Nov. 22 marks the 56th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas.
Oak Cliff plays into that history because our neighborhood was the home of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, who had a couple of apartments here with his wife, Marina, before they moved in with friends in Irving. Oswald was staying at a rooming house at 1026 N. Beckley Ave. at the time of the assassination.
Oswald also shot and killed Dallas Police officer J.D. Tippit, on Tenth Street at Patton Avenue, following the assassination. And Oswald was captured at the Texas Theatre on Jefferson Boulevard after entering the theater without buying a ticket.
The Sixth Floor Museum offers a series of four events next week to commemorate the assassination. Tickets for the Nov. 19-21 events costs $20 and include a wine reception at 6 p.m. with the program following at 7 p.m. Or buy a pass to the entire series for $56.
The Nov. 22 program starts at 11:30 a.m. and is free, but reservations are required.
Nov. 19
“The Last Days of Lee Harvey Oswald”
Ruth Paine, the friend with whom the Oswalds were staying in Irving, shares her story for the first time ever. Federal investigators searched Paine’s house and questioned her after the assassination, and she was thrust into the public spotlight, but she has never spoken publicly about it.
Nov. 20
“Toward a Psychological Understanding of Lee Oswald”
Clinical psychologist Dr. Gene Riddle shares his insights from his six years of research analyzing Oswald and how he “became a person capable of assassinating a president.”
Nov. 21
“Three Hours in Dallas” film premiere with live score
Composer Jesus Martinez wrote a score for an all-new compilation of historic motorcade film footage. A percussion ensemble from Arlington’s Sam Houston High School will perform it.
Nov. 22
“Living History with Bill Mercer”
Mercer was a KRLD reporter in 1963, and he was the first to inform Oswald he’d been charged in the assassination. He is co-author of “When the News Went Live: Dallas 1963.”
