My darling spouse and I had a rare day together leading into a four-day weekend. We made a date of the afternoon by antique shopping and having lunch at the Klyde Warren Park in Dallas. Antique shopping is way more interesting when I get to bring along a camera, in this case my Nikon D7000 with a 35mm 1.8 lens.

Click any of the thumbnail images below for a larger version. Cheers.

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On Saturday, April 27, 2013, after a Slow Art Day, I got a few minutes with Kennedy assassination witness Mary Ann Moorman Krahmer. Mrs. Krahmer was gracious enough to be photographed and interviewed for my JFK book, Death By Holga: 11.22.63.

I met Mrs. Krahmer at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. She was accompanied by her husband.

I was prepared with a chair, diffuser / reflector, one Nikon camera, two Holga cameras, and a very able assistant. The day started off as overcast with a naturally diffused light. But as afternoon came around, so did the harsh sunlight. My assistant kept Mrs. Krahmer nicely diffused (and shaded) for the entire shoot.

Mrs. Krahmer, at the time Moorman, was standing with Jean Hill along Elm Street in the center of Dealey Plaza. I took her photo in the exact spot she and Mrs. Hill were standing. I was surprised that it was so close to the street. Mrs. Krahmer was the closest witness to the assassination.

Mrs. Krahmer took a Polaroid photo the moment after Kennedy was shot. This very famous photo is on view in The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.

I shot two rolls of film, one 160 ISO and one 400 ISO. I like to hedge my bets when it comes to mild days and the use of a diffuser.

The film will be developed later this week. You’ll have to read the book to get the interview. Cheers.

I don’t normally experiment with my photographs. I like them exactly as they are shot. My usual enhancements are in line with what a darkroom technician can do. I adjust the color, improve the contrast and remove some of the dust. I don’t like cropping my images because Holga photographs display best when showing the entire image.

I decided to combine a cemetery monument of Jesus and a lifeguard stand. Both photographs are from Galveston, Texas. I used the fullness of each image, which seems to enhance the vignetting. The ghost image of Jesus over the lifeguard stand give the photograph an interesting meaning. Are they both looking out for us?

My next combination wasn’t so deep. I combined the word art from the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth sign with Vortex by Richard Serra (2002), the large sculpture outside the museum. Vortex is a collection of steel plates all standing together like a giant red wood tree. The sculpture nearly 68 feet high with room for a large crowd to stand inside. There are two slit at the base that allow visitors to pass through the work. I prefer My Curves Are Not Mad (1987) at the Nasher Sculpture Center. Still the stone word and the steel go together nicely. I could actually take this shot a a double exposure on a Holga, which I will try next time I’m in cow town.

The combination of Lee Harvey Oswald’s grave marker and the Oneal ambulance that took Oswald to Parkland Hospital did not turn out very well. I like the ambulance. I just don’t like how plane looking Oswald’s marker appears. His original marker had much more detail.

The first combination at the top of the page is 602-604 Elsbeth and 214 W. Neely. These were residence of Lee and Marina Oswald in Dallas. The Oswalds lived at the Elsbeth apartments in late 1962 to early 1963. They moved to the Neely house in March 1963. Overlaying the photos gives the Neely house a more sinister look than its usual happy yellow facade. I only used the window and surrounding bricks from the Elsbeth apartment, which give the Neely house the appearance of having a porch and a brick wall near the street.

The last photos I combined are the signs for Dallas Love Field and Parkland Emergency Room. These photos mark the beginning and end of President Kennedy’s journey through Dallas. It if wasn’t for the presidential motorcade through Dallas, Kennedy could have driven straight to the Dallas Trade Mart in about five to ten minutes.

The Dallas Love Field and Parkland Emergency Room photo is not an exact match of square frame to square frame. I took liberty in adjusting the ER sign and I really like how the security camera appears in the blue sky.

Let me know what you think of my digital enhancements. I am always looking for ways to make my photographs more interesting and unique. Cheers.

Before the wrecking crew tore it down, I got a chance to see 602-604 Elsbeth, Dallas, Texas. This run down apartment north of the Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff was the former residence to Lee Harvey Oswald and his wife, Marina. The couple lived here for six months between November 1962 to March 1963.

