Dealey Plaza Witness

[Chris Newton]

Yes, she could have married and has new last name.

Or it's possible that McKinnon wasn't her last name when she witnessed the assassination because she married later on.

I saw it noted that she was a SMU journalism major somewhere although she never says that in her article. She simply states she was a journalism major and that she was a teenager.

I searched all the SMU yearbooks from 1961 to 1966 and came up with nothing on McKinnon. I didn't look for every instance of the name "Cheryl" to see if I could find a match. I suppose that could be my next project.

SMU Yearbooks digitized: http://memories.smu.edu/launch.aspx?eid=9ca06fb2-e87e-4c53-9512-3ed172dfa1af&skip=true

[William Kelly]

Yes, she could have married and has new last name.

Or it's possible that McKinnon wasn't her last name when she witnessed the assassination because she married later on.

I saw it noted that she was a SMU journalism major somewhere although she never says that in her article. She simply states she was a journalism major and that she was a teenager.

I searched all the SMU yearbooks from 1961 to 1966 and came up with nothing on McKinnon. I didn't look for every instance of the name "Cheryl" to see if I could find a match. I suppose that could be my next project.

SMU Yearbooks digitized: http://memories.smu.edu/launch.aspx?eid=9ca06fb2-e87e-4c53-9512-3ed172dfa1af&skip=true

Good Idea, I'll look through them myself when I have the time

BK

[Chris Newton]

Possible match, first name is Cheryl (and there are not many "Cheryl"s by the way)

Only appears in Freshman and Junior years

Let me know what you all think...

[William Kelly]

Possible match, first name is Cheryl (and there are not many "Cheryl"s by the way)

Only appears in Freshman and Junior years

Let me know what you all think...

Chris, if we had her last name as well we could do a background check on her.

[Chris Newton]

Cheryl Chandler

Macomb, Ill.

[Chris Newton]

So if Robin Unger's post http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=20382 is taken at face value, who and where is Cheryl McKinnon?

From her news article she says:

A. She was standing on the grassy knoll.

B. She was a journalism major (and now a staff writer for a newspaper in San Diego).

C. She heard three rapid shots.

D. She turned and looked to the back of the knoll (which suggests she was on the same side of the street as Zappy) and saw smoke.

E. Turned back to motorcade and does not describe headshot or injuries - just facial expressions.

F. Was a teenager

G. Does not describe what she did afterwards.

So, is she the lady standing next to Doris Mumford, to her right? If not where do you think she is?

Edited August 24, 2013 by Chris Newton

[William Kelly]

So if Robin Unger's post http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=20382 is taken at face value, who and where is Cheryl McKinnon?

From her news article she says:

A. She was standing on the grassy knoll.

B. She was a journalism major (and now a staff writer for a newspaper in San Diego).

C. She heard three rapid shots.

D. She turned and looked to the back of the knoll (which suggests she was on the same side of the street as Zappy) and saw smoke.

E. Turned back to motorcade and does not describe headshot or injuries - just facial expressions.

F. Was a teenager

G. Does not describe what she did afterwards.

So, is she the lady standing next to Doris Mumford, to her right? If not where do you think she is?

Chris, thanks for your continued pursuit of this important witness. I'm glad that we straightened out that the women on the ground - Mumford - isn't her.

The only thing I can think of is contacting the San Diego newspaper that she wrote that article for to see if they know anything about her. She was young enough that she should still be alive, and there is apparently an SMU connection we have yet to determine.

BK

[Chris Newton]

Thanks Bill,

I have sent an email to the Senior Editor of the current Star-News and I'm waiting on a reply.

In the meantime, I want to say that I don't think the woman I pictured above (messages 18,19,20) is Mckinnon, I had based my original presumption on resemblance and got her picture from the 1960 and 1961 SMU yearbooks, I wasn't really ever satisfied with that ID because those volumes seem to be to early.

I've since found a good candidates in both the 1963 and 1964 yearbooks that more resemble the Mckinnon in the Star News photograph but I haven't been able to make any connection at all from them to the last name "McKinnon".

There is always the possibility that "McKinnon" is in fact an alias, protecting the writers real identity. -Or some other shenanigans involving the paper itself or the person that originally revealed this story.

