Dallas Forever Changed

Book excerpt: A city is redefined by the JFK assassination. As Pres. John F. Kennedy gasped his final breath, the city of Dallas died with him. For decades the city struggled to recover from its image as the City of Hate. Citizens of Dallas were scorned and the city excoriated in the press. Only the passage of time and cultural triumphs such as the Dallas Cowboys and the television show Dallas brought healing and distance. But as the fiftieth anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination drew near, the city of Dallas struggled publicly and privately over proposed commemorations of the event, exacerbated by the lingering questions left unanswered by the Warren Commission’s report. Factions were drawn into conflict over the goals of the public events. Drawing on scores of interviews and primary sources, author Dan Helpingstine paints a full picture of the complex forces that continue to shape Dallas today.