Dr. Earl F. Rose Oral History

Object number2005.001.0035

Date11/08/2005

ClassificationsOral Histories

Oral history interview subject Earl F. Rose

Oral history interviewer Stephen Fagin

ObjectOral history

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

MediumCD

Dimensions68 Minutes

Terms

Collections

DescriptionAudio recorded oral history interview with Dr. Earl F. Rose. A distinguished forensic pathologist, Rose served as Dallas County medical examiner from 1963 to 1968. In that capacity, he performed autopsies on Officer J.D. Tippit, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Jack Ruby. He would also have performed President Kennedy's autopsy had his body not been taken immediately back to Washington, D.C. Interview conducted via telephone on November 8, 2005 by Stephen Fagin. The interview is one hour and eight minutes long.

Curatorial Commentary

Several eyewitnesses at Parkland Memorial Hospital have shared over the years that Dr. Rose was involved in a heated argument and physical struggle with Secret Service agents over the president's remains since, according to state law, the president's body legally could not leave the state without an autopsy having been performed. When asked about this during his 2005 oral history, Rose denied that any confrontation took place.

Dr. Rose passed away on May 1, 2012. - Stephen Fagin, Curator