Physician's lab coat worn by Dr. Ronald C. Jones at Parkland Memorial Hospital
Other (Sleeve to Sleeve): 49 in. (124.5 cm)
A longtime Museum friend, Dr. Ronald C. Jones was the chief surgery resident in Parkland Memorial Hospital's Emergency Room at the time of the assassination. He was part of the team of doctors who treated both President Kennedy on November 22 and his accused assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, on November 24, 1963. Dr. Jones owned two white lab coats and two pairs of work shoes at the time, and he decided to keep them following the extraordinary events of the assassination weekend. Unfortunately, Jones could not recall which coat and which pair of shoes he had on during the treatment of Kennedy and Oswald. Therefore, he saved everything and donated two coats and four shoes to our Museum in 2017. Previously, one of his coats and one pair of shoes was displayed on loan from Dr. Jones in a special Museum lobby exhibit, "Parkland Hospital: Voices from History," from November 2005 to October 2006.
Of all of the Parkland physicians involved in the assassination story, Dr. Jones has been among the most generous with his time over the years. He recorded oral histories with the Museum in 1997 and 2012, and he participated in several public and private programs between 2005 and 2013. His most memorable program, a 2013 panel featuring Jones alongside Dr. Robert McClelland, may be viewed in full on the Museum's YouTube channel: Parkland Trauma Room One Reunion - YouTube.
His longtime friend and colleague, Robert McClelland, also saved clothing from the day of the assassination. Unlike Jones, McClelland did not have time to change into his white lab coat, so he assisted in the treatment of President Kennedy in Trauma Room One wearing a suit. He kept his blood-stained dress shirt, which the McClelland family donated to the Museum in 2022 following Dr. McClelland's passing in 2019. The shirt may be seen here: https://emuseum.jfk.org/objects/73346 -- Stephen Fagin, Curator
