records. This paper will examine, through rhetorical and content analyses, the final words of the 355 prisoners who were executed in Texas between 1976 and 2005, identify those who made unequivocal claims of innocence in their final statements, and analyze news …