San Antonio was host to the World’s Fair from April to October in 1968, which was also the city’s 250th anniversary. Formal planning for this international event began in 1962, and the theme was “the confluence of civilizations in the Americas.” Major corporations, organizations and twenty governments participated in providing entertainment and information pavilions near downtown San Antonio. Some structures from HemisFair ’68 are still standing today, such as the Women’s Pavilion and Tower of the Americas.
“Sketching a design on the face of a television-like computer display terminal is a young visitor to IBM’s Durango pavilion at HemisFair ’68. The terminal is linked electronically to a computer a few feet away. The computer, an IBM System/360 Model 30, will translate the girls’ picture into mathematical formulas and then use the information to control the operations of a Jacquard loom. The loom will weave a three inch square swatch of fabric containing the design. The girl, whose mother looks on at the loom in the background, will be given the fabric she designed.”
The Frank Duane Rosengren collection of HemisFair materials includes photographs and promotional materials for various vendor pavilions. A promotional film featuring Governor John Connally was recently added to DeGolyer Library’s digital collection.
Please contact degolyer@smu.edu for questions about this collection in DeGolyer Library.