l. alex wilson's decision not to run in defiance of the mob was rooted in an incident from his boyhood in florida. >> as a kid l. alex wilson had seen the klan come to town and he ran and he hated himself for having done that and he said he would never run again. he's 49 years old. he's got nerve damage from what happened in little rock that day. three years later in 1960, age 51, he is dead. >> good evening, my fellow citizens. for a few minutes this evening i should like to speak to you about the serious situation that has arisen in little rock. mob rule cannot be allowed to override the decisions of our courts. >> reporter: within hours of eisenhower's announcement as the american public watched in shock and disbelief, a thousand federal troops marched into little rock and the arkansas national guard was federalized. it was a huge television event the president speaking on tv, ordering federal troops into an american city, so some black kids to go to school. >> the fact that he used a thousand paratroopers to provide protection made a hell of a statement, especially in the black commun