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Living History with John Sparks and William Cravens
May 31, 2024 | 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Join Museum Curator Stephen Fagin for a special Living History program featuring special guests John Sparks and William Craven. As members of the Eastern Hills High School Band, Sparks played trumpet and Cravens played trombone at the presidential breakfast at the Hotel Texas in Fort Worth on November 22, 1963. Both instruments are currently on display in the special exhibition, Two Days in Texas. Mr. Cravens late father also attended the breakfast as a member of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. Nearly sixty years later, Cravens donated his trombone to The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. In a collection that currently totals nearly 95,000 objects, William Craven’s trombone is – as of January 2023 – our only musical instrument. Mr. Sparks, who spent four decades as a television broadcast producer and journalist for WFAA, saved original WFAA-TV/Channel 8 films and videotapes of Kennedy assassination news coverage from being destroyed in the early 1980s. Included with Museum admission.
John Sparks recorded an Oral History for the Museum on October 6, 2006, view it here, and William Cravens recorded one on January 10, 2023, view it here. Both live in our online collections database.
Be sure to visit the seventh floor of the Museum, where the special exhibition Two Days in Texas is on display. Experience the story of President John F. Kennedy’s two-day trip through Texas with rarely seen objects and eyewitness interviews from each city the president visited, including Houston, San Antonio, Fort Worth and Dallas. Each Friday during the exhibitions run, Museum staff host a special gallery talk at 1:00 p.m., offering an in-depth look beyond the exhibition. On the last Friday of each month, the Museum welcomes individuals with a direct connection to Two Days in Texas for a Living History program with Curator Stephen Fagin.
You can view past Living History programs related to the special exhibition on the Museum’s YouTube Channel.
Can’t make it in May? Mark your calendars for next month: Friday, June 28 | Living History with San Antonio student journalist Dr. Lee Alvoid