My Holga film is currently being developed. I should have those back and scanned next week. I hope you enjoy these shots. Cheers.

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

Imperial Reflex twin lens reflex camera (photo by Mr. Holga)

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.

President John F. Kennedy Hearst at Barrett Jackson Auctions (photo by Charly Butcher)

Wow! I’ve been waiting for my mother’s first Holga photos for nearly two weeks now and I finally have the negatives on my scanner.

My mother, Charly Butcher (www.imagesbycharly.com), lives in Phoenix, Arizona. The JFK hearse was up for auction at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale.

Read John F. Kennedy’s Dallas Hearse up for Auction in Scottsdale (Jan. 17, 2012) for how this all began.

Charly bought her first Holga (there will be others) at a local camera retailer and resisted the urge to buy other camera equipment (one of her husband’s dreams). She then proceeded with her husband in tow (actually, he drove) to the auction, where she did the best she could with absolutely zero Holga experience, poor lighting, a crowd of people and less than ideal scenery.

As of right now, I have only scanned one roll of film. This image came off a roll of Kodak TMAX 400. Of the twelve images, this was the only one that came out. Talk about lucky.

I will be scanning the other two rolls in a few minutes. I can already see there are images to be had.

I can’t than my mother enough for being part of my JFK project, Death by Holga: 11.22.63. Cheers.

Another Photo

Okay, you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. And you can’t take Holga photos without the back coming off every now and again (I’ve done it three or four time).

The following image is not a CGI background for the next Star Trek movie. It is in fact a shot of the Barrett-Jackson showroom floor after the back of my mother’s Holga came off. This is a happy accident, because the image is quite lovely.

The Holga Back Came Off (photo by Charly Butcher)

As more and more photos are being taken for my JFK project, Death by Holga: 11.22.63, I will add news and information to Facebook. Be sure to LIKE my Facebook page today.

You can find me on Facebook at facebook.com/DeathByHolga. I would love to see you following along. Cheers.

Last year I found out about Lee Harvey Oswald’s coffin being auction. Today, I read that the hearse that moved President John F. Kennedy’s body from the emergency room at Parkland Hospital to Air Force One at Dallas Love Field is now up for auction.

The hearse, a white / green 1964 Cadillac, will be auctioned by Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, Az. this Saturday, January 21, 2012. The owner claims to have all the proper documentation to prove this is the Kennedy hearse used in Dallas.

This is extremely short notice for me and my JFK book project. I don’t have the means or the time to hop a flight to Arizona this weekend.

Fortunately, I know a stock photographer in the neighborhood who might be able to help, my mother. I can easily overnight a Holga and some film to her for the few shots I need.

I hope this works out. Cheers.

UPDATE 2012-01-17

I have since talked to my mother in Avondale, Arizona. She has agreed to photograph the JFK hearse for my book project.

At first I was going to overnight a Holga to her, but she has a local store that sells Holga cameras and 120 film. That saves shipping and time.

Now comes the hard part. I have to give my mother directions on how to use a Holga camera and get good results. She is no stranger behind a lens, but this will be her first attempt at shooting with a Holga.

I did send here a link to Freestyle Photographic Supplies’ famous Holga manual. I get one with every Holga. If you ever want to know more about Holga cameras, I suggest starting with this manual.

The most important tip I can give her is to make sure the shutter setting under the lens is set to N for normal, not B for bulb or blurry. This little switch will ruin a roll of film.

Wish us luck. Cheers.

UPDATE 2012-01-21

The JFK hearse sold for $160,000 at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. From what I read, the owner was looking for something closer to $1 million. Looks like it fell a little short of their goal.

UPDATE 2012-02-01

I received the film from my mother last week. I dropped the film off at BWC Creative in Richardson, Texas, on Monday. I will have negatives back this Thursday.

I have a long list of items to photograph while I am in D.C. Below is a list of my photographic agenda:

• Arlington National Cemetery
• President John F. Kennedy
• First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis
• Robert Kennedy, U. S. Attorney General
• Senator Edward Kennedy
• Col. James Swindal, Air Force One pilot
• Cecil W. Stoughton, White House photographer
• Evelyn Norton Lincoln, president’s personal secretary
• Dr. George Burkley, president’s physician
• Malcolm MacGregor Kilduff, White House Spokesman
• Arthur Goldberg, Secretary of Labor
• Marriman Smith, United Press International
• Justice Early Warren, Warren Commission
• Senator John Sherman Cooper, Warren Commission
• Stephen John Roman, my grandfather
• Congressional Cemetery
• J. Edgar Hoover, FBI Director
• Congressman Hale Boggs Jr., Warren Commission
• White House
• East Room where President Kennedy lay in repose
• U.S. Capitol Building
• Capitol Rotunda where President Kennedy lay in state
• U.S. National Archives
• They have Mrs. Kennedy’s pink wool suit, remember
• National Museum of American History
• Lee Harvey Oswald’s rifle
• Georgetown
• The residence where Mrs. Kennedy stayed after leaving the White House
• Martin Luther King Memorial
• Ford’s Theater
• Madame Tussauds
• President Kennedy and Johnson wax figures
• They have Jacqueline Kennedy in the pink wool suit! Score!

