THEN TO NOW...

 In the autumn of 1954, I ventured with two friends to Dallas for The University.s final pre-Royal Red River River Rivalry, eager for full student participation.

A massive crowd was gathered for a downtown pep rally, where a large number of more affluent students were staying in hotels.

While I was engaged in patting unchallenged the stiffly sprayed blond coifs of tipsy coeds, a city bus was slowly working a precarious passage through the revelry.

When I looked up from my task, I saw in his place at a window seat near the rear of the bus, a wide-eyed black man was waving a cheap handgun.  Within seconds two Dallas policemen had boarded the bus, unarmed the "assailant", and escorted him  in handcuffs off the bus.

It was many years later. in the retrospect of today's controversy, that I began to wonder what the black man saw as he looked out at a milling mob completely surrounding his vantage point.  Was he fearing the loss of his life when he saw the police, or did he feel grateful to be saved from a perceived threat?