Tom Russell Oral History

Back

Videotaped oral history interview with Tom Russell. A Dallas real estate developer in 1963, Russell attended the Trade Mart luncheon and put a memorial cross for President Kennedy in Dealey Plaza after the assassination. He recalls the entire city being a hotbed of radical conservative activity.Interview conducted at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on March 16, 2004 by Stephen Fagin. The interview is thirty-three minutes long.

Object Details

Object title:

Tom Russell Oral History

Date:

03/16/2004

Terms:

Dealey Plaza

Conservatives

Trade Mart luncheon

Memorials

Oral histories

Russell, Tom

Dallas

Dallas Trade Mart (OHC)

Dallas and 1960s History and Culture (OHC)

Medium:

Hi-8 videotape

Dimensions:

33 Minutes

Credit line:

Oral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

Object number:

2004.001.0013

Curatorial Note:

At the time of this oral history, Mr. Russell donated photographs of the recognizable memorial cross he placed in Dealey Plaza in memory of President Kennedy.Ironically, despite being perhaps the most ornate display in the plaza in the aftermath of the Kennedy assassination, Mr. Russell was forced to quickly remove his controversial tribute. Because Russell prominently listed the name of his development corporation on the display, the City of Dallas Parks Department considered it to be an advertisement. Russell was informed that it must be removed from the plaza or it would be confiscated and destroyed. In defiance, he kept the memorial tribute displayed in front of his home for more than one year after the assassination. - Stephen Fagin, Curator