News reports state that Lee beat Marina and that she tried to commit suicide in the bathroom of this very apartment. Marina conceived her second daughter while living at Elsbeth.

Honestly, I did not think much about the apartment. There are a number of other significant Oswald places around the Dallas metro area.

There is Oswald’s last official residence (a boarding house) at 1026 N. Beckley Ave., Dallas.

There is the last place Oswald slept (Paine House) on November 21, 1963, at 2515 Fifth Street, Irving.

And also there is the Neely house where Oswald was photographed with the rifle and revolver at 214 W. Neely, Dallas.

But after listening to the news reports over and over again, I just had to visit the Elsbeth apartment. So, my show daughter (win, place, show) and I ventured out on another photo safari.

The Elsbeth apartment is a large horseshoe shaped complex. There are about ten to twelve units. The Oswalds lived in apartment No. 2, which was on the ground floor near the road.

We parked across the street in an empty lot. No sooner than I started taking photographs, we met the owner, Jane Bryant. Ms. Bryant purchased the complex in 2011 with the idea of fixing it up. Unfortunately, The City of Dallas said it had to come down.

Bryant immediately invited us into the fenced-off grounds. Some of the demolition had begun. There were piles of bricks and some boards covering the windows had been removed.

I expected a mess, but what I got was Gordon Keith. Mr. Keith is a television and radio host, columnist, and avid Kennedy assassination enthusiast.

I had recently met Keith at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. I was there for the “Oswald Has Been Shot!” panel discussion with some of the media who were in the Dallas Police Headquarters basement on Sunday, November 24, 1963. The highlight of the panel was Dallas Police Det. James Leavelle, who was handcuffed to Oswald when Oswald was shot by Jack Ruby. Keith asked me to take a photograph of Det. Leavelle and himself.

From what I could tell, Keith was in Oswald’s apartment removing either the toilet or the tub. After reading his column, I see it was the tub. This would make for an interesting collectible.

After a little visiting with Bryant and Keith, I got down to business. I took my photographs and recorded the GPS coordinates.

I was about to leave when Bryant told me the bricks were being auctioned on eBay. She said the current price is $11 each. I looked in my wallet and then offered $10. Bryant said no, the going price was $11 each. So, I paid $11 for a brick. I got one from the pile of bricks nearest apartment No. 2.

Bryant walked us out of the fenced area and watched us leave. I couldn’t help thinking she didn’t want us taking any more bricks.

Update – May 24, 2013

I got a call from Jane Bryant yesterday. Apparently she was none to pleased with this post. Ms. Bryant demanded that I removed her from my website. She stated her graciousness in allowing me onto the property, which I agreed. She denies selling me a brick for $11 instead of the $10 I offered, which is untrue. And she did watch me leave the property, also true. Ms. Bryant even criticized my site for having the comments section turned off, which is standard after a few weeks on all WordPress site. After not being able to get a word in the conversation, I simply thanked her for calling and hung up.

A word to the wise: you will catch more flies with honey than vinegar. If Ms. Bryant asked kindly, I would have been happy to comply. Food for thought. Cheers.

Related Posts

Gordon Keith: Crazy, haunting memories of 604 Elsbeth, where Lee Harvey Oswald lived in Dallas

I now have a list from Ancestry.com that gives me all the names of babies born in Dallas County on the same day as Kennedy’s assassination.

If you are on the list below or know someone who is on the list below, please have them contact me. I would very much like to meet them and possibly photograph them for the JFK book I am preparing for the 50th anniversary.

My ultimate goal is to get a Parkland baby, but I may just get a group of Dallas babies together for a special photograph.

Please contact me via the contact form at Dallas Art News or find me on Facebook at facebook.com/DeathByHolga or on Twitter at twitter.com/MrHolga. I can’t wait to meet you.

The following people were born in Dallas County on Friday, November 11, 1963, which means they will be 49 years old this Fall.

