Modern Dallas coming to grips with Kennedy assassination (Barf Alert)

Los Angeles Times ^ | 11/22/2011 | Molly Hennessy-Fiske

[Lattero]

Those organizing the 50th anniversary event — many of whom, like Longford, are not from Dallas or were born after 1963 — say they are not capitalizing on memories of Camelot. They want to show the world how far "Big D," the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country, has come from its days as a conservative outpost of big-haired socialites, oil tycoons and cowboys.

"People arrive and expect to see people walking down the street in cowboy hats," said Phillip Jones, head of the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Instead, they find a city with the sixth-largest gay and lesbian population in the country, where 40% of the population is Hispanic and more than 20% is African American."

[...]

Darwin Payne, then a reporter with the Dallas Times Herald, had run to Dealey Plaza to interview a teary Abraham Zapruder, who filmed his iconic footage of the assassination while standing at one of the pergolas, a spot that came to be known as Zapruder's Perch. Payne said many Dallasites felt guilty because they had ignored or condoned other conflicts leading up to the assassination, including an attack by conservative activists on U.N. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson.

"We were defensive at first. Then the realization came — we let the extreme right wing go on too long. We let them do too much," said Payne, author of "Big D: Triumphs and Troubles of an American Supercity in the 20th Century."

But in time, Payne said, "the attitude became, 'We have to be tolerant of other viewpoints and not allow extremists to run rampant.' "

[Mila]

"Did you shoot the President?" "Uh, No, nobody has told me that, nobody has charged me with that."

In 1963 I was thirteen and the assassination made a huge impression on me. My mother got me a LP called A Time To Keep 1963 which is a basically a compilation of various audio recorded during special happenings during the year 1963. Of course the assassination figures prominently on it. It was made by NBC and narrated by Chet Huntley and David Brinkley. I still have it and I took it out to play today because the Oswald quote as you posted it, wasn't as I remembered hearing it. The following are Oswald's words in his own voice as heard on the RCA record.

Reporter-"Did you shoot the President?"

Oswald-"I didn't shoot anybody sir. I haven't been told what I'm here for"

Reporter (possibly a different one)- "Do you have a lawyer?"

Oswald- "No sir, I don't

[South40]

I agree. The memorial seemed a bit lacking given the weight of the incident and the principles involved. But put into context it was a dark hour for Dallas and all of the state of Texas. A black eye, if you will. Prior to Kennedy's visit a sitting president hadn't visited Dallas since, I believe, the 1930s. Kennedy breaks that streak and gets brutally murdered for his troubles. I believe the people of Dallas and Texas in general didn't want the incident to be what Dallas is best known for. Unfortunately, it is.

My wife and I are both old enough to remember the incident very well. And while we did other things while visiting Dallas, we went there because we wanted to visit Dealey Plaza. It was incredibly informative and I recommend it to anyone who has an interest in that dark day in American history.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Yes but he made several statements to the press in the hallway, and that is one I recalled...

[Mila]

"Yes but he made several statements to the press in the hallway, and that is one I recalled..."

Oh, I understand what you are saying. I wondered if that might be it. Thanks for the clarification :)