Exhibit Opens Saturday Honoring Dallas Officer Who Was Killed The Day Of JFK's Assassination
DALLAS (CBS11) - City of Dallas archivist John Slate does not want anyone to forget Dallas police officer J.D. Tippit.
"Every time, Kennedy comes up. But too often do we forget about the single officer who was killed in the line of duty," said Slate.
Days before the city nears 54 years since the JFK assassination, Slate is trying to honor the fallen officer.
"We like to let people know that these were flesh and blood people," said Slate.
He is hosting an exhibit inside Top Ten Records in North Oak Cliff.
It is the store Tippit rushed into back in 1963 to make his final phone call.
"All we know is that he let the phone ring 7 or 8 times, didn't get an answer, put the receiver down and left," said Slate.
While the mystery surrounding who Tippit called has sparked conspiracies, the exact phone still sits at the end of the counter.
"He just come in and nobody answered and took off," said Michael Polk, the former owner of Top Ten Records.
Polk did not own the record store back in 1963, but has for the last 38 years.
"It's just part of history you know? So you have to respect that and honor it," said Polk.
Through photos, old time cards, documents and letters, Slate hopes to give life to a man who selflessly risked his, like the many officer who've served after him.
"They put their lives on the line every day doing the kinds of things J.D. Tippit was doing," said Slate.
The exhibit opens Saturday, November 18 at Top Ten Records at 338 W. Jefferson Boulevard. It runs from Noon to 9:00 p.m.
The exhibit will remain up until the end of November.
More information can be found on Dallas Archives website and Facebook page
