"His Last 24 Hours" Commemorative Record Album, 1963

Over the years, publications and news stories have cited differing numbers of ticketholders for the "Texas Welcome" fundraising dinner in Austin scheduled for the evening of November 22, 1963. Several stories widely circulated at the 50th anniversary in 2013 indicated that approximately 2,500 people were expected at the gala event, though the actual number was significantly higher. Publications that cite 2,500 likely misinterpreted a statement made by Governor Connally prior to the trip to Texas in which he told a reporter that while the original goal was 2,500 attendees, Texas Democrats had "far exceeded" that number. According to documentation at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, as of the morning of November 21, 1963, approximately 3,600 tickets (at $100 each) had been sold with an estimate that the number would rise to at least 3,800 by that night. Tickets would have been sold until news of the assassination prompted the immediate cancelation of the dinner the following afternoon. So, rather than 2,500 ticketholders, the "Texas Welcome" dinner was actually anticipated by closer to 4,000 individuals. Adjusted for inflation, a $100 ticket to the "Texas Welcome" dinner would in 2023 be $1,005. After the assassination, in memory of President Kennedy and in lieu of the canceled event, all ticketholders received a commemorative package by mail. In addition to the record album "His Last 24 Hours," the package included a commemorative program for the scheduled dinner, printed copies of President Kennedy's prepared remarks intended for Dallas and Austin and a note acknowledging the ticketholder's contribution to the Democratic Party. - Stephen Fagin, Curator