Mrs. Frazier lived over on Oak Cliff Blvd. She was quite the character and, in addition to having the typical racist beliefs of the Klan, was also very much into the John Birch fold. She believed that the UN was an evil organization and part of the coming "New World Order". She also believed that fluoridation of the water was part of a communist plot to undermine our strength. I interviewed her when I was in high school (I was on the staff of the school newspaper and desegregation was still an ongoing issue) but my teacher refused to publish it. I was not sympathetic to Mrs. Frazier's views but the newspaper sponsor was very concerned about publishing anything that might cause a controversy. I was asked to write a story about homecoming mums, instead.
One extraordinary thing I learned about the Dallas Klan was that they were the founders of an orphanage called " Hope Cottage" which is still one of the foremost agencies of its kind in the area. On their original building, there was a cornerstone indicating the founding of the organization and acknowledging the Klan's benevolence. A family friend told me about it and I, frankly, didn't believe it. A school friend and I went looking and were shocked to find the cornerstone, albeit covered in bushes. By the '70s, Hope was very involved with pregnancies and adoptions of many minority children and it was understandable why they would not want to advertise their beginnings. I took a photo of that stone, but don't know if I could find it now. Interesting to think that such a hateful group still managed to do good for thousands of minority children. Even though that wasn't their original intent, it always makes me smile to think about it.
As for the Dallas Klan having any direct connection to my family, I know that my grandfather quit a job because his boss expected all of his employees to be members. Being a man of his time, my grandfather was not what you could call liberal but he was a very fair man who preferred to judge people on their own merits. He often said he had seen enough bad things during his time in the navy to make him feel differently toward people once he got back home.
One extraordinary thing I learned about the Dallas Klan was that they were the founders of an orphanage called " Hope Cottage" which is still one of the foremost agencies of its kind in the area. On their original building, there was a cornerstone indicating the founding of the organization and acknowledging the Klan's benevolence. A family friend told me about it and I, frankly, didn't believe it. A school friend and I went looking and were shocked to find the cornerstone, albeit covered in bushes. By the '70s, Hope was very involved with pregnancies and adoptions of many minority children and it was understandable why they would not want to advertise their beginnings. I took a photo of that stone, but don't know if I could find it now. Interesting to think that such a hateful group still managed to do good for thousands of minority children. Even though that wasn't their original intent, it always makes me smile to think about it.
As for the Dallas Klan having any direct connection to my family, I know that my grandfather quit a job because his boss expected all of his employees to be members. Being a man of his time, my grandfather was not what you could call liberal but he was a very fair man who preferred to judge people on their own merits. He often said he had seen enough bad things during his time in the navy to make him feel differently toward people once he got back home.