UT-Arlington Remembers Kennedy Visit in Photos

November 22, 1963 became one of the darkest days in American history—and in Texas—when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated during his visit to Dallas. This November, the tragedy’s 50th anniversary, Americans will have opportunities to pay tribute to JFK and revisit the era with a number of national and statewide events.

The University of Texas at Arlington’s Special Collections will contribute to the occasion with Howdy, Mr. President! A Fort Worth Perspective of JFK. The free exhibit comprises rarely seen photographs from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram photographic collection at UTA documenting JFK’s arrival in Fort Worth during his reelection campaign, as well as the local aftermath of his death.

Just an hour before the shooting in Dallas, the president noted to his assistant that “… everything in Texas is going to be fine for us.” Despite the circulation of anti-Kennedy political flyers the night before his arrival, the Dallas crowd that received Kennedy was a warm one, as had earlier crowds in Houston and San Antonio.

The exhibit opened September 9 and will be on display until February 8, 2014. Selected photos from the collection can be seen here.

For more still on Kennedy’s Texas visit, keep an eye out for Dallas 1963, by Observer contributor Bill Minutaglio and Steven L. Davis, publishing Oct. 8.