[William Kelly]

Thanks Bill,

I have sent an email to the Senior Editor of the current Star-News and I'm waiting on a reply.

In the meantime, I want to say that I don't think the woman I pictured above (messages 18,19,20) is Mckinnon, I had based my original presumption on resemblance and got her picture from the 1960 and 1961 SMU yearbooks, I wasn't really ever satisfied with that ID because those volumes seem to be to early.

I've since found a good candidates in both the 1963 and 1964 yearbooks that more resemble the Mckinnon in the Star News photograph but I haven't been able to make any connection at all from them to the last name "McKinnon".

There is always the possibility that "McKinnon" is in fact an alias, protecting the writers real identity. -Or some other shenanigans involving the paper itself or the person that originally revealed this story.

I don't know what the SMU connection is, but so far we've learned that the photo thought to be her isn't her, and she doesn't seem to be in any of the SMU yearbooks for relevant years, and despite her being a journalism major we can't find one other article that she wrote, which is really suspicious.

We can ask some San Diego researchers (Greg Burnham?) to look into her living near there, and there's a San Diego reporter poking around doing a story on the San Diego connections to the assassination, who I will ask about her. I too sent an email to info@starunion, without a response yet.

I had asked "Gravedigger" to look into her but he came up empty too, so there must be something fishy with the name.

Don't you just hate mysteries?

BK

[Robin Unger]

Attached are photos of Doris Mumford. The one on the left is when she was younger with dark hair; the other is when she was older

[Robin Unger]

In 1984 where did Gary Mack get his identification that the woman seen on the ground in wiegman, was "Cheryl McKinnon" ?

Jack White quote:

Cheryl McKinnon was a young SMU college student. The woman on the ground looks
older, certainly not like a college student. To my knowledge, Cheryl has never
stated that the woman on the ground is her. I do not know where that information
originated.

Jack


http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=14085

Edited August 25, 2013 by Robin Unger

[Robin Unger]

Edited August 25, 2013 by Robin Unger

[Robin Unger]

quote:

Attached is the photo out of a Reader’s Digest magazine from the Wiegman video, along with photos of my Mother, Doris Mumford, circa 1966. She was 36 years old at the time of the assassination.

[Robin Unger]

quote:

Mother was an executive secretary for a rental car company, as I recall. I will try to determine which one, there are two possibilities depending on the time frame. She did not job hop; one was a national firm and the other was more private. I was 14 at the time; it was along while ago! But, I am checking things out further, as you can see. It has taken the discovery that Cheryl McKinnon's name has been attached to her photo and that is all that I am trying to resolve. She did not take any photos. Of course, I know it will be difficult for some to accept this but if research shows Ms. McKinnon as a college student which her article does state and you view the video of Mother falling down, it is easy to determine that it is not Ms. McKinnon. I am in research mode and have only recently started so I have a way to go. What I do know is that I not only recognize the face, but the dress, shoes, and purse, as well...for what that is worth. There are other features of my Mother that show her personally to me. And, of course, I know what she told me. Time will tell. Thank you for your response and statement. This will be a curious journey; all I wish is to have the proper name attached to the photo.

I have no idea if Ms. McKinnon is still alive. My interest was initiated this year after laying to rest my Mother and Step-father. In my mind, over all these years, there was never a question as to who the "woman in the sunglasses" was...it was always my Mother. At the cemetery in Dallas when making arrangements, I was asked if there were any special memories and I said that my Mother was a wonderful woman, etc. etc. and mentioned that she was also a witness to the assassination. They informed me that J. D. Tippit is buried there also and that his widow is seen coming with body guards to his site. When going through some of Mother's things, I found the Richardson Daily News with Mother on the front page (rear view of her) that she had kept all these years, along with the Dallas Morning News and the Dallas Times Herald, all dated Nov. 24, 1963. A few months later my grandson sent me a photo he found on the internet of Mother that I had not seen and I just began looking again at a few various sites, then finding one of the photos showing the name Cheryl McKinnon. I was just taken aback. So I have set out to correct the matter in the best ways I know how...Simply speaking, if a name addressed to the photo had never been made who knows if I would have come forward but since it is a misidentification, I feel the need to get clarification as it is linked to a part of history.

Edited August 25, 2013 by Robin Unger

[Robin Unger]

Karen has identified this woman as being her mother.