Image of Father Oscar Huber

Vincentian Father Oscar L. Huber (1893-1975) was pastor of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Dallas at the time of the assassination. Huber walked from his church to watch the Dallas motorcade on November 22, and he later recalled that when President Kennedy saw his Roman collar, he waved directly at him. Neither man knew, of course, that tragedy would bring them together again just a short time later. Upon hearing of the shooting, Huber and Vincentian Father James Thompson of Holy Trinity rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital, which was only three miles away and within the parish boundaries. According to a December 1963 interview, Huber administered the Rites of Absolution and Extreme Unction conditionally, "except Communion, which the president could not receive." The rites were "conditional" because the president was evidently not breathing, and Huber was uncertain whether he was still alive.

Huber became the source of some controversy when several publications, including the New York Times, quoted him as saying, "He's dead, all right!" while walking out of the hospital. Till his death in 1975, Huber vehemently denied saying those words or leaking information of any kind prior to the official announcement of President Kennedy's death. Huber became something of a minor celebrity in Dallas after the assassination and was frequently invited to participate in Kennedy memorial services and tributes. Less than a year after the assassination, he was present for the dedication of the first Dallas memorial installation for President Kennedy, a sculpture called "The Eagle," outside the Dallas Trade Mart.  A few months later, in May 1965, Huber was present for the opening of the John F. Kennedy Living Center in Dallas, a boarding home for mentally challenged youth. Huber returned several times to the Living Center to officiate November memorial services. When the first memorial to President Kennedy was installed in Dealey Plaza--twin bronze markers which presented informational text about the assassination alongside a motorcade map--in November 1966, Rev. Huber was again present to offer a prayer. He passed away at the age of 81 in January 1974, less than a month after moving to St. Mary's Seminary in Perryville, Missouri. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator