Jerry Haynes Oral History

Object number2004.001.0006

Date01/23/2004

ClassificationsOral Histories

Oral history interview subject Jerry Haynes

Oral history interviewer Stephen Fagin

ObjectOral history

Credit LineOral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

MediumHi-8 videotape

Dimensions55 Minutes

Terms

Collections

DescriptionVideotaped oral history interview with Jerry Haynes. Best known as children's television host "Mr. Peppermint" on WFAA-TV/Channel 8 for many years, Haynes was a spectator in Dealey Plaza at the time of the assassination. He then went live on the air with WFAA-TV program director Jay Watson about 15 minutes after the shooting. Interview conducted at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on January 23, 2004 by Associate Curator Stephen Fagin. The interview is fifty-five minutes long.

Curatorial Commentary

Mr. Haynes passed away on September 26, 2011. In addition to this 2004 oral history, he also participated in a videotaped oral history interview on January 10, 1995.

Growing up in the Dallas area in the 1980s, I often watched the "Mr. Peppermint" television show on WFAA-TV/Channel 8. Interviewing one of my childhood heroes was an extraordinary personal experience. Ironically, our oral history was recorded on the same day that another children's television icon, Bob Keeshan ("Captain Kangeroo"), passed away. We briefly discussed this during the oral history, and I recall that, immediately after we finished our recording that day, Mr. Haynes rushed off to the local WFAA-TV television studios for a live interview about his memories of the late Mr. Keeshan. - Stephen Fagin, Curator