Texas State Technical College Archive Collection, no. 8 - Humphrey Campaign Rallies (1968)

Duration: 10:00

Year Published: 1968

Format: 16mm

Sound: silent

Description: Texas State Technical College, originally named the James Connally Technical Institute and then the Texas State Technical Institute, has been providing technical-vocational training to students in Texas since 1965. Today, with campuses located all across the state, the school educates over 15,000 students. The films in the Texas State Technical College collection demonstrate the range of programs of study available to students at the college’s various campuses. In 1968, then-Vice President Hubert Humphrey won the Democratic Party’s nomination for the presidency and embarked upon a national tour to build support for his candidacy. Included amongst the many stops he made were visits to Waco and Hillsboro in October, both captured in this footage. Accompanying the candidate are Governor of Texas John Connally and musician Sonny Bono. In between stops, Humphrey also attends a dedication ceremony of the Rio Grande Technical Manpower Skills Center in Harlingen. While the appearance was not intentionally related to Humphrey’s presidential campaign, crowds of supporters showed up at the event, turning it into a rally. (Humphrey’s involvement also helped generate $2 million in funding for the facility.)