“Howdy, Mr. President! "

A Fort Worth Perspective of JFK

Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Breakfast

Grand Ballroom of the Hotel Texas
Friday, November 22, 9:10 a.m.

Shortly after 9:00, President Kennedy and entourage made their way through the kitchen adjoining the second floor Grand Ballroom. The event was attended by over 2,000 guests. Politicians and their wives, including Governor Connally, Vice President Johnson, Senator Yarborough, and Chamber of Commerce President Raymond Buck, took positions at tables on the dais. President Kennedy entered the room amid a standing ovation. Mrs. Kennedy, summoned unexpectedly by the President, arrived 10 minutes later dressed in a pink wool suit with pill box hat. The President took the podium and delivered remarks emphasizing the importance of national defense – a subject popular with the crowd, many with ties to Fort Worth’s General Dynamics and other North Texas defense projects. The President and First Lady were presented with Justin western boots and a Peters Brothers western hat which the President declined to model. Breakfast concluded at 10:30, and the First Couple then rested briefly in their suite before heading to Dallas.

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