DALLAS — Ronald Jones was 31 years old on Nov. 22, 1963, when he got the call that made him part of one of the most significant moments in American history.
“I asked the operator what’s going on and she said, ‘The president’s been shot and they’re bringing him here, and they need physicians right away,’ ” Jones said.
Jones was one of the doctors in Trauma Room 1 at the old Parkland Memorial Hospital building on Harry Hines Boulevard, where President John F. Kennedy was taken after he was shot. He remembers feeling the gravity of the situation, but also recalls how he “kicked into a different mode” when he saw the injured man lying in front of him.
On the 60th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination Wednesday, Jones visited the newer Parkland hospital building, opened in 2015, to see the recently opened John F. Kennedy Park for Hope, Healing, and Heroes. He was joined by others who also donated.
A walkway through the park features an hour-by-hour timeline of Kennedy’s different stops in North Texas, including his stop in Fort Worth, drive through Dealey Plaza and the time he was pronounced dead. Rows of small water fountains accompany the hour-by-hour timeline.
The park also has a plaque commemorating the original site of Trauma Room 1. A portion of the wall that stands at the center of the park shows the names of donors and supporters of the project.
Kristi Tillery, captain with the Dallas County Hospital District Police Department, said her father was in training to be a police officer for the Dallas Police Department and was on duty when Kennedy was shot. Although the moment in history was a sad one, Tillery said it should be remembered and honored.
“It makes me proud because I know he was a part of history here in Dallas; it’s such a significant event,” Tillery said.
In addition to highlighting the hospital’s connection to American history, the park was envisioned as a place to recognize everyday heroes and to spread a message of unity and compassion, said Michael Horne, CEO and president of the Parkland Foundation.
“The legacy of late President Kennedy, his family, really speaks to how we can elevate and honor our heroes among us, irrespective of title or position in the community,” Horne said.
Horne said he hopes the park will be a place where patients, medical staff and others who visit the Parkland hospital campus, can stop by.
“That moment of reflection, often in the midst of such monumental and challenging circumstances, can really be a game-changer,” Horne said.
