First Methodist Dallas Hosts Texas United Drys, September 1941 In September 1941 First Methodist Church of Dallas hosted the state meeting of Texas United Drys. The group was composed mainly of veterans of the sruggle for the prohibition of alcohol. They had been successful in that goal, but the success did not last. National prohition was repealed in 1933. As part of the repeal legislation in Texas, the local option law was passed. That meant that a city, county commissioner’s precinct, or a county could regulate alcohol in that jurisdiction. The implication was that what had been a national campaign devolved to hundreds of inensely local campaigns. The work of the drys continued, but with different emphases. They now waged local elections, tried to hold law enforcement officers to account to enforce local prohibition laws, and educate youth on the dangers of alcohol beverage consumption. In 1941 there was an addition emphasis. The U. S. government was in the process of creating military bases around the state, and Drys wanted to make sure that the surrounding areas around those bases remained dry. It was particularly galling that under the doctrine of federal supremacy, PX’s on military bases located in dry counties could sell beer. Bishop Hiram Boaz was president of United Drys and the host pastor was Angie Smith, later elected bishop. Rev, Leslie Boone of Brownwood was on the program, and the morning keynote was delivered by H. D. Knickerbocker, perhaps the most prominent member of the SMU faculty. Knickerbocker was in the Jounalism Department. His life and career has been covered in a previous blog, so use the search function to learn more about him. The evening keynote was delivered by W. R. (Billy) White (1892-1977) President of Hardin Simmons and later president of Baylor University. The W. C. T. U. president, Lala Fay Watts (1881-1971) of Dallas was given 10 minutes---far less time than was warranted to one of the women who had devoted decades of her life to prohibition, suffragism, and labor reform. Texas United Drys later changed its name to Texas Alcohol and Narcotics Education (TANE). That was the name most of us would remember from the 1960s when its main activities shifted to producing film strips, pamphlets, and other educational material.