1. Clara Aceves
2. Sandra Sue Baldwin
3. Roy Belcher
4. Lynn Frances Belvin – Randi Romick might have Lynn’s information.
5. Lisa Cheryle Bingham
6. John Mack Brown
7. Michael Eugene Brown
8. Darla Kae Cannaday
9. Johnny Ray Chapman
10. Darleen Ann Church
11. John Kennedy Clifton
12. Jacqueline Linnett Cobb
13. Octavia Thomas Crawford – Born at Parkland. Have email. Not made contact yet.
14. Charles Gregory Daugherty
15. Paul Doyle Denman
16. Dana Lynn Douglas
17. Michael Paul Dozier
18. Leticia Alaman Duarte
19. Retha Charlene Duncan
20. Michael Fitzgerald Dunn
21. Wayne Bennett Dyess
22. Silvia Ivette Ekman
23. Heedi Marie Evans
24. Terrence (Terry) Wayne Falls
25. Valerie Jo Foster
26. Tina Gail Fuller – Contacted. Born at Methodist Hospital.
27. Kimberly Kaye Giles
28. Sharon Jill Gouge
29. Heather Hackett – Contacted. Born at Baylor Hospital.
30. Jeffrey Lee Hardin
31. Jackie Ken Harris
32. Pamela Renee Hendershott
33. John David Hopkins
34. Christopher Carroll Hunter
35. Katrina Marie Jemerson
36. Dean Thomas Jones
37. Christopher David King
38. George Hamilton Leach
39. James Alvin Lee
40. Kerry Ann Lewis
41. Shenion Dence Lewis
42. Tina Yvonna Madden
43. David Wayne Majkszak
44. Donald Duane Margraves
45. Jackie Denise Martin
46. Karen Rae McGinnis
47. Terrie Eileen McKay Lamarche – Contacted. Born at Baylor.
    
48. Megan McMurtrie
49. Billy Troy Morgan
50. Bruce Steven Morgan
51. John Thomas Nabors
52. Anthony Dwayne Nash
53. William Patrick Nesmith
54. Christene Denise Palmer
55. Edna Michelle Peoples
56. Angelita Perez
57. Anthony Adam Perez
58. Gwendolyn Paige Peterson – I am already in contact with Paige. She was born at a Dallas hospital just south of Parkland.
59. Sherry Yvonne Phelps
60. Christopher Lee Pierce
61. John Fitzgerald Rodriguez
62. David Anthony Rogers
63. Randi Sue Romick – Contacted. Born at Baylor Hospital. Randi knows a couple more Kennedy babies.
    1. Debbi Levy – Randi knows her and she is game for a photo too.
64. Jeffrey Michael Sanders
65. Sandra Dee Satterwhite
66. Charlotte Denise Smith
67. Melissa Faye Smith
68. Traci Lee Smith
69. Daniel Brent Stovall
70. Maureen Sweeney
71. Paul Martin Zingler Trautwein
72. Walter Zane Vaden
73. Leroy Allen Venn
74. Kendall Trace Wagner
75. Christopher West
76. Cathy Annette White
77. Tony Vincent Williams
78. Lisa Ann Yates
79. Karen Denise Young

Contact me via the contact form at Dallas Art News or on Facebook at facebook.com/DeathByHolga or on Twitter at twitter.com/MrHolga. Cheers.

Consider reading this Travel Log in reverse order from bottom to top. Newer posts were added on top. Older posts are at the bottom.

Post Tour Travel Notes

The Northern Face hiking shoes I bought were great. They were very comfortable.

The First Accent pants from Eddie Bauer were also very comfortable, but they caused issues with the airport security scanner every time. The pants have two zipper pockets on each outer thigh that caused me to be frisked at each TSA check point.

I brought along a tripod and my Holga wide pinhole camera. I should have left this at home because I did not have any time for pinhole images. I could have saved the weight.

I bought a neck pillow for the flights. I believe the neck pillow design could be improved by removing some of the padding that goes directly behind the neck. I used the pillow more as a book holder than a neck pillow.

Being a Gold Reward rental car member is worth it. I left each airport and walked directly to my car. This probably saved me 30-60 minutes per stop. This is time that I did not have to spare.

I would like to get the new Nikon 18-300mm lens. This would easily replace my 16-85mm and 70-300mm lens and lighten my camera bag. I have also considered getting a Nikon P7100. Traveling light is the key to success.

Monday, July 9, 2012

I will be dropping off film with BWC Creative today. I expect to get the negatives back by Friday, at the latest.