I’ll be spending a day at Arlington National Cemetery all by myself. My wife has promised to go shopping while I am busy photographing history. I hope she does not spend too much.

I previously visited Washington, D.C. and Arlington National Cemetery in the 1990s.

My first visit was for my grandfather’s funeral. My grandfather made a career out of the Air Force serving in World War II and a couple of other skirmishes. It was a beautiful service with a horse-drawn carriage and a twenty-one gun salute. Too bad I was not into Holgas then.

My second trip was with my grandmother. She used to live in D.C. with my grandfather. I though she would be a good tour guide, but she was just as lost as I was. Oh well, we had a good time anyway.

Let me know if I need to send you a post card. Cheers.

The Texas White House at the LBJ Ranch in Stonewall, Texas

Just before Thanksgiving last year I set off on a small adventure to south Texas. My goal was to photograph some of the people, places and things associated with the Kennedy assassination.

I was already down in the Austin area last March, but I was short on time and had my family in tow. I just can’t do a lot of grave hunting with people looking over my shoulder and tapping on their watch.

My family is not really like that, but you get the idea.

Liz Carpenter

Monument for Liz Carpenter on College Hill in Salado, Texas

My first stop was at College Hill in Salado, Texas. There the ashes of Liz Carpenter were scattered on the ruins of Salado College.

Liz Carpenter was Vice President Johnson’s speech writer and was in the Kennedy motorcade in Dallas. She wrote the short speech President Johnson gave to the nation upon returning to Washington, D.C.

All that is left of the Salado College is a really nice wrought iron and stone fence, some stairs up the hill, a statue, the foundation of the college and numerous signs saying not to climb on the ruins. At the top of the stairs is a stone bench and directly beyond that is a memorial for Liz Carpenter.

The nearby statue is of Elijah Sterling Clack Robertson, who was a Colonel in the Army of the Republic of Texas, Postmaster General, Brigadier General, Texas Ranger, Chief Justice and Founder of Salado and Salado College. The placard also says Roberson was a Knight Templar, but I could not find any grail clues.

I was told that Mrs. Carpenter wanted her ashes scattered here because this is where her parents went to college and this is where she played as a young girl.

If only we all could be so lucky to spend eternity in a place we love.

Maj. Gen. Erwin Walker

Grave marker for General Edwin A. Walker in Center Point Cemetery

From Salado I drove further down to Center Point, which is south of Fredericksburg. After a lot of winding and dipping roads, I stopped at Center Point Cemetery off FM 480 to photograph the grave of Maj. Gen. Erwin A. Walker.

Gen. Walker was Lee Harvey Oswald’s first assassination attempt. Gen. Walker lived on Turtle Creek Blvd. in Dallas. Oswald took a shot at him from the rear of Walker’s house in April 1963. Gen. Walker missed being Oswald’s first victim.

By Dallas standards, Center Point Cemetery is small. I could easily have looked at all the graves and found Gen. Walker on my own. But time was of the essence for me and I found a contact number on the maintenance shed. I was fortunate to get the assistance of Richard Bloom.

Mr. Bloom directed me to Gen. Walker’s grave within minutes. Gen. Walker is buried in a family plot with other Walkers. He is located in the back of the cemetery under some trees just north of the maintenance shed.

My stop for Gen. Walker was a last minute addition to my schedule. I was planning on being done with the Johnson Ranch by now and heading to Austin. This diversion puts me way off schedule.

President and Mrs. Johnson

Gravestones for President and Mrs. Johnson in the Johnson Family Cemetery

As I previously mentioned, I was already down south this past spring. I had already stopped at the LBJ Ranch in Stonewall, Texas. On my first visit I was told I could not enter the Johnson Family Cemetery, but after talking with park officials for this visit I found out that I could enter the cemetery. The park supervisor clarified that I could not be buried in the cemetery without permission from the Johnson Family. No issue there.

After getting my free permit to travel the grounds I set out to the Johnson Family Cemetery. Unfortunately, the lighting at this time of day was really bad and the polished, pink marble headstones did not help at all.

