A Political Legacy

Oklahoma City Motorcade, Nov. 1960 - (Frontpage, Vol. 69, No 304, The Daily Oklahoman, 4th November 1960) -- Leaving Will Rogers Field for Oklahoma City Municipal Auditorium, Sen. John Kennedy's car starts through the crowd. The candidate is flanked by Gov. Edmondson (Left) and Gene McGill, party chairman (right).

The Daily Oklahoman also stated, "John Fitzgerald Kennedy, with a boyish grin on his face and confetti in his hair stepped before a shouting, cheering audience in Oklahoma City thursday night to try to pull Oklahoma back into the Democratic camp."

Further down in the article it reports, "Kennedy's cream - colored Convair, trimmed in orange and brown, rolled to the reception area at 7:25 p.m. Out of the plane came J. D. McCarty, Oklahoma City house member, and state Sen. Everette C. Collins, Salpulpa, scheduled leaders of the upcoming legislative session."

"Next was Mrs. Edmondson and then Harold Stuart, Tulsa highway commissioner. The Governor came next followed by Mrs. Peter Lawford, Kennedy's sister. Then the candidate appeared."

The Oklahoman also reported that the Auditorium was packed with 6,000 persons. An overflow crowd of 750 was in the Zebra room for closed circuit view and another crowd of about 1,500 watched the television screen in front of the auditorium.

The Daily Oklahoman reported, "Only disappointment for the Democrats was the absence of crowds along the streets."

They say Kennedy drew big crowds at his suburban stops as the motorcade proceeded from the airport.

One law enforecment authority said, "About 30,000 persons in all saw Kennedy."

After his three-hour stay in Oklahoma, Kennedy departed for Roanoke, VA at 10:15 p.m. with a crowd of about 150 persons.

Another Article in the Oklahoma Times reported, "Thousands of sooners turned out in chilly weather last night to cheer the Democratic nominee.....in his three-hour stay in Oklahoma."

McGill IS Hopeful

In that same article McGill is quoted as saying, "This accentuates the turn. I said earlier Oklahoma was going Democratic, and this makes it stronger. I think we'll carry Oklahoma. Just watching the expression of the people beats anything I've ever seen."