PHOTOS: LBJ saved this Chinese American family in Dallas from deportation

[12/12] A photo of the Teng family on Christmas.(Courtesy of the Teng family / Courtesy of the Teng family)

[1/12] Catherine and Dr. Hsi Ching “H.C.” and Catherine Teng came to the U.S. as students and arrived in Dallas in 1948. He had a residency at St. Paul Hospital; she planned to study at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, son Jay Teng said(Courtesy of the Teng family / Courtesy of the Teng family)

[2/12] Brothers Ray and Jay Teng look through documents, including letters from then-Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson, from the National Archives handed to them by the Dallas Morning News at the Mozart Bakery in Carrollton. Brothers Ray and Jay Teng, long time North Texas residents, say their parents were almost deported in the 1950s because of McCarthyism. (Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer)

[3/12] Sen. Joseph McCarthy shakes hands with Dallas police Officer H.J. Webb on Commerce Street in Dallas on Feb. 11, 1954, while in town for a fundraiser. The Republican senator from Wisconsin gained infamy starting in 1950 with his allegations that hundreds of Communists had infiltrated the State Department and other federal agencies.(The Associated Press / File Photo)

[4/12] Ray Teng looks at a letter, handed to him by the Dallas Morning News, from then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson addressing his parents immigration case at the Mozart Bakery in Carrollton on Friday, June 21, 2024. Brothers Ray and Jay Teng, long time North Texas residents, say their parents were almost deported in the 1950s because of McCarthyism. Then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson wrote a letter to US immigration services about allowing the Teng's to stay in the country. (Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer)

[5/12] Lyndon B Johnson, shown on Aug. 10, 1964, wrote a letter to the immigration and naturalization service to help Dr. Hsi Ching “H.C.” and Catherine Teng stay in the U.S. They had been ordered to return to the recently-formed People’s Republic of China. Anti-communism was turning to the Red Scare at the time.(The Associated Press / File Photo)

[6/12] Brothers Ray and Jay Teng, long time North Texas residents, say their parents were almost deported in the 1950s because of McCarthyism. Then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson wrote a letter to US immigration services about allowing the Teng's to stay in the country. (Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer)

[7/12] The Rev. W.A. Criswell, shown in 1984 outside First Baptist Dallas church where he was the pastor, became friends with the Tengs. The young couple became heavily involved with the church. When ordered out out of the country, they reached out to him. He wrote to LBJ. Criswell, a national evangelical leader, was pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas for nearly 50 years and served two terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. He died in 2002 at age 92.(The Associated Press / File Photo)

[8/12] The Rev. Luther Holcomb was one of the influential Dallasites who lobbied for Dr. Hsi Ching “H.C.” and Catherine Teng to be allowed to stay in the U.S. In 1963, he would be a member of the official greeting party to welcome President John F. Kennedy to Dallas. President Lyndon B. Johnson would later appoint him to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.(DMN file / digital file)

[9/12] Jay Teng looks at a letter of reference for a visa extension written by Dr. F.W. Veninga from the National Archives. Veninga, medical director at St. Paul Hospital, said H.C. Teng's service there was “exemplary.” “Dr. Teng feels that on his return to China after training and association with Americans he will probably be placed in a prison camp for reorientation,” the letter read. (Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer)

[10/12] Janet Teng (from left) and husband Ray Teng pose with Jay Teng and wife Lily Teng after the brothers were handed documents, including letters from Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson, from the National Archives. Johnson wrote a letter to U.S. immigration services about allowing the Teng's to stay in the country. (Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer)

[11/12] Jay Teng said his parents gave back to the community that embraced them. The couple would help form the Chinese Christian Fellowship of Dallas, which would later grow and expand into the First Chinese Baptist Church of Dallas. Catherine in 2004 and H.C. in 2012. (Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer)

[12/12] A photo of the Teng family on Christmas.(Courtesy of the Teng family / Courtesy of the Teng family)