Phil Willis Slide #17

Phil 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

The Dallas Fire Department truck seen in this photograph was dispatched to assist in the search of the Texas School Book Depository. According to fireman Leslie Warnock, firefighters brought in flood lights, heavy extension cords and a ladder. Warnock and another Dallas fireman, Harry Coombs, were escorted to the seventh floor where they were told to set up flood lights in the small space, commonly called a cockloft, above the finished ceiling. Warnock recalls that law enforcement thought a gunman could be hiding in that space, though no evidence connected to the assassination was found. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator