Press Trip: Nat Geo’s JFK: ONE DAY IN AMERICA To Commemorate 60th Anniversary of Former President John F. Kennedy’s Assassination

National Geographic to Commemorate 60th Anniversary of Former President John F. Kennedy’s Assassination With 2nd Installment of the Emmy® Award-Winning ONE DAY IN AMERICA Franchise With JFK: ONE DAY IN AMERICA

On. Oct. 16th Nat Geo flew me out for a press trip for the upcoming JFK: One Day in America series. The amazing experience in Dallas included tours of historic JFK sites, a private tour of The Sixth Floor Museum, and the world premiere of the series at The Texas Theatre. Series producer Charlotte Rodrigues, AP reporter Peggy Simpson (who was there that day) and Production Executive Alex Nicholson also joined us on the trip.

I had an absolutely incredible time in Dallas, I learned so much, and met so many amazing people. This was such a wonderful opportunity and educational experience.

I have so much to share from this profound experience in Dallas from tours of historic JFK sites, a private tour of The Sixth Floor Museum, and finally the world premiere of the series at The Texas Theatre. You can see the Q&A panel above and below my interviews with series producer Charlotte Rodrigues, Production Executive Alex Nicholson, and also AP reporter Peggy Simpson – who was there that fateful day!!

Interviews:

In Official Collaboration With the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, the Series Chronicles the Events of This Historic Moment in Real-Time With First-Person Testimony From the Last Surviving Witnesses and Features Never Before Seen Colorized Footage

From Emmy Award-Winning 72 Films’ David Glover and Academy Award®-Winning Executive Producers Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin, All Episodes of the Limited Series Premiere Nov. 5 Beginning at 8/7c on National Geographic, Available Next Day on Disney+ and HULU

The three-part series produces a comprehensive account of that tragic moment in American history and the ripples that followed. Made in official collaboration with The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza in Dallas, the landmark docu-series weaves archival footage, some colorized for the first time, with key testimony from the last surviving witnesses to create an immersive, minute-by-minute examination of that pivotal day that forever changed history.

Join us for a profound experience in who was there that fateful day – underscoring the importance of recording history, it’s worth noting that most of the folks interviewed are now in their 80s and 90s, so the window in which a younger generation gets to hear directly from them is starting to close.

My Trip With Nat-Geo!

I was flown out to Fort Worth and stayed at the Hilton Ft Worth which used to be the Hotel Texas’ where Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, stayed in the luxurious Room 850.

I was honored to be amongst other bigger journalists and YouTubers that are major history aficionados. We had a stacked itinerary that began with meeting the Nat-Geo team and getting a first sneak peek of Clips & Conversation with Producers & Peggy Simpson who were our special guests.

We had a delicious full-course meal

MENU:

Starters: Meatballs, Burrata with pesto on grilled bread

Choice of soup or salad: Soup of the day, baby gem salad, cobb salad

Entrees: Filet mignon, roasted chicken, pork shank, snapper, scallops, pasta with seasonal vegetables

Sides: Broccolini, mac and cheese

Desserts: Butterscotch pudding, chocolate chip cookies, seasonal sorbet

9:00 PM WRAP

Then the next day our journey really began.

TUESDAY OCTOBER 17

9:00 AM Breakfast at Hotel

Location: Texas Ballroom (3rd floor)

**Breakfast buffet with menu option of President Kennedy’s final meal (boiled eggs, bacon, toast, marmalade, orange juice and coffee), which he ate at the Chamber of Commerce meeting at the former Hotel Texas (now the Hilton Fort Worth). 

9:45 AM Visit the JFK Tribute statue outside the hotel; board buses

**Dedicated May 29, 2012 in General Worth Square, the JFK Tribute stands as a memorial to the 35th President of the United States, President John F. Kennedy. Located outside what was once the Texas Hotel, the grounds of the statue sit atop where President Kennedy made his last public speech to thousands of rain-soaked Fort Worthians.

10:00 AM Depart for Ruth Paine House

10:35 AM Tour of Ruth Paine House

**Ruth was a friend to Lee Harvey Oswald’s wife, Marina. This is where Oswald spent the night before the assassination. Restored to how it looked in 1963, it provides excellent background information as one of the many JFK-related sites in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

11:30 AM Bus Tour of JFK Sites in Dallas/Fort Worth

• JFK Memorial Plaza
  • The JFK Memorial Plaza was dedicated June 24, 1970.
  • Renowned American architect Philip Johnson’s design is a cenotaph, or “open tomb,” that symbolizes the freedom of JFK’s spirit. The architect once called it a “magnetic force” and suggested a connection to the charisma of the living John F. Kennedy.
  • A thoughtful piece of art, originally it had no interpretive features. The space was intended for reflection and remembrance. Yet, as more visitors came to Kennedy Memorial Plaza and to nearby Dealey Plaza, it became clear that an exhibit was needed to explore the topic of the Kennedy assassination. Upon that realization, The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza had its beginnings.
• Dealey Plaza
• • Dealey Plaza is a city park in the West End Historic District of downtown Dallas, Texas. It is sometimes called the “birthplace of Dallas”. It was also the location of the assassination of JFK in 1963.The Dealey Plaza Historic District was named a National Historic Landmark on the 30th anniversary of the assassination.
• School Book Depository
• • The Texas School Book Depository company, a school textbook distribution firm, leased the building with regional textbook publishing firms also officing in the warehouse.
  • 1963: Within minutes of the assassination of President Kennedy, the Texas School Book Depository building became the primary crime scene for the shooting after evidence of a sniper was found on the sixth floor. A Depository employee, Lee Harvey Oswald, was arrested for the murder of a Dallas police officer within 80 minutes of the assassination and later charged with the assassination of the president.
• Grassy Knoll
  • Many eyewitnesses to the assassination thought at least one of the shots came from the right front of President Kennedy in an area now known as the grassy knoll. This area is a hill on the north side of Elm Street near some concrete steps and topped by a 5-foot wooden stockade fence. The term “grassy knoll” originated with United Press International reporter Merriman Smith, who rode in the motorcade five cars behind the president.

1:00 PM Tour of the UNT Dallas College of Law (formally Dallas Police Dept.)

• Jail cell
• Mugshot wall
• Interrogation rooms
• Exhibit (self-guided)

1:45 PM Lunch at Campisi’s 

BUFFET MENU

Apps: Shrimp Scampi, Tomato Bruschetta, Grilled Italian Sausage with Onions and Peppers, Salad, Garlic Toast

Entree: Grilled Chicken Marsala, Eggplant Parmigiana, Spaghetti w/meatballs

**Jack Ruby, who shot Lee Harvey Oswald, was a friend to the Campisi family and regular at the restaurant. He ate dinner there on the night of November 21.

3:30 PM Private tour of the Sixth Floor Museum

**The museum is located on the sixth and seventh floors of an early 20th-century warehouse formerly known as the Texas School Book Depository. The permanent exhibit features films, photographs and artifacts that chronicle President Kennedy’s life, death and legacy.

5:30 PM Bus to Texas Theatre & Visit to the Main Theater

**On November 22 after shooting Dallas police officer J.D. Tippit, Lee Harvey Oswald entered the Texas Theatre without purchasing a ticket. Shortly after, 15 officers entered the theater and arrested him.

6:30 PM Opening Remarks by The Sixth Floor Museum CEO Nicola Longford 

6:35 PM Screening of JFK: One Day in America Begins

“Assassination” will be screened  

7:20 PM Screening Ends / Q&A begins

Moderated by: Nicola Longford (the Sixth Floor Museum CEO)

Panelists: Charlotte Rodrigues, Peggy Simpson, Alex Nicholson

7:40 PM Q&A Ends / Reception Begins

EPISODES

• 1. AssassinationAir date: Nov 5, 2023President Kennedy is shot in broad daylight while visiting Dallas.View Details
• 2. ManhuntAir date: Nov 5, 2023A search begins as Dallas police search for the president’s assassin.View Details
• 3. RevengeAir date: Nov 5, 2023Assassin Lee Harvey Oswald is shot while in police custody.