1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,120 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:08,640 Speaker 1: Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:11,879 Speaker 1: show that combs the highways of history for a new 4 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 1: story every day. I'm Gay Bluesier, and in this episode, 5 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:20,800 Speaker 1: we're revisiting the birth of the Adopt a Highway Program, 6 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:24,880 Speaker 1: a grassroots effort to keep America's roads clean or at 7 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:36,640 Speaker 1: least cleaner. The day was March ninth, nineteen eighty five. 8 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 1: A civic group in Tyler, Texas put up the first 9 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:44,840 Speaker 1: Adopt a Highway sign. The blue and white four by 10 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:49,280 Speaker 1: eight foot sign read adopt a Highway Program. The next 11 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:54,000 Speaker 1: two miles adopted by Tyler Civitan Club for litter control. 12 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:58,240 Speaker 1: As part of the city's pilot program, members of the 13 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 1: Civitan Club committed to cleaning up litter alongside a stretch 14 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 1: of Highway sixty nine just north of Tyler. Although cleaning 15 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:11,120 Speaker 1: supplies and safety training were provided to the highway adopters, 16 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:15,520 Speaker 1: the labor of clearing the roadside was done strictly on 17 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 1: a volunteer basis at no cost to taxpayers. As a result, 18 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:24,640 Speaker 1: the Adopt a Highway Program went on to save millions 19 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: of dollars in clean up costs, allowing state governments to 20 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 1: put transportation funds into other projects. Fourteen years later, in 21 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety nine, the Texas legislature celebrated the program's success 22 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:43,839 Speaker 1: by declaring March ninth as International Adopt a Highway Day. 23 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: The cleanup program got its start in nineteen eighty four, 24 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:52,320 Speaker 1: a year before the first sign was installed. The idea 25 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: for it came from a man named James Bobby Evans, 26 00:01:56,040 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 1: a district engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation. It 27 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:03,440 Speaker 1: was his job to oversee the upkeep and repair of 28 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 1: nearly four thousand miles of state highway. One day in 29 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:11,959 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty four, Evans was driving north toward Tyler, Texas, 30 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:15,359 Speaker 1: when he noticed a red pickup truck packed with trash 31 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 1: driving beside him. As the truck pulled ahead, Evans realized 32 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: its tailgate was open, allowing empty cement bags, nail cartons, 33 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 1: and other debris to spill out all over the highway. 34 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,799 Speaker 1: At the time, litter was a serious problem in Texas. 35 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: The state spent almost twenty five million dollars a year 36 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:40,400 Speaker 1: collecting trash from roadsides, and costs were rising by about 37 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 1: seventeen percent each year. Evans knew that his department didn't 38 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 1: have the money to combat the increase in littering, but 39 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:51,360 Speaker 1: as he drove past miles of highway strewn with beer 40 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: cans and fast food wrappers, he knew they had to 41 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:57,920 Speaker 1: come up with some kind of solution. Another part of 42 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:03,680 Speaker 1: Evans job was promoting volunt tiroism by giving presentations at schools, businesses, 43 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:07,880 Speaker 1: and community centers. He had given hundreds of these talks before, 44 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:11,680 Speaker 1: but after touring the highway just outside of Tyler, Evans 45 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:15,400 Speaker 1: decided to try a new tactic. He approached civic and 46 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 1: community groups individually and challenged them to adopt one of 47 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:22,760 Speaker 1: the highways leading to their city by cleaning it up 48 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 1: at least four times a year. Initially, the idea didn't 49 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:31,639 Speaker 1: get any takers. Something was still missing. That's when Evans 50 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: called in Billy Black, the public affairs officer for the 51 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:39,360 Speaker 1: Department of Transportation in Tyler. Evans pitched his adopt a 52 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,960 Speaker 1: highway idea, and Black quickly filled in the missing piece. 53 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 1: Give the volunteers credit by listing their organization's name on 54 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 1: a roadside sign. Not only would it make the commitment 55 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: feel more official, they would also act as free publicity. 56 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:59,360 Speaker 1: Both for the highway adopters and for the program itself. 57 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 1: Over the next year, Black and Evans worked together to 58 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 1: create a program that could train and equip volunteers and 59 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 1: also install that all important signage. The only problem was 60 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 1: they didn't have the authority to erect signs along the highway. 61 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:20,840 Speaker 1: Evans called deputy director Henry Thomason and outlined the plan 62 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 1: for the program. He was reportedly met with a long 63 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 1: pause before Thomason finally replied, quote, Bobby, sometimes it's better 64 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 1: to ask forgiveness than to seek permission. With that out 65 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:37,200 Speaker 1: of the way, Billy Black started promoting the idea to 66 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 1: the public. The first group to seize the opportunity was 67 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:44,880 Speaker 1: the Tyler Civitan Club, whose members wanted to adopt two 68 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:48,599 Speaker 1: miles of US Route sixty nine between their city and 69 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 1: Interstate twenty. The groups adopt a highway sign, the first 70 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:57,080 Speaker 1: of its kind, was installed on March ninth, nineteen eighty five. 71 00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:01,320 Speaker 1: Not long after, about twelve any members of the Civitan 72 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:05,159 Speaker 1: Club gathered for their first clean up. They donned their 73 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:08,839 Speaker 1: orange vests and gloves, took up their spiked sticks, and 74 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:12,880 Speaker 1: got to work spearing garbage for the common good. Word 75 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:16,320 Speaker 1: of the Adopt a Highway program spread quickly, and soon 76 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:19,600 Speaker 1: community groups in all two hundred and fifty four Texas 77 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:23,039 Speaker 1: counties had joined in the cleanup effort. In fact, in 78 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:27,440 Speaker 1: the program's first year, roughly seven hundred groups signed on, 79 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:31,440 Speaker 1: claiming responsibility for more than a thousand miles of highway. 