Oswald Has Been Shot!” Memories from November 24, 1963
Panel Discussion on November 20, 2012, Will Bring Together for the First Time Five Individuals Who Witnessed or Reported Shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald.
Two days after President John F. Kennedy was gunned down in downtown Dallas, newsmen and police officers lined the walls in the basement of Dallas Police Headquarters to watch what was supposed to be a routine prisoner transfer of suspect Lee Harvey Oswald from the city jail to the Dallas County Jail. It turned out to be anything but routine. Almost 50 years later, The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza will bring together five individuals who witnessed or played a significant role in reporting the shooting of Oswald. “Oswald Has Been Shot!” Memories from November 24, 1963 will be presented at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 10, 2012, at The Sixth Floor Museum. Tickets are $23 (including Museum admission) or $15 (program only).
The panel, presented in conjunction with the 49th anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination, gathers for the first time a collection of law enforcement officials, photographers and reporters who were at or near Dallas Police Headquarters when Oswald was shot by nightclub owner Jack Ruby:
Gary DeLaune – The police reporter for radio station KLIF in Dallas, DeLaune was an eyewitness to the Oswald shooting and shared his firsthand point of view with radio listeners;
Bob Huffaker – A radio and television news reporter for CBS affiliate KRLD, Huffaker was a close eyewitness to the shooting and provided commentary for taped coverage of the event;
Bob Jackson – A photographer with the Dallas Times Herald in 1963, Jackson won the 1964 Pulitzer Prize in News Photography for his iconic image of Ruby shooting Oswald;
James Leavelle – Handcuffed to Lee Harvey Oswald at the time of the shooting, Detective Leavelle helped wrestle the gun from Ruby’s hand;
Fred Rheinstein – A producer/director for NBC News in 1963, Rheinstein was in Dealey Plaza coordinating the network’s live coverage of the transfer of Oswald.
Gloria Campos, news anchor at WFAA-TV, will moderate the panel. Campos credits the coverage of President Kennedy’s assassination as her first inspiration to pursue a career as a television news reporter.
The shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby—the first of its kind broadcast live on American television—sent shockwaves of anger and confusion directly into the homes of Americans still grieving over the loss of their president less than 48 hours earlier. It also ensured that lingering questions would always remain about Oswald’s motivations and the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963.
Seating for “Oswald Has Been Shot!” Memories from November 24, 1963 is limited and advanced tickets are advised. Tickets may be purchased online at jfk.org. For more information, call 214.747.6660 ext. 5520 or email [email protected].