Rev. Bill McElvaney Living History Program

Rev. Bill McElvaney passed away on August 24, 2014. In addition to this public program, he also recorded an oral history in 2006 that may be viewed here: Rev. Bill McElvaney Oral History – Search mcelvaney (Objects) – Search – The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. His wife, activist Fran McElvaney, recorded an oral history with the Museum in 2008, accessible here: Frances McElvaney Oral History – Search mcelvaney (Objects) – Search – The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. - Stephen Fagin, Curator  

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination in 2013, the Museum launched a yearlong series of monthly Living History public programs, which began with this conversation with Rev. Bill McElvaney in January. Other speakers in the 2013 Living History series included civil rights activist Ernest McMillan, Texas School Book Depository employee Buell Wesley Frazier, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Walter Mears and Kennedy assassination eyewitnesses Bill and Gayle Newman and their sons. This program with Rev. McElvaney also holds the distinction of being the first Living History posted to the Museum's YouTube channel (which, as of early 2025, now includes some 75 Living History recordings). Uploaded on February 21, 2013, this conversation with Bill McElvaney may be viewed on YouTube here: Living History with the Reverend William McElvaney. - Stephen Fagin, Curator  

After meeting Bill in 2006, I became fascinated by his life and career. I wrote an article entitled, "Rev. McElvaney's Unjust War: Vietnam," for the Fall 2008 issue of Legacies Dallas History Journal (Vol. 20, No. 2). The article may be read here: Legacies: A History Journal for Dallas and North Central Texas, Volume 20, Number 2, Fall, 2008 - Page 3 of 68 - The Portal to Texas History. Subsequently, this article was adapted into an educational program for school groups that was offered for several years at The Sixth Floor Museum. - Stephen Fagin, Curator