By Matt Fulkerson/reporter
Gunshots rang out on Nov. 22, 1963, as John F. Kennedy’s motorcade traveled through Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas, killing the 35th president.
On Nov. 4, students will have the opportunity to understand these events from the perspective of a man who witnessed the carnage and confusion that erupted in Dallas.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination, the NE Campus history and philosophy department will present a discussion with Hugh Aynesworth, a former reporter with The Dallas Morning News.
Aynesworth will speak with students at 11:15 a.m. in Center Corner (NSTU 1615A).
“This event will give students the chance to hear a firsthand account of the events surrounding a local event with worldwide ramifications,” said NE history and philosophy chair James Hathcock.
As a journalist, Aynesworth witnessed the assassination in Dealey Plaza that November afternoon as well as the arrest of suspected shooter Lee Harvey Oswald and his subsequent death at the hands of Jack Ruby, Hathcock said.
Earlier this year, Aynesworth released a book based on his experiences, November 22, 1963: Witness to History.
Hathcock said he comes highly recommended from the Sixth Floor Museum, located in the former Texas School Book Depository in Dallas and dedicated to the Kennedy assassination.
The free event is open to the public.