Gretchen Coben Oral History

Object number2007.001.0057

Date06/15/2007

ClassificationsOral Histories

Oral history interview subject Gretchen Coben

Oral history interviewer Stephen Fagin

ObjectOral history

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

MediumBorn digital (.m2ts file)

DimensionsDuration: 68 Minutes

Collections

DescriptionVideotaped oral history interview with Gretchen Coben. A Dallas social worker in 1963, Coben observed the Kennedy motorcade and witnessed part of the assassination from the second-floor balcony of the Old Red Courthouse in Dealey Plaza. She and a co-worker ran towards the Texas School Book Depository in the immediate aftermath. Interview conducted at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on June 15, 2007 by Stephen Fagin. The interview is one hour and eight minutes long.

Curatorial Commentary

Following this 2007 oral history, Ms. Coben returned to the Museum sixteen years later for a follow-up interview in 2023. She also participated in a Living History public program in 2024 which may be viewed on the Museum's YouTube channel: Living History with Gretchen Coben (youtube.com). - Stephen Fagin, Curator

Curatorial Commentary

The second-floor balcony of the Old Red Courthouse, where Gretchen Coben was standing at the time of the assassination, may be seen in this photograph taken by eyewitness Phil Willis: Phil Willis Slide #3 (Willis 1) – Works – The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza (jfk.org). Another image showing the balcony prior to the assassination was taken by photographer Jay Skaggs and may be viewed here: Image of Main Street taken November 22, 1963 – Works – The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza (jfk.org). The Museum recorded an oral history with another spectator standing on that balcony, the late Tom Turner, in 2007: Tom Turner Oral History – Works – The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza (jfk.org)). - Stephen Fagin, Curator