I took several shots of President and Mrs. Johnson’s gravestones, but I don’t think they will be usable.

After the cemetery, I headed over to the Johnson Ranch house, the Texas White House. I only wanted photographs of the front, so I did not need to purchase a tour ticket. Having been on the tour before, I can recommend it. The Texas White House is very nice and full of history. There is a beautiful N. C. Wyeth painting in the TV room.

I think a photograph of the Johnson Ranch house would be a fitting end to my book. This was Kennedy’s intended last stop on Friday, November 22, 1963. It was also Johnson’s last stop as he died in his bed.

LBJ Library & Museum

President Johnson's speech by Liz Carpenter at the LBJ Library & Museum

By now I am way behind schedule and driving like a maniac. I won’t say what my speed was, because my wife does not need to know.

I made it to the LBJ Library & Museum just after 4 p.m., which was plenty of time to visit the Reading Room on the 10th floor. I had made arrangements with their archivists to see the actual speech that Liz Carpenter wrote and that Johnson read.

I felt really important standing in the LBJ Library Reading Room. The glassed in room had a long admin counter with a few shelves in the rear. There were rows of research desks with a few being occupied by actual researchers. The lighting wasn’t great for photography, but it would have to do.

I had to fill out an application to get a researcher card. Is that what I am now, a researcher? This project is getting way cooler by the minute.

Not long after I became a card carrying researcher, I was face to face with the original copy of Johnson’s speech. The speech was typed on Air Force One stationary, which you could see on the verso. There were pencil corrections made by both Mrs. Carpenter and President Johnson.

My first thought was how interesting it was that someone had a typewriter on Air Force One. Of course they had a typewriter on the plane.

I clarified with the archivist that this was the actual speech, which she confirmed. The archivist said a facsimile is usually on display. Paper ages poorly in the light.

I took several shots with my Holga and Nikon cameras.

Texas State Cemetery

Monument for F. Trammel Crow at the Texas State Cemetery

With only a few minutes till the close of business, I zipped over to the Texas State Cemetery. I was looking for F. Trammell Crow, who build the Dallas Trade Mart, which was Kennedy’s intended destination after the motorcade.

F. Trammell Crow is a builder, philanthropist and the name sake for the Crow Collection of Asian Art, a very fine museum in Dallas.

I was directed to the Crow memorial, which I later confirmed was just a memorial, not a grave. I was told Mr. Crow was buried in Dallas.

Alas, the hunt continues for the elusive F. Trammell Crow.

Although the cemetery was closing, I was told I could stay on the grounds after the main entrance is locked. There are a couple of side gates that stay unlocked all the time. So it was just me and my fellow Texas patriots after sundown. I walked around to visit AG Waggoner Carr, Stephen F. Austin, Gov. and Mrs. Connally, Gov. Ann Richards and a few others.

Houston National Cemetery

Grave marker for U.S. Congressman Albert Thomas at the Houston National Cemetery

After a good night sleep at La Quinta Inn Capital, I set off for Houston at 6 a.m. I got to hear all sorts of interesting radio as I lost and gained stations along State Hwy 71 to US 10. It was a really fun drive until the sun came up and blinded me for over an hour. If I wasn’t in such a hurry, I would have stopped in La Grange, Texas.

U.S. Congressman Albert Thomas is buried at the Houston National Cemetery. This is a beautiful cemetery with lush green grass and the reverence of perfectly aligned grave markers.

The cemetery was undergoing a little construction as was evident by the many detour signs. They are getting a new visitors center. Unfortunately, the visitor center deficiency was not supplemented with a temporary visitors center. I was forced to use the automated grave locator, which was of little help. I had to knock on a side door of the admin office for assistance.

It appears that Congressman Thomas was really important as he is the only one buried in the area surrounded by Thomas Circle. His landscaped grave faces the open end of the Hemicycle, the large monument in the center of the facility. You can’t miss it.

Congressman Thomas was on board Air Force One and witnessed President Johnson take the oath of office from Judge Hughes.

The Menil Collection

After photographing Congressman Thomas, my must-do list was all completed. Now it was time for a little fun. I drove over to The Menil Collection to the the Byzantine Chapel before the Byzantine frescoes left for good. The frescoes were only on load to the Menil.

The Menil Collection is a beautiful museum. I really like the feel of the surrounding park with the spaciousness of the interior. The Menil has wonderful old wooden floors that run the length of the building.

On view in a room all its own was Walter De Maria: Trilogies. The main focus of the exhibit was three perfectly restored 1955 Chevy Bel Airs. All three cars were the exact same color scheme. They were beautiful … and hard not to touch.

