Image of crowds and flowers in Dealey Plaza

J. Waymon Rose (1922-2020) was selected as Juror No. 10 in the 1964 Jack Ruby trial. In 2002, Waymon and his wife, Ann, donated a remarkable collection of trial-related materials, including their personal diaries, three oversized scrapbooks, more than 150 letters and newspaper clippings and several amateur photographs such as this one.

When Waymon Rose passed away in 2020 at the age of 98, the Museum lost a treasured friend. In addition to two oral history interviews, Waymon joined us to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Jack Ruby trial in 2004 as part of a special panel discussion. He holds the distinction of being the very first guest speaker in the Museum's popular "Living History" public and educational program series, and he went on to participate in five more programs between 2009 and 2014. Two of these programs, recorded in 2013 and 2014, may be viewed in full on the Museum's YouTube channel. - Stephen Fagin, Curator

Dealey Plaza was transformed into a memorial shrine during the weekend of the assassination as mourners left wreaths, floral displays and notecards in memory of President Kennedy. One plaza visitor, George Reid, recalled in his Museum oral history: "People were starting to leave things and then, by Sunday morning, there was quite a bit of stuff there--quite a lot of flowers.... And people were coming down there, and people were standing there crying. People just bawling and just talking to each other, hugging each other, you know. It was an emotional scene that day." - Stephen Fagin, Curator