In April 1961, Chancellor Konrad Adenauer of West Germany, accompanied by his daughter Libeth Werhahn, paid a state visit to the United States. After completing talks in Washington,the eighty-five year old Adenaur travelled to Vice President Johnson's ranch in Texas, fulfilling a lifelong dream of visiting the American West. This film, produced by the Lower Colorado River Authority, chronicles his journey through Texas. Chancellor Adenauer's visit began with a military welcome at Bergstrom Air Force Base, followed by a helicopter ride to the Hill Country, where he spent most of his trip. A devout Catholic, the Chancellor attended mass at St. Francis Xavier Church before continuing to the LBJ Ranch for a barbecue held in his honor, and where Vice President Johnson presented him with a saddle and ten-gallon hat. Other stops on his visit included an event held at the Gillespie Fair Ground in Fredericksburg, a helicopter tour of the highland lakes, and the Capitol in Austin where he addressed both chambers of the Texas State Legislature.
Gordon Wilkison began work as a cameraman at the local Austin television station KTBC (now FOX 7) during 1952, its first year of operation. At the time the station was owned by the Texas Broadcasting Company, which was owned by Senator Lyndon B. and Lady Bird Johnson. This relationship would continue to shape Wilkison's career well into the next decades - during the Johnson administration, Wilkison covered the president's visits to Texas, preparing material for national and international news correspondents.
A particularly notable moment in his career occurred on August 1, 1966, when Wilkison and KTBC reporter Neal Spelce risked their lives to capture footage of the Tower shooting at the University of Texas.
Wilkison was also the General Manager of Photo Processors at the LBJ Broadcasting Corporation, which he later took over and renamed Cenetex Film Labs. In addition to his camera work and film processing, his work at the station also included direction of a number of television film productions.
Outside of KTBC, Wilkison shot, edited, and processed Longhorn football game footage for the University of Texas, a partnership that lasted nearly 30 years.
Recognizing the historical value of film and news footage, Wilkison kept the material, later contributing hundreds of reels to the Texas Archive of the Moving Image's collection.