If you’re ever in Houston, I highly recommend visiting The Menil Collection. Tell Vance I said hello.

Homeward Bound

After visiting a new Twitter friend at the John Cleary Gallery, I gassed up my speedster and grabbed a Subway for the four hour drive home. I arrived just after dinner.

Postscript

Further research has turned up another grave I need in Austin. Looks like I will be making one more trip down south to photograph Paul Groody. Mr. Groody was the mortician for Lee Harvey Oswald. His assistant, Allen Baumgardner, is still alive and living in Fort Worth. I will be meeting him soon too. Cheers.

This is a short list of the items that ring a bell with me. There are a lot of events, births and deaths that happened in 1963 not included in my list. Visit Wikipedia for more information about 1963.

Events

• Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is exhibited at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. – January 8
• George C. Wallace becomes governor of Alabama – January 14
• Travel to Cuba by U.S. citizens is made illegal by President Kennedy – February 8
• Iron Man debuts in Marvel Comics – March
• Mount Agung erupts on Bali and kills 11,000 people – March 16
• The federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island closes – March 21
• The Beatles release their first album, Please Please Me – March 22
• General Hospital debuts on ABC – April 1
• Martin Luther King, Jr. arrested in Birmingham, Alabama – April 12
• Dr. No debuts in U.S. – May 8
• Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper launches into space – May 15
• Alabama Governor George C. Wallas tries prevent integration at the University of Alabama – June 11
• Pope Paul VI succeeds Pope John XXIII – June 21
• President Kennedy gives speech in West Berlin – June 26
• Zip codes are introduced in U.S. – July 1
• Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers I Have a Dream speech in Washington, D.C. – August 25
• Marvel Comics release first X-Men comic book – September
• Sports car company Lamborghini is founded – October 30
• President Johnson establishes the Warren Commission – November 19
• The Sword in the Stone debuts – December 25
• I Want to Hold Your Hand and I Saw Her Standing There by The Beatles are released in U.S. – December 26

Births

• David Cone, baseball player – January 2
• Hakeem Olajuwon, Nigerian basketball player – January 21
• Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel, British singer – February 19
• Charles Barkley, basketball player – February 20
• Joel Osteen, televangelist – March 5
• Bret Michael, rock singer for Poison – March 15
• Vanessa Williams, American beauty queen and actress – March 18
• Kathy Ireland, supermodel – March 20
• Elle Macpherson, Australian supermodel – March 29
• Julian Lennon, British musician and son of John Lennon – April 8
• Conan O’Brien, talk show host – April 18
• Natasha Richardson, actress – May 11
• Mike Myers, Canadian actor – May 25
• Johnny Depp, actor – June 9
• Helen Hunt, actress – June 15
• George Michael, British singer – June 25
• Christopher George Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy – July 4
• Phoebe Cates, actress – July 16
• Lisa Kudrow, actress – July 30
• Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, son of John F. Kennedy – August 7
• Whitney Houston, singer – August 9
• John Stamos, actor – August 19
• Tori Amos, singer – August 22
• Michael Chiklis, actor – August 30
• Randy Johnson, baseball player – September 10
• Mark McGwire, baseball player – October 1
• Elisabeth Shue, actress – October 6
• Norm MacDonald, Canadian comedian – October 17
• Lauren Holly, actress – October 28
• Sarah Brown, wife of British Prime Minister – October 31
• Rob Schneider, actor – October 31
• Rick Allen, drummer for Def Leppard – November 1
• Terri Schiavo, right-to-die cause – December 3
• Benjamin Bratt, actor – December 16
• Brad Pitt, actor – December 18
• Jennifer Beals, actress – December 19
• Jim Harbaugh, football player and coach – December 23
• Patrick Sean Payton, football coach – December 29

Deaths

• Jean Piccard, Swiss-American chemist, engineer, and balloonist – January 28
• Robert Frost, poet – January 29
• Sylvia Plath, poet and writer – February 11
• Patsy Cline, country singer – March 5
• Elmore James, Blues guitarist, singer and band leader – May 24
• Pope John XXIII, Roman Catholic Pope – June 3
• Jacques Villon, French Cubist painter – June 9
• Medgar Evers, civil rights victim – June 12
• Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, son of John F. Kennedy – August 9
• Georges Braque, Cubist painter – August 31
• Jean Cocteau, French writer and artist – October 11
• Edith Piaf, French singer – October 11
• Robert Franklin Stroud, “Birdman of Alcatraz” – November 21
• Aldous Huxley, British writer – November 22
• John F. Kennedy, President of the United States of America – November 22
• J. D. Tippit, Dallas Patrolman – November 22
• Lee Harvey Oswald, alleged assassin – November 24
• Dinah Washington, jazz and blues singer – December 14
• Gorgeous George Wagner, wrestler – December 26

Stephen King at the Majestic Theater with Liza Collins in background (Holga, Kodak 400 TMAX)

It’s not every day you get to meet Stephen King.

