Valley Morning Star (Harlingen) April 28, 1968
"Texas First Lady Greeted Richly"
The pretty first lady of Texas was in Harlingen Saturday afternoon, and here she got the red carpet treatment—and was presented with 1,001 palm trees.
Mrs. John Connolly came to Harlingen on a tour dedicating the Texas Tropical Trail, one of 10 Texas Travel trails now being promoted by the state.
Mrs. Connolly and party, traveling by special bus, were met at the Sun Valley Hotel parking lot by Mayor George Young, Chamber of Commerce president Robert Ferris, the red-coated Six-Shooter Club members, and a lot of just ordinary citizens.
George Pletcher, Harlingen wholesale nurseryman who originally suggested to the governor the title "Texas Tropical Trail" for the South Texas segment of the Travel Trails, gave Mrs. Connolly the 1,001 palms.
One of the trees, a rare type, Mrs. Connolly will keep and plant on the Connolly Ranch near Floresville. The other 1,000 trees presented by Pletcher will be turned over to the Texas Highway Department for planting along highways of the area.
Mrs. Connolly also had a good word for the Confederate Air Force scheduled to move to the Harlingen Industrial Airpark this summer.
She said the CAF's new base in Harlingen would greatly increase the traveler's interest in the city.
"World War II vintage airplanes played a key role in the preservation of freedom throughout the world," Mrs. Connolly said, "The veterans of that war have a place to bring their families to view the aircraft which helped make modern history."
She commended the CAF's plan to exhibit planes from every country that participated in World War II.
Mrs. Connolly also emphasized that Harlingen offers a wide range of recreation for the family seeking a winter resort.
"There is hunting and fishing for the outdoorsman, year-round swimming in the Gulf and the city lies with an hour's drive of four bridges to Mexico."
"We believe", Mrs. Connolly said, "that HemisFair (the fair in San Antonio) and the Texas Tropical Trail can guide an even larger number of tourists into this 'world of diversity'".
She urged Harlingen to pioneer a municipal trail to the history and scenic points of interest within the city.
Mrs. Connolly's party left Corpus Christ on Friday and the tour included stops in Port Aransas, Rockport, Lake Corpus Christi State Park, Laredo, McAllen, Brownsville, South Padre Island, Harlingen and the King Ranch. The (seven day) tour ended Saturday night in Corpus Christi.
Overall Texas will have 10 travel trails tied into a neat vacation package of history, scenery, and recreation. The newly designed routes marked by distinctive blue and white highway signs cover 6,000 miles of the state.