Mike Howard with more disinformation, uh, I mean, a presentation

August 14, 2011

Retired Secret Service agent returns for JFK presentation
By DELANIA TRIGG, Assistant Editor



Gainesville Daily Register The Daily Register Sun Aug 14, 2011, 11:07 AM CDT

Gainesville — The last time former United States Secret Service agent Mike Howard spoke to a group in Gainesville, he packed the house.

Organizers are hoping for similar results when Howard returns for “A Night with JFK: A Secret Service Agent’s Perspective.”

The event is a fundraiser for the Morton Museum of Cooke County and is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Friday, Aug. 19 at the State Theater.

Howard —a retired Secret Service agent who served during the Kennedy, Johnson and Ford Administrations — addressed a standing room-only crowd at the Santa Fe Depot last September.

Cooke County Historical Society President Jayleane Smith said some who wanted to hear Howard’s Camelot memories were turned away due to lack of space.

The organization hopes to make room for many more guests this year when Howard puts on a program which includes a multi-media presentation on the theater’s projection screen.

“We had so much response from last year that we asked if he’d come back next year,” Smith said. “We just had so many requests for him to return, and he graciously accepted.”

After his presentation, Howard will answer questions from the audience.

Guests can also look over some of the Morton Museum’s collection of JKF memorabilia.

“Some items will be on loan that night from our museum,” Smith said. “We’re going to have pictures and possibly some maps and things that (Howard) can use on the big screen.”

Smith — who is a friend of Howard’s — said the former Secret Service agent offers intimate insight into the events leading up to the Kennedy assassination.

During his appearance last September, Howard talked about the final 24 hours of the President’s life beginning with the Kennedy’s arrival at Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth.

“Mr. Howard is able to give us history and tell us stories that are his personal reflections from this time period,” Smith said. “We will be able to see the events leading up to, during and after the assassination. We’ll hear what really happened.”

Tickets are $15 and include access to the State’s snack bar. They may be purchased at the Morton Museum and Parker Electric. Tickets will also be available at the door.

Smith said Howard’s presentation will also give guests a chance to find out answers to some of their questions about the JFK era and Kennedy’s assassination.

“I would say to the people that we encourage them to be thinking of questions they would like to ask Mr. Howard,” Smith said.