"His Last 24 Hours" Commemorative Record Album, 1963
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"His Last 24 Hours" Commemorative Record Album, 1963
"His Last 24 Hours" commemorative record album produced by the Texas Democratic Executive Committee shortly after the assassination. Approximately 4,000 albums were produced and mailed as part of a memorial package to individuals who had purchased tickets to the "Texas Welcome" political fundraising dinner at the Municipal Auditorium in Austin. The dinner, scheduled for the evening of November 22, 1963, was canceled following the assassination. The album includes audio recordings of President Kennedy's speeches in San Antonio, Houston and Fort Worth on November 21-22 as well as his 1961 inaugural address, with narration by Texas broadcaster David Naugle.
"His Last 24 Hours" Commemorative Record Album, 1963
1963
Cardboard; Vinyl
12 3/8 × 12 3/8 × 1/8 in. (31.4 × 31.4 × 0.3 cm)
Andrew McCalla Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
2019.052.0002
Object featured in special exhibition, Two Days in Texas, November 8, 2023 through September 28, 2024.
This album was narrated by David K. Naugle (1923-2002), a longtime Texas radio broadcaster who, as an intern at KFJZ 1270-AM, was the first to announce the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. After serving as a radioman in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Naugle worked for a number of radio stations in Texas, including WRR and WFAA Radio in Dallas and KTBC Radio, a station owned by Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson in Austin. He also had a career in television as news director of Dallas/Fort Worth independent station KTVT-TV. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
Over the years, publications and news stories have cited differing numbers of ticketholders for the "Texas Welcome" fundraising dinner in Austin scheduled for the evening of November 22, 1963. Several stories widely circulated at the 50th anniversary in 2013 indicated that approximately 2,500 people were expected at the gala event, though the actual number was significantly higher. Publications that cite 2,500 likely misinterpreted a statement made by Governor Connally prior to the trip to Texas in which he told a reporter that while the original goal was 2,500 attendees, Texas Democrats had "far exceeded" that number. According to documentation at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, as of the morning of November 21, 1963, approximately 3,600 tickets (at $100 each) had been sold with an estimate that the number would rise to at least 3,800 by that night. Tickets would have been sold until news of the assassination prompted the immediate cancelation of the dinner the following afternoon. So, rather than 2,500 ticketholders, the "Texas Welcome" dinner was actually anticipated by closer to 4,000 individuals. Adjusted for inflation, a $100 ticket to the "Texas Welcome" dinner would in 2023 be $1,005. After the assassination, in memory of President Kennedy and in lieu of the canceled event, all ticketholders received a commemorative package by mail. In addition to the record album "His Last 24 Hours," the package included a commemorative program for the scheduled dinner, printed copies of President Kennedy's prepared remarks intended for Dallas and Austin and a note acknowledging the ticketholder's contribution to the Democratic Party. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
"His Last 24 Hours" Commemorative Record Album, 1963
"His Last 24 Hours" commemorative record album produced by the Texas Democratic Executive Committee shortly after the assassination. Approximately 4,000 albums were produced and mailed as part of a memorial package to individuals who had purchased tickets to the "Texas Welcome" political fundraising dinner at the Municipal Auditorium in Austin. The dinner, scheduled for the evening of November 22, 1963, was canceled following the assassination. The album includes audio recordings of President Kennedy's speeches in San Antonio, Houston and Fort Worth on November 21-22 as well as his 1961 inaugural address, with narration by Texas broadcaster David Naugle.
"His Last 24 Hours" Commemorative Record Album, 1963
1963
Album
Speeches
Inaugural address
Trip to Texas
Kennedy, John F.
Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce
San Antonio
Houston
Fort Worth
Washington, D.C.
Cardboard; Vinyl
12 3/8 × 12 3/8 × 1/8 in. (31.4 × 31.4 × 0.3 cm)
Andrew McCalla Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
2019.052.0002
Object featured in special exhibition, Two Days in Texas, November 8, 2023 through September 28, 2024.
This album was narrated by David K. Naugle (1923-2002), a longtime Texas radio broadcaster who, as an intern at KFJZ 1270-AM, was the first to announce the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. After serving as a radioman in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Naugle worked for a number of radio stations in Texas, including WRR and WFAA Radio in Dallas and KTBC Radio, a station owned by Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson in Austin. He also had a career in television as news director of Dallas/Fort Worth independent station KTVT-TV. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
Over the years, publications and news stories have cited differing numbers of ticketholders for the "Texas Welcome" fundraising dinner in Austin scheduled for the evening of November 22, 1963. Several stories widely circulated at the 50th anniversary in 2013 indicated that approximately 2,500 people were expected at the gala event, though the actual number was significantly higher. Publications that cite 2,500 likely misinterpreted a statement made by Governor Connally prior to the trip to Texas in which he told a reporter that while the original goal was 2,500 attendees, Texas Democrats had "far exceeded" that number. According to documentation at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, as of the morning of November 21, 1963, approximately 3,600 tickets (at $100 each) had been sold with an estimate that the number would rise to at least 3,800 by that night. Tickets would have been sold until news of the assassination prompted the immediate cancelation of the dinner the following afternoon. So, rather than 2,500 ticketholders, the "Texas Welcome" dinner was actually anticipated by closer to 4,000 individuals. Adjusted for inflation, a $100 ticket to the "Texas Welcome" dinner would in 2023 be $1,005. After the assassination, in memory of President Kennedy and in lieu of the canceled event, all ticketholders received a commemorative package by mail. In addition to the record album "His Last 24 Hours," the package included a commemorative program for the scheduled dinner, printed copies of President Kennedy's prepared remarks intended for Dallas and Austin and a note acknowledging the ticketholder's contribution to the Democratic Party. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
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