Cindy Álvarez Oral History

Cindy Álvarez is one of many young Americans to send letters and poems to Jackie Kennedy following the assassination. Examples of other oral histories in our Collection that share similar recollections include Jane Dryden Louis (Living History with Jane Dryden Louis), Jill Zarnowitz, and Thomas N. Smith (Thomas N. Smith Oral History – Works – The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza). Those individuals who wrote letters to Mrs. Kennedy were later selected for publication in Dr. Ellen Fitzpatrick's book, Letters to Jackie: Condolences from a Grieving Nation (2010), which can be found in the Museum's Library Collection here: Bibliovation | Details for Letters to Jackie. - Riley Harris, Collections Cataloger

Previous to this interview, Álvarez participated in an oral history with the Texas General Land Office as part of their Voices of Veterans Oral History Project in 2020. She shares moments from her incredibly versatile career, including her experience in the U.S. Navy and as a federal agent. Alvarez studied journalism, radio, and TV broadcasting at the Defense Information School at Fort Benjamin, Indiana. As of 2020 she was working on her doctorate in history at University of North Texas. Not only has she been deeply impacted by the Kennedy assassination, but her direct involvement in clearing debris at the Pentagon following the September 11th terrorist attacks demonstrates her patriotism and understanding of the importance of being directly involved in American history. Her full thirty-six-minute interview may be found on the Texas General Land Offices' website here: Alvarez, Cindy | Texas General Land Office. - Riley Harris, Collections Cataloger