Friday, July 6, 2012

10:00 a.m. – I’m at the Tampa Int. Airport. I will be flying to Houston and then to Dallas. I can’t wait to be home.

7:45 a.m. – Found Secret Service Agent Roy Kellerman’s grave in St. Petersburg, FL. He is in the north side mausoleum of the Memorial Park Cemetery. Kellerman is buried with his wife.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

7:55 p.m. – I flew out of Greenville / Spartanburg Airport to Houston. I am waiting for my ride to Tampa. Just one more grave to find this week. If I get it, then this trip will be 100% successful.

2:00 p.m. – It’s getting late and I have a plane to catch. Elsa, my GPS, leads me to the far side of the Athens cemetery, which is barred and marked No Tresspassing. I then read a note on findagrave.com that says they don’t allow photos. Dang.

As I started for the air port, I realize the cemetery is part of the Univ. of Georgia campus. I found the correct entrance to the cemetery near the football stadium. I found Dean Rusk in the new section of the Athens Cemetery alright. I had a little help form a librarian, who was walking in 99 degree heat for exercise.

11:30 a.m. – On my way to find Dean Rusk, I decide to find U.S. Senator Richard B. Russell, Jr. first. Good thing too because he was not where FindSGrave.com said he would be. I found him and the other Russells in Winder, GA, not Commerce.

7:00 a.m. – With help from Daryl Hannah, not the actress but way prettier, I located Kennedy’s limo driver William Greer. This is a very beautiful cemetery. Looks like there are over 5,000 graves on this hillside cemetery. There is a wonderful view of mountains with a little mist in the distance.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

7:40 p.m. – Flight back to Chicago and then on to Greenville, NC. I got a Milk & Cookies sundae from Ben & Jerry’s. Mmmmmm.

1:30 p.m. – I drove back across Michigan from Grand Rapids to Dearborn. I visited The Henry Ford museum. There I photographed Kennedy’s limo.

There were 6-12 people around the limo at all times. Most people stared in awe while others, like me, took photos.

The Henry Ford also has the Rosa Parks bus from Montgomery, AL. The bus has been beautifully restored to showroom quality. It is very popular with parents trying to explain its significance.

9:00 a.m. – Located President Gerald R. Ford and First Lady Betty Ford’s grave memorial garden. It is very beautiful with wonderful landscaping.

Then U.S. Representative Ford was part of the Warren Commission. The museum almost glosses over this entire fact. They only talk about how long the commission took, his visit to Dallas and his book on the subject.

Most of the museum discusses his succession to the presidency.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

11:30 p.m. – At my hotel for the night. Cheers.

7:40 p.m. – I grabbed my first Chicago dog at the Midway Airport before flying to the Motor City.

4:00 p.m. – Visited the Ernest Hemingway birthplace home in Oak Park. It was a really nice tour for Hemingway fans. I am really glad I added this to my tour. I’m a big Hemingway fan and this is a really cool house.

2:00 p.m. – I found Jack Ruby at Westlawn Cemetery. I also found poet Shel Silverstein.

This is a Jewish cemetery and there is a funeral happening. I need to be quick with my photos. I could be tossed out at any minute.

10:00 a.m. – After a long drive and lots of toll road fees, I finally found Historic Auto Museum in Roscoe, IL. I got there about 10 minutes before they opened. I easily made up the time that I lost looking for Robert Reed.

The Historic Auto Museum has everything including Bonnie & Clyde’s bullet riddled car, the Grizwald’s Family Truckster, and a time-machine made out of a Delorian. They have a large collection of presidential memorabilia, including cars, documents, furniture, wax figures, etc.

I was mainly there for Lee Harvey Oswald’s gravestone and got a lot more. The added bonus was the original Secret Service follow-up car used in Dallas and the taxi cap Oswald used after the shooting. I hope these photos turn out too.

7:00 a.m. – The day stated early at 5:00 a.m. I got to the cemetery at 6:30 a.m. but they were not open till 7 a.m. I had to get help from the office to find Karyn Cookie Kupcinet and Robert Reid.

Cookie was easy to find, but Mr. Brady took some work and I was out of time. I searched for 15-20 minutes. I found him when I was about to leave.