80 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 1: A large part of that success was due to a 81 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:39,839 Speaker 1: statewide media campaign that was launched in conjunction with the program. 82 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:44,120 Speaker 1: The nineteen eighty six campaign debuted the now famous slogan 83 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:48,560 Speaker 1: Don't Mess with Texas, which was trademarked by the Texas 84 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 1: Department of Transportation. Within a year, the Adopt a Highway 85 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:56,440 Speaker 1: program and the media campaign had reduced litter clean up 86 00:05:56,520 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 1: costs by twenty nine percent, and within the first four years, 87 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:05,120 Speaker 1: litter on Texas highways was reduced by seventy two percent. 88 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:10,480 Speaker 1: Following this hugely successful debut in Texas, it didn't take 89 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:14,279 Speaker 1: long for other states to well adopt the Adopt a 90 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:18,120 Speaker 1: Highway program. The terms of the program can vary a 91 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:21,920 Speaker 1: little between states, but for the most part, volunteers apply 92 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:24,839 Speaker 1: to adopt at least two miles of highway for a 93 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:28,559 Speaker 1: two year period. During that time, they agree to clean 94 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 1: that stretch of road on a regular basis, at least 95 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 1: once every three months or so. In return, the adopters 96 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:39,920 Speaker 1: get their name emblazoned on a snazzy blue sign. Over 97 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:43,960 Speaker 1: the years, some variation of the program eventually spreads all 98 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:47,000 Speaker 1: fifty states, as well as to Puerto Rico and even 99 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:53,520 Speaker 1: a few other countries, including Australia, Japan, and Spain. Schools, businesses, 100 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:56,719 Speaker 1: and churches are some of the most common organizations to 101 00:06:56,800 --> 00:07:01,400 Speaker 1: participate in the program, but individuals sometimes adopt a highway themselves. 102 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:04,800 Speaker 1: Over the years, there's been a great deal of controversy 103 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:09,200 Speaker 1: over whether certain groups or individuals should be excluded from 104 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:13,800 Speaker 1: the program. Sometimes the outrage fades quickly, like in cases 105 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:17,040 Speaker 1: where a group of nudists or a Wiccan coven joined 106 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 1: the program. Other times, the controversy leads to actual legal disputes, 107 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:25,880 Speaker 1: like in two thousand and one, when Missouri and twenty 108 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:29,680 Speaker 1: eight other states sued for the right to deny applications 109 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:33,600 Speaker 1: from the Ku Klux Klan. A lower court ruled that 110 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:37,640 Speaker 1: it was unconstitutional to bar the organization from the adopted 111 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:41,440 Speaker 1: highway program, and that ruling was allowed to stand after 112 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:44,960 Speaker 1: the Supreme Court refused to hear the state's appeal. In 113 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,240 Speaker 1: the end, the clan was permitted to sponsor a stretch 114 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:52,480 Speaker 1: of highway in Missouri on the grounds of free speech. Still, 115 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:56,200 Speaker 1: Missouri's state legislature got the last word on the matter 116 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:59,800 Speaker 1: when it responded by renaming the highway that the clan 117 00:07:59,840 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 1: adopted in honor of Rosa Parks. The Adopted Highway Program 118 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:08,280 Speaker 1: has been a massive success since its launched in nineteen 119 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:12,640 Speaker 1: eighty five, and today tens of thousands of volunteer groups 120 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:16,480 Speaker 1: help keep American roadsides a little bit cleaner. It's a 121 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:20,240 Speaker 1: testament of both the generosity of the country's citizens and 122 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:24,600 Speaker 1: to their love of recognition and big blue signs. The 123 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:28,200 Speaker 1: program proved instrumental in getting the public more invested in 124 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:31,200 Speaker 1: the upkeep of the highways we all rely on. In 125 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:34,480 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety two, seven years after the launch of the 126 00:08:34,520 --> 00:08:39,280 Speaker 1: Adopted Highway Program, Bobby Evans reflected on that positive change 127 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:44,040 Speaker 1: in an interview with readers Digest. The engineer said, quote, 128 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:47,960 Speaker 1: Billy Black and I keep hearing that attitudes have changed. 129 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:51,920 Speaker 1: Once you've picked up roadside trash, you are unlikely to 130 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 1: dump any there yourself. I think even the fellow and 131 00:08:55,640 --> 00:09:01,880 Speaker 1: that red pickup is coming around our way. I'm Gabelusier 132 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:05,559 Speaker 1: and hopefully you now know a little more about history 133 00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:09,240 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. If you'd like to keep 134 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:12,559 Speaker 1: up with the show, you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, 135 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:17,440 Speaker 1: and Instagram at TDI HC Show, and if you have 136 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:20,480 Speaker 1: any comments or suggestions, you can always send them my 137 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 1: way at this day at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks to 138 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:28,640 Speaker 1: Chandler Mays for producing the show, and thank you for listening. 139 00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:32,200 Speaker 1: I'll see you back here again tomorrow for another day 140 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:33,400 Speaker 1: in History class.