“The Arlingtonians for Independent Action organization has called for the Arlington County Board to refrain from establishing a Fair Housing Board, saying it would pile futility atop fallacy.”  I have taken this sentence not from today’s news, but from the August 9, 1968 Northern Virginia Sun newspaper. This piece of history turned my focus to that 1968 time period, as I continue with my “Front-Page History” series. Today we are looking at headlines from one week in August of 1968. Articles touched upon housing concerns; a possible gun control ordinance; the Vietnam War; the proposed Three Sisters Bridge over the Potomac; an anti-loitering ordinance; and a “racial play” written by a high school senior, who would end up becoming the Chief Judge in Arlington County in the 21st century. 

Housing: The County Board had decided to create a Fair Housing Board that would receive and investigate housing discrimination complaints arising from its recent open housing law. The two Republicans on the Board opposed the law, and the creation of the Board. The Arlingtonians for Independent Action was a grassroots group that also preferred the status quo. The first appointed chair of the Fair Housing Board was Lucy Denney, who went on to have a remarkable 50 year career of civic engagement. 

Gun Control: In 1968 Joe Wholey was a brash new candidate for a County Board seat. He made headlines with his platform that included a call for “tough gun laws” in his campaign. Wholey lost the election, but he won the 1970 election and served two terms during the 1970s, guiding Arlington through the transportation crises of the arrival of Metro and I-66. But no gun control laws were passed. 

Three Sisters: Throughout the 1960s, there was a proposal to build a bridge across the Potomac River, from Foxhall Road in D.C., across the three tiny islands in the Potomac known as the “Three Sisters”, and then linking up with Spout Run Parkway, in order to connect with I-66. The newspaper articles described the opposition by Tom Richards, County Board chair, contrasted with the support for the project by our State Senator Charles Fenwick. Richards won that fight. 

Loitering: An anti-loitering law designed to disperse noisy, unruly groups at drive-in restaurants and other businesses was passed by the County Board. An ad hoc group of high school students unsuccessfully protested the proposal, complaining that the ordinance did not address the underlying problem: a lack of adequate teen center recreational facilities. 

Vietnam War: There were numerous articles about the war, from the high-level view (peace talks held in Moscow), to the specific details of war (“U.S. B52 bombers dropped almost 1 million pounds of bombs in their first raids into North Vietnam in three weeks”). Meanwhile, Richard Nixon accepted the Republican presidential nomination, saying his first priority would be to bring an honorable end to the war. 

“Original Racial Play Set for Rock Spring”: This headline promoted an experimental worship service to be held at Rock Spring Congregational Church, involving a play with “racial tensions,” written by high school senior Bill Newman. The play was presented up to the point of climax, and then stopped, with the 200 people at the service then divided into groups to discuss three possible endings for the play. That young playwright would become an Arlington lawyer, and then a judge, known to us as Judge William Newman (now retired). 

The Editorials: There were two notable editorials written by Herman Obermayer on August 9, 1968. A short piece urged readers to support President Johnson’s efforts to lower the voting age from 21 to 18. No doubt the fact that 18-year-olds were getting killed in Vietnam played a big part in eventually getting the age lowered. And then there was a long and passionate plea to support the Fair Housing Board, with the acknowledgement that it was time to put an end to racist housing policies. Obermayer’s language was forceful and to the point, which I imagine must have antagonized the Arlingtonians for Independent Action. 

The 1960s were interesting times, indeed.