Jump to content
The Education Forum

Peripheral character?


Recommended Posts

I was wondering if anyone has any background, could verify or is able to flesh out the following?

Travis Kirk was a Dallas attorney who was allegedly approached by a woman wanting to take action against J.D. Tippit for some improper behavior. Kirk was supposedly a friend or at least aquainted with Jack Ruby.

Any details would be appreciated.

Kirk below.

James

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A bit more.

Travis Kirk wrote a letter to a woman named Nadine Fordyce which is attached below.

Interesting to note is that on December 10, 1963, waitress Nadine Fordyce shot a man by the name of Glen Wiles in the chest. She was charged with attempting to kill him. Wiles was allegedly fighting with bus driver Dennis Griffis and Fordyce feared that Wiles was going to kill him. I have no details what the fight was about or what happened to both men afterwards. I also don't know if Fordyce knew Griffis before the altercation.

I can tell you that Glen Wiles was a major league scumbag. In 1955 he was charged with indecent exposure and later in the same year was indicted for the statutory rape of a 14 year old girl. I have nothing to support it but Jack Ruby may have had some trouble with Wiles at the Carousel Club.

Question is, was Nadine Fordyce the Austin's Barbecue waitress J.D. Tippit was allegedly having an affair with?

James

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A bit more.

Travis Kirk wrote a letter to a woman named Nadine Fordyce which is attached below.

Interesting to note is that on December 10, 1963, waitress Nadine Fordyce shot a man by the name of Glen Wiles in the chest. She was charged with attempting to kill him. Wiles was allegedly fighting with bus driver Dennis Griffis and Fordyce feared that Wiles was going to kill him. I have no details what the fight was about or what happened to both men afterwards. I also don't know if Fordyce knew Griffis before the altercation.

I can tell you that Glen Wiles was a major league scumbag. In 1955 he was charged with indecent exposure and later in the same year was indicted for the statutory rape of a 14 year old girl. I have nothing to support it but Jack Ruby may have had some trouble with Wiles at the Carousel Club.

Question is, was Nadine Fordyce the Austin's Barbecue waitress J.D. Tippit was allegedly having an affair with?

James

"The" waitress was named [Mrs. Stephen] Johnny Maxie Thompson [later remarried to Claude Witherspoon in 1968.] She and Tippit apparently conducted an affair between the summer of '62 and the summer of '63, with Ms. Thompson briefly reconciling with husband Stephen in late summer or September '63. However, when interviewed by the HSCA, Ms. Witherspoon also reported that there had been another Austin's BBQ waitress in whom Tippit had also shown a romantic interest. I have no idea what that second waitress' name is, but the HSCA memos may disclose it.

FWIW...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"The" waitress was named [Mrs. Stephen] Johnny Maxie Thompson [later remarried to Claude Witherspoon in 1968.] She and Tippit apparently conducted an affair between the summer of '62 and the summer of '63, with Ms. Thompson briefly reconciling with husband Stephen in late summer or September '63. However, when interviewed by the HSCA, Ms. Witherspoon also reported that there had been another Austin's BBQ waitress in whom Tippit had also shown a romantic interest. I have no idea what that second waitress' name is, but the HSCA memos may disclose it. (Robert Charles-Dunne)

Robert,

Thank you for the reply. It is greatly appreciated.

The Kirk letter states that Fordyce knew Tippit and one could draw the inference that she had confided in Kirk. Given that Johnnie Maxie Witherspoon's relationship with Tippit was apparently over in the summer of 1963, and that she suggested another waitress was the recipient of Tippit's attention, I am wondering if this may have been Fordyce.

I can not find any mention of her in the HSCA material.

There is still the unknown woman who supposedly approached Kirk regarding Tippit's alleged improper behavior. A complicated and confusing web of circumstances for sure.

Cheers,

James

Edited by James Richards
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Forum member, Dixie Dea, has kindly allowed me to post the contents of an email she sent me. (see below)

Johnnie Maxie Witherspoon mentions that the other waitress working at Austin's Barbecue that Tippit was interested in was one Clara Jo Monk. What is curious here is that some time back, I was researching a guy named Arthur Brown who I suspected was known to Ruth and Michael Paine. Brown died in February of 1963 but his step daughter was Clara Jo Monk. Back then, I had no idea who she was or that she was supposedly someone of interest to Tippit. Like they say, it's a small world.

Thanks, Dixie. You are a class act.

James

**********************

Below is an interview Jack Moriarity, of the HSCA, had with Johnnie Maxie

Witherspoon, in 1977, in which she mentions Clara Jo Monk.

Johnnie Maxie Witherspoon was interviewed in her home on 9-24-77 by Jack

Moriarity and two other members of the House Select Committee. At the

time she was unemployed.

Information collected at that time:

Date of birth: 10-10-34, Height 5'1", Weight 130, Eyes: Blue, Hair

Blonde.

Wears glasses and is right handed.

Had been Tippit's girl friend 1961-1963

Husband in 1963: Stephen Thompson Jr.

Thompson "is remarried. He and wife have a nightclub and love it

now. They had been in the antique business."

"Tippit had shown an interest in another female employee at Austin's

barbaque by the name of Clara Jo Monk, a car hop and waitress. ( Married

to a truck driver)."

The investigators were especially interested in the station wagon that

J.D. had bought while the two were dating. Moriarity: " During

that time J.D. Tippit bought what may have been

a new station wagon, may have been a Pontiac and it might have been the

color blue, is that right?"

Johnnie: "To the best that I can remember, yes."

Moriarity: "Would this have been about a 1963, if you recall, or a

62? I know it was within that three year period but was this toward the

end of your relationship or at the beginning of it?" Johnnie: "

Closer to the end of it I believe." I think that they were

interested in the station wagon because a station wagon fitting that

description was seen driving around the TSBD before the motorcade

entered Dealey Plaza. However, it was described as an Oldsmobile.

Johnnie's mother, Verda Mae Herell, was interviewed on 3-14-78.

Verda worked at the Clifton Towers Coffee Shop located on Ballard ( one

block from the Dobbs House where LHO stopped for breakfast. Lee had also

eaten at her place of employment. Verda: "He was a regular dinner

customer. He never talked to anyone except to her when he ordered his

regular hamburger platter and left a 25 cent tip."

Her boss was Zerrell Owen. Verda said that there were few tears when

JFK was killed because they "were all Republicans." Also working

there was a "black boy cook" Amos (Euins) , about 16, whose parents,

brother and sister worked there. On 11-22-63, the police called advising

that they were holding Amos as a witness as he saw JFK shot.

Verda knew Tippit well. She used to sit in a booth and talk to J.D.

about raising kids. "He was interested in the subject..." She was aware

of his three jobs and said "the saddest aspect of the entie tragedy was

the development of the older son in the wrong direction. It happened

from the moment of J.D's. death."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...