I just could not get The Brady Bunch theme song out of my head. Finding Mr. Brady put me about 15 minutes behind schedule.

Monday, July 2, 2012

10:00 p.m. – Finally at my hotel for the evening. I have another full day again tomorrow. Cheers.

6:30 p.m. – Went to downtown Chicago to find Klein’s Sporting Goods. I know they went out of business a long time ago. I was hoping to find the old build. What I did find was a new modern building. If the building next to it is any indication, then Chicago lost a really cool old building.

1:00 p.m. – Wow! I almost did not get to see Kennedy’s Air Force One. I had to do some begging and pleading. I did get to see it. Thanks to Gail in Operations I did get to see SAM 26000.

The museum has a sign-up sheet for the bus ride over to the Presidential and R&D hangar. The bus has a limited number of seats. The next bus, which was already full, was going to leave at 2:15 p.m. I had to be out of there by 2:30 p.m. to stay on schedule. I just can’t thank Gail in Operations enough for arranging me a ride over to the hanger.

The outside of SAM 26000 has been returned to its presidential glory, but the inside is still configured as a regular government transport, not a presidential plane. There is clear plexiglass down each side of the aisle, which is a very tight squeeze in some places. Visitors can enter the front of the aircraft and walk through and exit the rear.

I’m on my way to Chicago now.

5:00 a.m. – The Kennedy Assassination Tour Summer 2012 started bright and early with at 3:50 a.m. wake-up. I’m now at Dallas Love Field waiting for my ride to St. Louis and then on to Columbus. See you at NMoUSAF.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

10:15 p.m. – Time for bed. The tour begins at 3:50 a.m. See you bright and early. Cheers.

7:00 p.m. – My bags are packed and I’m ready to go. I’ve already made the tough decisions like which of my Holga cameras stay and which get to go. I have an overfull camera bag with the following:

• Nikon D7000 with two lenses and flash
• Holga F-mount for Nikon
• Holga 120N
• Holga Wide Pinhole
• Holga 120 GCFN
• Holga 120 NF
• Tripod
• 30 plus rolls of film

Unfortunately, I am leaving behind my Holga 120 PAN, which produces a 6×12 cm image. I am starting to really like this camera.

6:00 a.m. – I checked-in for my first leg of flights, Dallas to Columbus. The tour begins bright and early tomorrow morning.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Updated Elsa, my Garmin GPS, with the latest maps. I loaded Elsa with all my stops via Google Maps and the Firefox Add-On for Garmin Communicator. It was very easy.

I also found out that Elsa is really a Samantha, but I prefer Elsa.

Friday, June 29, 2012

7:00 p.m. – I know this is truly mundane, but the shoes where the correct size. I went to two stores to figure it out.

3:30 p.m. – I got the right pants. I preferred the First Accent pants over the Travex Pants. I got a pair in charcoal. I already have tan. I also got another web belt and socks.

9:30 a.m. – I’m wearing my new North Face hiking shoes to work today. The shoe are very comfortable but I’ve determined the shoes may be a half size too big. I’ll have to see about exchanging them later. Since I’m thinking about exchanging them, I am sitting shoe-less at my desk today.

I’ll be stopping by Eddie Bauer later today for a pants exchange. It’s almost as if I don’t know how to shop. I’ve never had to return any film.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

I’m testing updates to my travel log through my phone. It’s not as easy as I would like, but it is better than nothing. Thanks for reading.

8:45 p.m. – I noticed an error with my Eddie Bauer pants order. I ordered the wrong pants. I ordered Travex Pants instead of First Accent pants. I just got off the phone with Karen at my local Eddie Bauer outlet. She said they can take the return and get me the right pants. Now there’s service with a smile.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Both my Travex Pants from Eddie Bauer and film from B&H Photo Video arrived. I just love the smell of fresh film and new camera. Mmmmm … camera.