I was part of the press conference for Mr. King at the Majestic Theater in Dallas. Mr. King was promoting his new book, 11/22/63 A Novel, and also doing a benefit for The Sixth Floor Museum.

I brought along my big brother, James, to take photographs. This left me free to ask a few questions of Mr. King and shoot off a roll on my Holga 120N.

Unbeknownst to me, my Holga was in the B shutter mode, which we all know stands for blurry. Actually, it stands for bulb and it keeps the shutter open as long as you finger is on the shutter release. This usually results in blurry and dark photos due to over exposure.

Under normal circumstances, these photos would be trash, but some other interesting variables took over.

I was taking photos while on the stage of the Majestic Theater. The background for Mr. King was very dark. I was using a flash with Kodak 400 TMAX film. The combination of the B shutter mode, flash and a mostly dark room gave some sharpness from the flash with a little ghostly after image from the ambient lighting.

I only got two out of ten shots to come out. The two were closer shots, about three to four feet. All the distance shots, about ten to twelve feet, were still too blurry for my liking. I honestly think these two close-up shots were better than what I would have normally gotten.

Click here to see the other shot on Flickr.

I still hate the B shutter mode setting. I should supper glue it to the N setting.

Stephen King

Meeting Mr. King was a pure delight. He’s the next best thing to meeting my favorite author and daisy delicacy, Ernest Hemingway.

Mr. King was casually dressed in a loose fitting white oxford, blue jeans and loafers. His graying hair is done in a slick backed wavy style. Mr. King’s long jowly face makes you think he could be someone’s mean old neighbor (You kids get off of my lawn!). He is a very animated speaker who expresses himself gracefully with his hands and sometimes a creepy smile or two.

Mr. King has a wonderful sense of humor. I liken him to a roller-coaster designer who aims to thrill and excite all in the same ride. He really likes his job.

If ever you get the chance to meet or be in the same room with Mr. King, then I highly recommend it.

11/22/63 A Novel

It took me a little while, but I finished all 850 pages of Stephen King’s 11/22/63 A Novel on my Kindle.

As you know, I’m currently on the hunt for the people, places and things associated with the Kennedy assassination. I’ve already been through the Who’s Who of the Kennedy Assassination, The Report of the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy (The Warren Commission), Assassination Vacation and am currently reading On the Trail of the JFK Assassins. So, I’m a little over informed to read Mr. King’s latest novel.

In short, 11/22/63 is about English teacher Jake Epping, who is befriended by the local diner owner, Al Templeton. The reason for the quick friendship is that Al, who’s suffering from a terminal illness, has a secret passage in the back of his diner that leads to September 1958.

Al wants Jake to use the passage to save President Kennedy from Lee Harvey Oswald. As you can imagine, this is no easy task, because the past is obdurate and does not change easily.

I think 11/22/63 is a delightful read, all 850 pages. It is a little long for my liking. I prefer shorter stories that leave some details to my imagination. I am sure most King fans will eat this book up and still want more.

I was at the press conference and the speaking event. I heard Mr. King say he spent some time in the Dallas area researching for 11/22/63. Mr. King admits he made some mistakes like misspelling Killeen (he used one L) and calling the local radio station K-Life, when it should have been KLIF (as in Oak Cliff). Those points aside, I really feel all Mr. King did was a drive-by. I have lived in the Dallas area most of my life, and I don’t really think he got a good lay of the land.

Mr. King was a little hard on the people of Dallas too. But that’s okay, we don’t much care for yankees either.

Unfortunately, 11/22/63 did not keep me on the edge of my seat like Misery, my all time favorite Stephen King novel, or give me a surprise ending. I could see where the book was heading a mile away. If anything, this novel was written for the big screen and it will need to be drastically pared down. 11/22/63 should make a wonderful movie for the fall 2013 season, in time for the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination.

Can I see into the future? I knew you would ask that.

If you really like Stephen King novels, then you will like 11/22/63 A Novel just the same. If you are not a Stephen King fan and are looking for a little excitement, then I would recommend something else like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Cheers.

My Favorite Stephen King Novels

• Different Seasons, 1982
• Misery, 1987

Other Stephen King Novels I have read

• The Shining, 1977
• Night Shift, 1978
• Christine, 1983
• Skeleton Crew, 1985
• The Stand, 1990
• The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, 1999