Charles Elwonger Oral History
Object number2003.001.0013
Date05/05/2003
ClassificationsOral Histories
Oral history interview subject
Charles Elwonger
Oral history interviewer
Stephen Fagin
ObjectOral history
Credit LineOral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
MediumHi-8 videotape
DimensionsDuration: 41 Minutes
Collections
DescriptionVideotaped oral history interview with Charles Elwonger. A Dallas police patrolman in 1963, Elwonger was assigned to the entrance of Dallas Love Field and remained at his post from prior to Air Force One's arrival at 11:38AM until after its departure at 2:47PM following the swearing-in of Lyndon Johnson.
Interview conducted at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on May 5, 2003 by Stephen Fagin. The interview is forty-two minutes long.
Curatorial CommentaryCharles Elwonger's son, Steve, followed in his father's footsteps and joined the Dallas Police Department in 1982. In 1991, Steve Elwonger wrote and self-published a tribute to the city's fallen officers, including Officer J.D. Tippit, entitled In the Line of Duty. Steve has kept the book updated over the years, publishing a second edition in 2002. The most recent third edition, published in 2016, includes tributes to 85 Dallas police officers killed in the line of duty since the late 1890s. All proceeds from the book go to the Assist the Officer Foundation. The Museum is pleased to have two copies of In the Line of Duty in our Library Collection: Bibliovation | Catalog Search Results. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