Sunday, June 25, 2012

I ordered film from B&H Photo Video. I’m getting the following:

• Kodak Ektar 100 color film
• Kodak Portra 160 and 400 color film
• Kodak T-MAX 100 and 400 black and white film
• Holga 120 PC Pinhole Camera

I can never have too many Holga cameras. Cheers.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

I ordered Travex Pants from Eddie Bauer. I already own a pair of these pants. They are really light weight and comfortable. Travex Pants have lots of pockets with zippers, which I don’t really use but enjoy having. I like them because they are lighter weight than blue jeans. Tromping through graveyards in shorts is not an option. Travex Pants are the way to go.

Monday, June 4, 2012

I booked all my flights and car rentals today. It was a beating working out all the logistics, but I finally have it done. The Kennedy Assassination Tour Summer 2012 is a go.

Starting on Monday and ending Friday, I will be making eleven stops to photograph the people, places and things associated with the Kennedy assassination.

Here is my itinerary:

• Monday, July 2
  • Fly to Columbus, OH
  • National Museum of the USAF in Dayton, OH
    Kennedy’s Air Force One – SAM 26000
  • Fly to Chicago, IL
• Tuesday, July 3
  • Historic Auto Attractions in Roscoe, IL
    Lee Harvey Oswald’s original gravestone
  • Chicago, IL
    Jack Ruby’s grave – Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald in the basement of the Dallas Police Headquarters as Oswald was being transferred to the county jail.
    Karyn Cookie Kupcinet’s grave – Kupcinet is rumored to have been killed for her silence in the Kennedy assassination.
    Klein’s Sporting Goods – Klein’s is the business that sold the rifle to Lee Harvey Oswald via mail order.
  • Fly to Detroit, MI
• Wednesday, July 4
  • President Gerald R. Ford Library and Museum in Grand Rapids, MI
    Warren Commission Member then U.S. Rep. Gerald Ford
  • The Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, MI
    Kennedy’s Limo
  • Fly to Greenville/Spartanburg, NC
• Thursday, July 5
  • Waynesville, NC
    Kennedy Limo Driver William Greer’s grave
  • Athens, GA
    Kennedy’s Secretary of State Dean Rusk’s grave
  • Commerce, GA
    Warren Commission Member U.S. Senator Richard Russell’s grave
  • Fly to Tampa, FL
• Friday, July 6
  • Tampa, FL
    Kennedy’s Secret Service Agent Roy Kellerman’s grave
  • Fly to Dallas

I have a very tight schedule. I will be traveling most of the time with a very limited amount of time for sleeping and showering. It will be just me, a camera bag and a small carry-on bag. I expect to walk off the plane to the rental car bus, which will take me to my waiting car. I have Gold Plus Rewards status with the car rental agency I will be using, so there will be no waiting in lines for my ride.

Important Stops

Other than President Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald, whose graves I have already photographed, these are the most important stops for my book. Because the list of people, places and things associated with the Kennedy assassination is nearly endless, I have chosen to focus on the most important and iconic photographs for my book. My goal is to photograph everyone in Kennedy’s limo and some of the people at the Texas School Book Depository, Dealey Plaza and on Air Force One.

Names in italics are those that I still need to find and photograph.

• Kennedy’s Limo
  • Driver William Greer
  • Secret Service Agent Roy Kellerman
  • Nellie Connally
  • Gov. John Connally
  • First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy
  • President John F. Kennedy
• Texas School Book Depository and Dealey Plaza
  • Alleged Assassin Lee Harvey Oswald
  • TSBD Worker Billy N. Lovelady
  • Railroad Supervisor Sterling M. Holland
  • TSBD Supervisor Roy S. Truly
  • Dallas Police Motorcycle Officer Marrion L. Baker
  • Filmmaker Abraham Zapruder
  • Filmmaker Orville Nix
• Air Force One
  • President Lyndon B. Johnson
  • First Lady Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson
  • Federal Judge Sarah Hughes
  • US Rep. Albert Thomas
  • Air Force One Pilot Col. James Swindal
  • White House Photographer Cecil W. Stoughton

The completion of the Kennedy Assassination Tour Summer 2012 will mean that I have enough photographs to start assembling my book, Death by Holga: 11.22.63.

Bonuses

There are a few perks along the way. While in Chicago, I will be stopping by the Hemingway birthplace home in Oak Park, IL. Hemingway is my favorite author and I would love for my next book to be Death by Holga: Hemingway.

