DescriptionVideotaped oral history interview with Jan Sittel. A junior at Thomas Jefferson High School, Sittel went with friends to Dallas Love Field on November 22, 1963. There, standing along the fence line, she shook hands with the Kennedys and the Johnsons.
Interview conducted at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on March 24, 2017, by Stephen Fagin. The interview is fifty-five minutes long.
Curatorial Commentary
I first met Jan Sittel, as well as her childhood friend Betty Duke-Ruhd, when I spoke at a luncheon of the Plano Retired Teachers Association in Plano, Texas in February 2014. Upon learning that both former Thomas Jefferson High School students had seen and interacted with President Kennedy on November 22, 1963, I invited them to record oral histories with the Museum on March 24, 2017. Immediately following this one-on-one session with Jan Sittel, I recorded this interview with Dr. Betty Duke-Ruhd: Dr. Betty Duke-Ruhd Oral History – Works – The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.
Since that time, both ladies have become longtime friends of the Museum, returning for several public and educational programs. A 2019 Living History program for a Dallas elementary school may be viewed here: Living History with Jan Sittel and Dr. Betty Duke-Ruhd. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
The Museum's Jan Sittel Collection (2018.021) includes the raccoon collar coat that Sittel wore at Dallas Love Field on November 22, 1963, as well as the cardboard sign that she obtained at the airport that morning. The "All the Way with Jack" sign may be found here: https://emuseum.jfk.org/objects/56406. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
Jan Sittel's cardboard "All the Way with Jack" sign from Dallas Love Field was displayed as part of the Museum's Two Days in Texas exhibit (November 8, 2023 to September 28, 2024). The Museum's 2024 Living History series focused on memories of the Kennedys' trip to Texas, and Jan Sittel kicked off that series with a conversation on March 22, 2024: Living History with Jan Sittel. To date, this is Jan's only solo program without her high school friend and classmate Dr. Betty Duke-Ruhd. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
