Mayor Rawlings names committee to plan commemoration of JFK tragedy in Dallas

Rawlings names committee to plan commemoration of JFK tragedy in Dallas
SCOTT K. PARKS The Dallas Morning News Staff Writer
30 May 2012 10:34 PM
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/dallas/headlines/20120530-rawlings-names-committee-to-plan-commemoration-of-jfk-tragedy-in-dallas.ece?action=reregister

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

COMMENT:
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 Midlothian, Texas began the tradition of an annual Moment of Silence on the Grassy Knoll in 1964 and COPA has continued it since the time of his death with permits from the City of Dallas. We are not “theorists” or “nuts”. Our events have been solemn reminders of the assassination of President Kennedy and our speakers have enlightened the growing numbers of visitors to the Grassy Knoll each year about why Kennedy was killed and the evidence that more than one gunman had to have been involved. We intend to hold our Moment of Silence this year and on the 50th anniversary, at 12:30 pm on November 22.

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 America.