Also in the Chicago area, while I am photographing the graves of Jack Ruby and Karyn Kupcinet, I have the opportunity to get the graves of film critic Gene Siskel, The Brady Bunch actor Robert Reed, Where the Sidewalk Ends poet Shel Silverstein and mob boss Al Capone. I don’t know if I have time for all of these, but I will sure try.

Find a Grave

I am using Find a Grave (findagrave.com) for most of my grave hunting. Find a Grave is a great resource for locating graves of famous and not-so famous people. If Find a Grave does not have a particular grave listed, a request can be made to have a local Find a Grave volunteer, like myself, find and photograph it.

I have created a virtual cemetery of all the people I will try to find on my Kennedy Assassination Tour Summer 2012. Click here to view my virtual cemetery.

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

I will be updating my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages during this trip. I will have lots of down time in airports to make regular updates. Please follow along and send me a message or two. My tour is a one man adventure and I could use the company. Cheers.

• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DeathByHolga
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/MrHolga
• Instagram: MrHolga

I have been planning for months the best way to travel the United States in search of long lost and forgotten history from the Kennedy assassination. I have scratched out several flight logs and even started a spreadsheet with times slated for arrival, airport, flight, rental car, driving, hunting, photographing, documenting and returning again.

The biggest problem, other than money, is the travel itself. Most of my destinations are short hops around the country, which requires a round trip flight and a rental car. Unfortunately, all of the stops on my tour are too far to drive in a week. America is really a big place when considering the driving distances between major cities.

Time is not on my side. I need to photograph my subjects by this summer to produce a book for the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. And I still need to work my day job.

Where to Begin

Next week I am pulling a double. My family was already planning a vacation to Washington, D.C. for spring break. There I will be visiting Arlington National Cemetery, the White House, the National Archives, the Capitol Building and many more locations (see Washington, D.C. Trip Planning).

In addition to visiting Washington, D.C., I am going to Kansas City for the day. I have booked the red-eye flight out of Dallas Love Field to Kansas City International Airport. I hope to find the grave of legendary CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite. Cronkite, the most trusted man in America, removed his glasses, glanced at the clock and told the nation that President Kennedy had died.

Like I said, time is not on my side and I don’t know how much time it will take to fly to Kansas City, rent a car, find the grave of Cronkite and return home. I have a very liberal schedule that will give me about eight hours in Kansas City. I just hope I am not stuck in an airport reading my Kindle waiting on a return flight.

Other Short Trips

After Kansas City, my next day trip will be St. Louis. I won’t say who I’m hunting at that location until I have found my target. It’s best to keep that information in my photography vest pocket. Let’s just say the Pope will be happy.

There is one short car trip I can take to Camden, Arkansas. There I will find the grave of Dallas Police Officer Maurice N. McDonald. Officer McDonald arrested Lee Harvey Oswald in the Texas Theater. It is about a 8 hour round trip by car, which makes for a really long day, but well worth it. Who knows, I might just stop in Hope to visit President Clinton’s childhood home again.

My last short trip will be to Tampa, Florida. There I will find Secret Service Agent Roy Kellerman. Agent Kellerman was in the front seat of the presidential limo with Kennedy.

The Long Haul

I want to get my short trips out of the way to clear my path for the really long trip that I will take this summer. My stops are as follows:

• Chicago, IL for Jack Ruby, Klein’s Sporting Goods and Lee Harvey Oswald’s original grave marker
• Dearborn, MI for President Kennedy’s limo at The Ford Museum
• Dayton, OH for Kennedy’s Air Force One at the National Museum of the USAF
• Waynesville, TN for Secret Service Agent William Greer, presidential limo driver

These four stops will probably take me the better part of a week. I’ll probably have to take in some unnecessary sight-seeing as I kill time between flights. I plan on linking each destination to the next so that I don’t waste time returning home after each trip. This will save me flight expense, but also cost me a hotel stay.

If I can fit it into my schedule and budget, I would love to add any of the following:

• Grand Rapids, MI for President Ford, member of the Warren Commission
• New Orleans, LA for Jim Garrison, Clay Shaw and other Oswald related haunts

Symbolism is Everything

In my own special way, I am trying to be symbolic whenever possible. For example, I have an Imperial Reflex camera that I bought off eBay. This is the same model camera Marina Oswald used to photograph Lee Harvey Oswald with the rifle and revolver at their Neely home. I plan on using it to photograph the house again.

