Phil Willis Slide #6 (Willis 4)
Object number2002.040.0006
Date11/22/1963
ClassificationsPhotographs
Photographer
Phil Willis
ObjectSlide
Credit LinePhil Willis Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
MediumFilm
Dimensions2 × 2 in. (5.1 × 5.1 cm)
Collections
DescriptionOriginal 35mm color slide taken by assassination witness Phil Willis showing the Presidential limousine in the motorcade on Elm Street. Nellie Connally and Jacqueline Kennedy are looking to their left while Governor Connally and President Kennedy are both touching their heads. The Texas School Book Depository Building is visible in the background, along with a crowd gathered to greet the Kennedys as the motorcade passes. This image is commonly known as "Willis 4" by assassination researchers.
Curatorial CommentaryPhil Willis' entire family joined him in Dealey Plaza to see the president's motorcade: his wife, Marilyn, their daughters Linda and Rosemary, and Marilyn's parents, Mr. & Mrs. William H. Stubblefield. Neither Rosemary nor the Stubblefields were questioned by the Warren Commission, although the other members of the family were interviewed. - Gary Mack, Curator
In addition to witnessing the assassination of President Kennedy, Phil Willis was also present at another historic event: the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. A second lieutenant in the Army Air Corps, Willis was assigned to the 86th Observation Squadron at Bellows Field in Oahu, Hawaii, during the Japanese attack. During World War II, he flew a total of 52 combat missions.
Mr. Willis passed away in January 1995, before he could record an oral history with the Museum. However, his wife, Marilyn Willis, participated in a videotaped group interview with other assassination eyewitnesses on November 22, 1996. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
Mr. Willis passed away in January 1995, before he could record an oral history with the Museum. However, his wife, Marilyn Willis, participated in a videotaped group interview with other assassination eyewitnesses on November 22, 1996. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
Between his last photograph (Willis 3) and this one (Willis 4), Phil Willis moved 120 feet and positioned himself on the curb in front of the Texas School Book Depository. At the moment he took this image, he was approximately fifteen feet away from President and Mrs. Kennedy. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator
