Wes Wise Oral History

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Videotaped oral history interview with Wes Wise. Mayor of Dallas from 1971 to 1976, Wise was a broadcaster at Dallas CBS affiliate KRLD-TV and president of the Dallas Press Club in 1963. He spoke with Jack Ruby in Dealey Plaza the day after the Kennedy assassination. As a result, he testified at the 1964 Jack Ruby trial, which he also covered as a journalist. Previously, in October 1963, Wise captured on film the accosting of U.N. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson in Dallas. From 1992 to 1997, Wise was a consultant and interviewer for the Museum's Oral History Project.Interview conducted at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on September 22, 2005 by Stephen Fagin. The interview is one hour and thirty-eight minutes long.

Object Details

Object title:

Wes Wise Oral History

Date:

09/22/2005

Medium:

Hi-8 videotape

Dimensions:

Duration: 98 Minutes

Credit line:

Oral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

Object number:

2005.001.0025

Curatorial Note:

Wes Wise passed away on December 9, 2022. As discussed during this oral history, Wise was an early supporter of The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza and, as mayor of Dallas, had helped save the former Texas School Book Depository building from demolition in the 1970s. From 1992 to 1997, he was a consultant and interviewer for the Museum's newly-launched Oral History Project; in that capacity, he conducted video interviews with a number of notable community leaders including J. Erik Jonsson (who preceded Wise as mayor of Dallas), Stanley Marcus, John Stemmons and Tom Landry. I first met Wes Wise a few years into my employment at The Sixth Floor Museum. By that time, I had heard his voice on dozens of oral histories, and I was really in awe of him. He proved to be a valued friend for nearly twenty years, recording this interview with me in 2005 (following a 1993 oral history recorded by Bob Porter) and then returning to the Museum for a number of public programs. I even had the great pleasure of being interviewed alongside Wes for a half-hour program that aired in 2013 on the Dallas PBS station, KERA. Our full conversation may be viewed here: JFK: The Dallas Perspective and The Sixth Floor Museum - YouTube. I will always regret that Wes and I never had an opportunity work side by side as interviewers in the recording of an oral history. Wes had expressed interest in working with me to record an interview with art collector and civic leader Raymond D. Nasher, but unfortunately, Mr. Nasher passed away in March 2007 before we could schedule the oral history. - Stephen Fagin, Curator

In addition to this 2005 oral history, Wes Wise took part in several other interviews and public programs that were recorded as part of the Museum's ongoing Oral History Project. His 1993 oral history may be viewed here: https://emuseum.jfk.org/objects/4681. A conversation with Wise from the 2015 Legacies Dallas History Conference may be found on the Museum's YouTube channel: Legacies 2015: A Conversation with Wes Wise - YouTube. In 2004, Wise co-authored the book, When the News Went Live, with three of his former KRLD-TV colleagues: Bob Huffaker, Bill Mercer and George Phenix. The four men visited the Museum on several occasions for panel discussions and book signings, including programs in 2007 (https://emuseum.jfk.org/objects/26384), 2008 (When The News Went Live: Author Panel Discussion (2008) - YouTube) and 2013 (When The News Went Live: Author Panel Discussion (2013) - YouTube). - Stephen Fagin, Curator

A courtroom sketch of Wes Wise testifying at the 1964 Jack Ruby trial, drawn by his colleague, KRLD-TV art director Charles Fisher, may be found here in the Museum's online collections database: https://emuseum.jfk.org/objects/16992. Wes Wise's testimony may be read in volume one of the State of Texas vs. Jack Ruby trial transcript: https://emuseum.jfk.org/objects/5499. - Stephen Fagin, Curator