With the same sentiment, I have decided all my flights should be out of Dallas Love Field, the place where Kennedy landed, the motorcade started and President Johnson was sworn-in by Judge Sarah Hughes. Flying out of Dallas Love Field means I will be taking Southwest Airlines all over the country.

I have also decided to use Hertz Rent-a-Car for each of my stops. I even signed up for a free year of Hertz Gold Rewards Plus, so that I can minimize time waiting in line. I’m using Hertz because at the time of Kennedy’s assassination there was a Hertz sign on top of the Texas School Book Depository. The billboard was also a clock and most historic photographs will show the time at 12:30 p.m. on the button.

I’m not quite sure who I’ll be using for hotel stays. I am considering Hilton Hotels & Resorts, because the Hotel Texas in Fort Worth, the last place Kennedy stayed before the assassination, is now the Fort Worth Hilton.

I would love for Southwest, Hertz and Hilton to all pitch-in and help with my project. Or maybe Amazon.com can foot the whole bill, since I hope they will sell my book. If you know anyone who could help, please let me know.

That’s all my travel plans in a nutshell. I have never travel so much in all my life. I hope my quest is a success. I’ll keep you informed. Cheers.

Mission accomplished. I have photos of Det. James Leavelle at the Dallas Municipal Building (a.k.a. the old Dallas Police Headquarters). The Holga shots are yet to be developed. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well this those pictures too.

More on this photo shoot coming soon. Cheers.

I was photographed yesterday by Jerry McCarthy from The Dallas Morning News for the feature article by David Flick.

I met Jerry outside the front gate of the Emanu-El Cemetery at 3430 Howell Street in Dallas. There are several small cemeteries in that same location. I had to call Jerry to see if he was lost. He was close.

The Dallas Morning News wanted to get me in action. I told them I needed to do retakes for Abraham Zapruder, the amateur filmmaker who filmed Kennedy’s assassination. The News agreed this would be a good photo opportunity. They did not want me to fake a photo shoot for the article.

One of my biggest problems when shooting in a cemetery is a funeral, or more precisely, people. I don’t want people in my shots and I don’t want to be disrespectful to them at their time of grief. Fortunately, I have never had to take photos anywhere near a funeral in progress.

Yesterday, I was pretty close to a funeral. So close that I could not get my car past the hearse and other vehicles. I had to ditch my ride on the far side of the mausoleum.

I had already photographed Mr. Zapruder and his wife last year. I found him and Judge Sarah Hughes on the same day. They are only a few miles apart.

Mr. Zapruder’s grave marker is buried next to a small tree. Last year it was only the size of a bush. This year the tree is about four feet tall. And as expected, the tree is casting a four o’clock shadow right on the Zapruders’ grave marker. Oh well, lets see how these photos come out.

I wanted to use a 400 ISO film, but I didn’t have any on hand. All I had was 125 PX, 100 TMAX, 160 NC and 800 NC. I selected the 160 NC.

Jerry started taking photos as soon as I started selecting film. He got everything form loading my Holga to shooting the grave marker to writing down the GPS coordinates.

Just as I was finishing, we were approached by a man in a suit. He said that we can not take pictures in the cemetery. Oops.

While I started apologizing, Jerry jumped right in and told the man he was from The Dallas Morning News. The man was very kind. We talked for about a minute. We told him who we were photographing. The man was a little surprised at our find. It appeared he did not know Mr. Zapruder was buried here.

And that’s one of the points of my project. Most people don’t know where any of these people are, living or deceased.

The man returned to the funeral and we took a few more shots. Jerry did some portrait shots of me. I tried my best to give a half smile. I was trying to strike a balance between nice smile and reverence for my surrounding.

Jerry and I chatted on the way back to the cars. I gave him the abbreviated version that I told Mr. Flick on Tuesday.

And that was that. I hope his photos make me look good. I really hate having my photo taken.

Article

I was told the article on my project could run as early as today. I did not see it. Maybe it will be in Sunday’s paper.