1968: From the My Lai Massacre to Yellow Submarine featuring Tom Miller
Tom MillerTom Miller’s press pass for the 1968 Democratic Convention, from the Tom Miller Collections, Special Collections.
Special Collections, The University of Arizona Libraries
September 6, 2018
From the UA News Service:
Where were you – or your parents – 50 years ago? Many people took part in the anti-Vietnam war movement, hoping to bring pressure on the government to pull out of Vietnam through underground presses and demonstrations. According to Miller, the critically acclaimed writer and author of “Cuba, Hot and Cold” and “The Panama Hat Trail,” the underground press was a “joyously sloppy endeavor made up of people who knew little about journalism but had strong feelings about the war and the cultural life it spawned.” Miller, who witnessed the violence surrounding the 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention in the aftermath of the Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. assassinations, will present a talk about his activities in the underground press and how the rest of the country reacted to the anti-war movement.
In 2002, the University of Arizona Special Collections acquired Miller’s archives, and some materials from this collection will be included in the “1968 in America” exhibit.
Exhibit banner and poster designed by Marty Taylor, UA Libraries.
My most recent and last exhibit for Special Collections was a look back at 1968, 50 years later. I was only 9 years old at the time, but remember the era vividly. I had a brother in Vietnam, and two of my siblings were in California enjoying themselves in San Francisco, along with thousands of other young people. I spent the year collecting baseball cards and playing flag football with the other kids in the neighborhood. The assasinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy didn’t impact me that much, as I was not old enough to understand what was happening in the larger world. The music I listened to was usually the popular stuff one heard on the radio, and the Beatles, of course. Doing this exhibit brought back a lot of memories. It also impressed upon me that it was an amazing time, with so much going on, culturally, musically, and politically.
September 4, 2018-December 7, 2018,
Special Collections, The University of Arizona Libraries
From the UA News Service:
One of the most volatile years in the history of the United States was 1968. The Tet Offensive escalated the war in Vietnam, we lost two monumental leaders – Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy – to assassination, and riots broke out across the nation. As students protested the war, popular music became a powerful voice for their generation. At the same time, the civil rights and Black Power movements inspired environmentalists, women, Chicanos, Native Americans and the gay and lesbian community to add their voices to the discourse.
This exhibit showcases a variety of materials from University Libraries’ Special Collections. Explore hidden treasures highlighting politics, news, art, literature and culture from 50 years ago – including underground press publications, sports and music memorabilia and photographs from the University of Arizona.
I found a bunch of “psychedelic”, 60s style handkerchiefs that I used for the exhibit cases.
60s memorabilia from a private collection.
More 60s memorabilia. Collection courtesy of Bob Diaz.
This section of the exhibit provided a chronological look at local, national and world events that happened in 1968.
A poster from the Tom Miller collectoin. The Yippees played a prominent role in the youth movement of the 60s.
A scene from Aengus Anderson’s short film on 1968 in America. Morgan Maxwell Jr. is on the far right side just to the left of the police officer.
Video program that accompanies the exhibit, created by Aengus Anderson.Another scene from Aengus Anderson’s film.
A list of Arizona casualties of the Vietnam War in 1968. From the Arizona Daily Star Index.
Members of a student athlete leadership club visiting the exhibit
