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