Harold Rich’s Fort Worth from World War II to 1960 traces the city’s transformation during World War II, the postwar years, and the early Cold War, highlighting both progress and persistent challenges. Fort Worth experienced rapid economic growth in the 1940s, fueled by Convair’s arrival, but momentum slowed in the 1950s as police struggled with corruption, traffic demands, and widespread gambling and prostitution. The era was marked by a powerful criminal underworld, daring robberies, and the spread of illegal drug use, even as internal conflicts eventually dismantled many gangs. Meanwhile, the city developed modern infrastructure—industrialization, freeways, and cultural institutions—yet race relations saw little improvement until the 1960s, leaving the overall transition from a nineteenth-century to a twentieth-century city incomplete. Join us for this fascinating talk!

Harold Rich, a Fort Worth resident for seventy years, earned his PhD from Texas Christian University. He is the author of Fort Worth: Outpost, Cowtown, Boomtown (winner of the Al Lowman Award from the Texas State Historical Association) and Fort Worth between the World Wars, as well as articles in the East Texas Historical Journal and the West Texas Historical Review. Dr. Rich also worked at General Dynamics and is a retired Captain of the Fort Worth Police Department. A book sale and signing will follow the talk.