Nine People Whose Lives Were Shaped by JFK’s Assassination
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3 min readFor a few people, Kennedy’s assassination was more than a story to tell — it profoundly impacted their lives.
The assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963 was one of our nation’s most tragic moments. It also became a cultural touchstone that’s endured for decades. Those who were alive on that day can almost invariably remember the details of where they were and what they were doing when they heard the president had been shot. They tell the story when the subject comes up — maybe sharing memories with others old enough to remember the day, maybe passing it along to younger generations.
For a few people, Kennedy’s assassination was more than a story to tell — it profoundly impacted their lives. These were the people who had bigger roles to play on the day of the president’s death and the days that followed. Some were in Kennedy’s motorcade; others were at the hospital to which he was rushed in an attempt to save his life; others were a part of his funeral service.
Robert McClelland was a surgeon working at Parkland Memorial Hospital when Kennedy was shot. He was part of the surgical team that tried to save the president. And Jim Leavelle was a Dallas Police Department homicide detective who was escorting Kennedy’s assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, when Oswald was fatally shot by Jack Ruby.
There are other recently deceased people who played a part in those days who didn’t make headlines, but they did tell their stories often enough that those stories were included in their obituaries. Here are a few of them.
Bill Flynn: "In 1948, Bill joined the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in Corsicana. He quickly advanced to management and was transferred to Dallas in 1952. In Dallas he rose to the rank of District Marketing and Accounts Manager. While working for the telephone company, Bill was often assigned to help coordinate communications for visiting officials. One of his assignments was to drive a car in the motorcade when President Kennedy visited Dallas in 1963. When the president was shot, Bill drove his passengers to the hospital and later drove the car onto the runway so they could board Air Force One." Read more
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