Publications - Dallas Citizens Council: An Obligation to Leadership
In late 1937 the leading businessmen of Dallas came together and formed an important and powerful new organization, the Dallas Citizens Council. Membership, as envisioned by the man who inspired its creation, Robert L. Thornton, was limited to presidents or general managers of local businesses who had the ability to make substantial commitments for projects they saw as important for the overall betterment of the city. Since then, for more than seven decades, the Dallas Citizens Council consistently has charted a remarkable path of farsighted civic leadership that has touched in a significant way virtually every major development in the transformation of one America’s leading cities.
This book relates the intriguing history of this organization, of the people who led it, of the projects it supported, and of its successful adaptations to the changing times.
To read excerpts from the book, please click here or learn more about Darwin Payne, the author, click here.
If you’d like to purchase a copy for $25, please contact the Citizens Council’s offices at 214-653-1031.
Darwin Payne has written extensively on Dallas history. His previous works include Big D: Triumphs and Troubles of an American Supercity and As Old As Dallas Itself: A History of the Lawyers of Dallas, the Dallas Bar Association, and the City They Helped Build. He is a professor of communications emeritus at Southern Methodist University, where he taught journalism for 30 years. He holds a Ph.D. in American Civilization from the University of Texas at Austin.