Memorabilia and Books: 1952-1984
Linear Feet: 125
Status: Open.

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This series is comprised of awards, plaques, artifacts, books, political cartoons, scrapbooks and a multitude of other items that Senator Tower collected during his campaigns and his career in government service. A number of the items, especially many of the political cartoons, are on loan from the Tower family.

The collection of art/ prints includes political cartoons, portraits of the senator, maps, and Texas and Southwestern art. Among the works are an oil painting of bluebonnets; a watercolor of the USS City of Corpus Christi; autographed original political cartoons by Jimmy Marhulies, Herc Fincklen, Ben Sargent and others. Among the certificates are a Freedom Award from the Hungarian Freedom Fighters’ Federation, a “Guardian of Berlin’s Freedom” certificate, a permanent appointment as a Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate in the U. S. Navy, and a commendation from the Documents Section of he Committee on Armed Services upon his retirement. Ephemeral items include several Communist propaganda leaflets dropped during the Vietnam War as well as various political flyers and pamphlets. There are three oversized scrapbooks, two of which concern Mexico. One contains photos and clippings about the Chazimal Treaty and the other covers a trip to Mexico that the senator made with the Secretary of Agriculture, Earl Butz. Other memorabilia are flags, bookends, gifts from foreign dignitaries, city keys, plaques, models of ships and planes, and a collection of elephants.

The majority of campaign memorabilia was received at Southwestern University within Tower Senate Club Files and other political files. The campaign literature and ephemera have been pulled from their original location, replaced with photocopies, and place in the Memorabilia Series. The bulk of this collection concerns the various Tower campaigns, from his 1954 race for the State Representative for the 81st District to groundwork for the 1984 Senate race. There are also items from Richard Nixon’s three presidential campaigns, George Bush’s Texas congressional campaign and several state and federal campaigns. Types of materials include brochures, newsletters, pamphlets, posters, photographs, flyers for fund-raisers and appearances, sound sheets, bumper stickers, press kits, manuals, volunteer packets, scrapbooks, buttons, pins, name tags, T-shirts, and items that appear to be for presentation to workers and contributors.