Judy Coyne Oral History

In early 2013, Judy Coyne reached out to the Museum regarding a scrapbook she compiled following the Kennedy assassination. Intrigued by her story of being a twelve-year-old Kennedy supporter who responded to the president's death by creating a scrapbook, I invited her to visit the Museum to share her story as part of our Oral History Project. Although we were not able to accept her fragile scrapbook for the Collection, Coyne expressed that she would give it to her sister, a schoolteacher, for classroom use. - Stephen Fagin, Curator

The Museum's Oral History Collection includes two interviews from women who shared a similar experience to Judy Coyne in their scrapbooking as a response to the assassination of President Kennedy. Ann Rose created several scrapbooks in the aftermath of the assassination and of the Jack Ruby trial (where her husband served as a juror); Leah Rae Elewitz collected content for her scrapbooks on the assassination for nine years. Both women donated their work to the museum, providing very personal interpretations and emotional perspectives on the death of President Kennedy. Ann Rose's interview can be found in the Museum's online collections database here: Ann Rose Oral History – Works – The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. Leah Rae Elewitz's interview may be found here: Leah Rae Elewitz Oral History – Works – The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. - Riley Harris, Collections Cataloger