Giving Community Thanks

Thanksgiving is man's response to his Creator. In an unusual early expression of interfaith good will, a rabbi, a priest, and Protestant ministers started in 1907 at Bush Temple in Dallas a community worship service of thanksgiving which continued until 1918. The 100th anniversary of Dallas in 1941 was a service of thanksgiving and dedication in the Hall of State at Fair Park.

In the war year of 1942, a Thanksgiving Day service was held at the Palace Theatre; this was repeated annually for 16 years. To celebrate thanksgiving at all times--not just annually--a foundation purchased land in 1968 for Thanks-Giving Square, here in downtown Dallas. People on this continent have given God thanks in their own way, beginning with the Indians centuries ago.

The Spanish in 1541 recorded a Thanksgiving by Fray Juan Padilla of Coronado's Expedition in Palo Duro Canyon near present Amarillo. In 1842, President Sam Houston asked the Republic of Texas to give thanks for its place among the independent nations of the earth. After statehood, governors started in 1849 to issue annual proclamations fulfilling this universal tradition so long honored in Texas.

(1971)