The 21 Club

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

SOURCES: Mayor Mike Rawlings; Dallas Morning News research

Dallas news

Jim Schutze continues his spot on commentary on the dirty shenanigans as Dallas tries to make the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination "classy." Dallas' Quest to Keep the 50th Anniversary of JFK's Death "Classy" Will Fail and Fail Hard.

Meanwhile, the official newspaper of Dallas, The Dallas Morning News reports that Mayor Rawlings has named a 21 member committee.

Also, more than 11,000 of Dallas' JFK related documents to get "serious" digital upgrade in time for 50th anniversary.   

Kudos to the members of the Education Forum

I want to thank the members of the Education Forum for fighting the good fight, standing up for professional methodologies, and higher standards in JFK assassination research against the insane ramblings of two complete idiots, James Fetzer, and "Dr. Ralph Cinque.

An unsourced Youtube.com clip, entitled "Did Oswald get picked up?" from an unknown documentary, showing at one time three films on screen at once, but generally two, one showing a section of, but not the complete Charles Buck film of Oswald being brought into Captain Will Fritz's office past a seated Billy Lovelady with an inserted screen showing Roger Craig from Mark Lane's documentary "Two Men in Dallas" was contrasted against an unsourced single frame from the very same Charles Buck film that Cinque got from somewhere that Cinque insisted was not really a single frame from the Charles Buck film, but a single photograph, that was faked, all of the people were actors, there was a "DeNiro" - like Lovelady impostor, who was even referred to at one point as a midget.

All of this could have been avoided if "Dr." Cinque could understand the "TOP SECRET" photographic technique, as explained by Craig Lamson, known as an EDIT.   You see, producers of the documentary, still unknown, who produced the film, a part of which was uploaded to Youtube.com, who knows if that was legally done or not, as well as any documentary producer or filmmaker are free to edit films of actual events any way they want to to tell the story they wish.  There may be some limitations imposed by the copyright holder of a film that a documentarian may wish to edit, but that's usually settled between them.  To see an edit, and then a single frame from the part of the film edited out and make wild accusations, ignore all efforts to explain the basic fault in the premise, and to exhibit the endless name calling, was a very sad state of affairs that mature, proactive, responsible MODERATORS could have stopped before we got to over 1, 200 posts.

So, yes, I think our long international nightmare is over and "Dr." Cinque is banished from yet another JFK forum.  (That's 3 for 3 as far as I know.)

Special praise goes to Michael Hogan for posting a 10 page FBI report on Lovelady, RIF 124-10220-10183, which details Lovelady was involved in the possible theft, certainly the selling of three .38 caliber Smith & Wesson revolvers obtained from the OSI at Andrews Air Force Base in Sept of 1960 while he worked there as an MP assigned to the 1001st base supply squadron at Andrews.  Lovelady and two other men sold the weapons to an undercover police officer from North Beach, Maryland.  Lovelady was arrested on Sept 26, 1960, waived a hearing, and was released on $1,000 bond.  On April 11, 1961 Lovelady was fined $200 and agreed to pay $25 a month.

By Dec 7, 1962 Lovelady had paid $125. His last payment toward the $200 fine was made over a year ago,  and had not paid the remainder.  Lovelady had fled to parts unknown.  So, an arrest warrant was put out for him. On Jan 7, 1963 Dallas Deputy Sherrif Albright was shown the FBI file on Lovelady.

On Jan 7, 1963 Lovelady was arrested in Dallas by FBI special agents Ivan D Lee and Curtis Holt at the TSBD and was taken to the Dallas County jail.  Deputy U.S. Marshall John Lowe was notified and subject was taken before U.S. Commissioner William Hill.

Subject indicated his employer O.V. Campbell, Vice President of the TSBD  would advance Lovelady the $75 to pay the remaining balance of his fine if the charges would be dropped.

Lovelady was released on another $1,000 personal recognizance bond.  And was to appear before Hill again on Jan 9, 1963.

Basically, the judge in Baltimore said once the $75 is paid the charge would be dismissed.

Then there is a brief FBI report dated Jan 11, 1963.  Lovelady said he has had bad financial times since April of 1961, and has been working for the TSBD for several months.  He has a wife and four kids.

So, from December of 1961 to January of 1963 Billy Nolan Lovelady's whereabout are unknown,  missing time that the FBI doesn't seem the least bit curious about.

I thank Robin Unger for putting up a gif from the Charles Buck film that clearly showed Cinque's ramblings were false.

Craig Lamson showed angelic patience in trying to explain basic photographic terms, the aforementioned EDIT, as well as ASPECT RATIO, but particularly for demonstrating that a white blob was in fact an elbow.

Thanks go to Greg Burnham, Lee Farley, David Josephs, Robert Charles-Dunne, Josiah Thompson, Len Colby, David Lifton, Karl Kinaski, and others.

Thank you.  

Happy Birthday JFK

That you would be 95 today is as impossible to conceive of as the 49 years it has been since you were taken from us.  

To the Moderators of the Education Forum

You so called Moderators truly disgust me.  You have a forum where a vile idiot, Ralph Cinque, can make hundreds of posts full of the most ignorant garbage that shows he knows nothing about this case or photography and you allow him to present himself as some kind of victim.  In response to a criticism of Robert Morrow, you have allowed Cinque to state, "I presumed that you were criticizing him because of his positions and that it wasn't anything personal. He didn't give your sister VD, did he?"

You moderators better wake the hell up and practice what you breach.  You're so eager to edit a curse word, but you allow Cinque to say this? This is in post #380, there are over one thousand posts now in this thread.  You've moved, removed, edited, deleted, renumbered, and made invisible several posts. You've even created a new thread for the posts you've removed, but this one stays intact?  This one isn't offensive because the word fucking doesn't actually appear, it is only implied, or in the subtext? Does it actually have to appear, spelled out for you to take notice?  WAKE UP!

This post was made on May 17th.

It's in Post #380 in the thread - 

(On Topic Only!) Ralph Cinque on Lovelady and Oswald in the Doorway

Dunne, I realize that this blog is not about LBJ, and I am not trying to change the subject. I only brought it up because you, without explanation, you trashed Robert Morrow. Well, who is Robert Morrow? Robert Morrow is the guy who mainly focuses on the LBJ connection. I presumed that you were criticizing him because of his positions and that it wasn't anything personal. He didn't give your sister VD, did he?   [Emphasis added to help the Moderators see the offensive line.] So, I presumed that you must have a problem with his indictment of LBJ. Now, if that's wrong, then you reveal why you made that horrible statement about him. The man isn't even on here to defend himself. So, I am defending him.