Dallas City Memorial to JFK, around the corner from Dealey Plaza
By SCOTT K. PARKS
By SCOTT K. PARKS
Staff Writer
Published: 30
May 2012 10:34 PM
A high-powered committee of Dallas
philanthropists and community leaders has begun the sensitive job of planning
events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s
assassination.
Ruth Sharp Altshuler will serve as chairwoman of the
committee, which was formed by Mayor Mike Rawlings. The 21-member group held
its first meeting at Dallas City
Hall on Tuesday.
“We started by introducing ourselves, and many members
shared where they were on Nov. 22,
1963 , and what it meant to them,” Rawlings said. “There were
several moments when there were a lot of tears in the room.”
The committee’s formation means that Rawlings and longtime Dallas
civic leaders have rejected the idea of letting the 50th anniversary come and
go without official recognition or sanctioned events.
Previous anniversaries have been informal and low key.
Tourists gathered at Dealey Plaza ,
scene of the assassination, usually to observe a moment of silence at 12:30 p.m. , the time that shots rang out on Nov. 22, 1963 , and forever changed Dallas
and American history. News organizations have observed the anniversaries with
stories, and the Sixth Floor
Museum has unveiled exhibits during
some key anniversaries.
In the immediate aftermath of the assassination, much of the
world appeared to be looking for a scapegoat. Civic leaders believed the city
of Dallas was miscast in the role
of villain, considering the fact that Lee Harvey Oswald, the presumed gunman,
was from Fort Worth and had lived
in Dallas only a short while.
So city leaders historically avoided planning any events
around the anniversaries because of the lingering stain on the city.
The committee’s formation indicates that the 50th
anniversary, still 18 months away, will be different. Finally, enough distance
between the past and present exists that Dallas
leaders have become comfortable enough to emerge into the clear light of
history.
“This is a part of our history and it will never go away,”
said Lindalyn Adams, a committee member and historic preservation advocate who
worked to create the Sixth Floor
Museum during the 1980s.
Committee members contacted Wednesday by The Dallas
Morning News declined to comment on their first meeting. Instead, they
agreed to let Rawlings be their spokesman. He said they talked about two
things: the objective of the 50th-anniversary commemoration and how to craft
the overall tone.
“The objective is to send the simple message to all that are
outside the city, throughout the world, that the citizens of Dallas
honor the life and legacy of JFK,” Rawlings said. “Tone is very important:
serious, respectful, understated. We want it to be very classy.”
A central question is what role Dealey
Plaza will play in the
commemoration.
The Sixth Floor
Museum , which explores JFK’s life
and death, has obtained a special activity permit from the city of Dallas
that appears to give it control of Dealey
Plaza from Monday, Nov. 18, to
Sunday, Nov. 24.
JFK assassination researchers — critics call them conspiracy
theorists — typically gather at Dealey
Plaza to spin their version of
events to tourists on anniversaries, and they fear that the museum might use
its permit to bar them from the site.
“We feel it’s an important location in the city and we want
to make sure it reflects the epitome of respect and solemnity on that day,”
Rawlings said. “There will probably be something that happens there on that
day, but that is as far as we’ve gotten.”
The committee’s composition suggests that Nov. 22, 2013 , will be packed with
multi-ethnic events, spiritual observances and artistic presentations.
Tourist and convention bureau strategists work hard to
attract visitors to Dallas
year-round, attempting to fill hotel rooms and restaurants. But Rawlings said
the city will not attempt to promote the commemoration.
“We want to ensure there is zero commercialization of this
event,” he said.
AT A GLANCE: The committee
The committee appointed to plan the 50th-anniversary
commemoration of the JFK assassination:
Ruth Sharp Altshuler, philanthropist, committee chairwoman
Mayor Mike Rawlings, committee spokesman
Cappy McGarr, businessman and board member of the Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts
Lew Blackburn, president of the Dallas ISD board of trustees
Blaine Nelson, chairman of the board of the Dallas Symphony
Orchestra
Zan Holmes, pastor emeritus of St. Luke Community United
Methodist Church
Kevin Farrell, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas
Ken Menges, attorney and Sixth
Floor Museum
board chairman
Deedie Rose, philanthropist
Erle Nye, retired utility executive and civic leader
Anita Martinez, arts patron and former City Council member
Margot Perot, philanthropist and wife of businessman Ross
Perot
Linda Custard, philanthropist and women’s health advocate
Bobby Lyle, businessman and philanthropist
Lindalyn Adams, civic leader and historic preservation
advocate
Terdema Ussery, president of the Dallas Mavericks
Caren Prothro, civic leader and philanthropist
Linda McFarland, civic leader and philanthropist
Jeanne Phillips, former U.S.
ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development;
spokeswoman for businessman Ray Hunt
Rick Ortiz, president of the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber
of Commerce
Adelfa Callejo, attorney and Hispanic civil rights activist
The Coalition on Political Assassinations is a national
network of serious researchers into the JFK assassination Our first president
was Dr. Cyril H. Wecht, JD MD, who now directs the Cyril H Wecht Institute on
Forensic Science and Law at Duquesne University. Other leading ballistics,
forensic, medical experts, academics and former official investigators, authors
and independent researchers present the best new evidence from scientific
analysis, historical perspectives, and newly released documents. We were
responsible for the passage and implementation of the JFK Assassination Records
Act, which declassified a record 6.5 million pages that rewrote the history of
the Bay of Pigs , the Cuban missile crisis, the Kennedy
administration and the assassination itself. The new files verified the
research and legal assertions of New Orleans D. A. Jim
Garrison depicted in Oliver Stone's movie JFK. A local Dallas
representative of our organization should be appointed to this committee
planning the events.
Early critic and newspaper editor Penn Jones, Jr. from
We celebrate the life of President Kennedy, but we believe his actions led to his assassination by forces well beyond any lone killer. You cannot talk about his life without talking about his death and his as yet unsolved murder. To refuse to investigate until the truth is known is disrespectful to the memory of his life and his legacy as one of the greatest Presidents in our history. We continue to call for full release of the remaining classified documents that have been postponed or concealed to this day regarding his assassination. We invite you to visit our website at www.politicalassassinations.com and to join us on the Grassy Knoll on the 50th anniversary to make a call for truth and for a restoration of hope and democracy in
Reply · 3 · Like · Follow
Post · June 1, 2012 at 12:11am
My name is Dom Shenher and I am a member of Scholars for
9/11 Truth and Justice. I would like to ask you a question about one of your
appearances on YouTube in which you commented about civilian casualties in four
wars, and also some other statistics that you mentioned. If you have the time
could you field a question or two? I would really appreciate it.
Reply · Like · June 9, 2012 at 8:51am
PS I sent you a friend request too.
Reply · Like · June 9, 2012 at 9:03am
The statistics on civilian casualties for modern wars are
WW1 4%, WWII 25%, Korea
56%, Vietnam
forward 94-96%, so that modern war is objectively genocide. There was a PBS
series a few years ago called War which cited some of them. I can be contacted
at copa at starpower.net
Reply · Like · June 28, 2012 at 12:18am
Commemorating a tragic incident that plagued Dallas '
reputation for decades. What? A Comicon type convention so all the conspiracy
nut jobs can put up tents and sell merch. Yeah. Nothing fits the murder of an
orthodox Catholic better than a street circus using it to make money because
it's the 50th anniversary of his assassination. Rock on Dallas
politicians making money off anything, regardless.
Reply · 3 · Like · Follow
Post · May 31, 2012 at 12:43am
melaniestephen8799 (signed in using yahoo)
like Ray responded I didnt know that people able to profit
$9821 in one month on the internet. did you look at this web link
StrongRich.comONLY
Reply · Like · May 31, 2012 at 8:24am
Great! I am glad the Dallas Morning News is now using
Facebook Comments.
Reply · Like · Follow Post · July 30, 2012 at 9:41pm
A committee? Goodness. How about street vendors, a parade,
and a JFK look-alike contest? I see "three ring circus". Let the poor
man rest in peace.
Reply · 1 · Like · Follow
Post · May 31, 2012 at 12:29pm
and the 'classy' part begins at what point?
Reply · 1 · Like · Follow
Post · May 31, 2012 at 12:00pm
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