Credit: Dale K. Myers

STATE HISTORICAL MARKER
Clarksville, Texas

Dedication Ceremony Speech
by Dale K. Myers


Saturday, November 17, 2001

Today we honor J.D. Tippit with a State Historical Marker.

It is especially fitting in these difficult times that we pay tribute to a man whose sense of duty defined his character and who continues to inspire those who knew and loved him.

J.D. Tippit is one of those ordinary men who, through extraordinary events, had greatness thrust upon them. Nearly four decades ago, this thirty-nine year-old father of three answered the call of duty and paid with his life while attempting to apprehend the assassin of the President of the United States.

And yet, J.D. would still be a hero had fate not intervened. For it is not deeds that define heroes, but character. And J.D. had character, in spades.

Born on September 18, 1924, near Annona, Texas, J.D. was the son of Edgar Lee and Lizzie Mae Tippit. The oldest of four brothers and two sisters, J.D. grew up on his father's farm not far from this spot, off a dirt road known as Baker Lane.

Farming in Depression-era Texas was tough and J.D. learned a work ethic that served him well throughout his life. He came to appreciate the value of family and friends, a devotion to God, and the simple pleasures.

Like his Uncle George Rush, J.D. was a prankster who loved to cutup with family and friends. His devilishly irresistible grin led many down the path of mischievous fun - and they're the better for it.

In the early 1940's, J.D. attended Fulbright high school. He was shy and reserved when away from family and friends and some schoolboys mistook his quiet side for fear. They were wrong and they soon learned not to mess with "Uncle Fudge" - a nickname J.D. hung on himself.

In 1944 at the age of twenty, J.D. signed on as a volunteer for the U.S. Army. After basic training, he spoke of his intention to join the airborne division and become a paratrooper - America's new, elite fighting force.

J.D. liked to be where the action was. He rode the rails to Fort Benning, Georgia and trained with the 17th Airborne Division. It takes guts to jump out of an airplane loaded down with combat gear, and J.D. was not immune to the fear that crosses men's minds while circling a jump field at six-hundred feet. But he did it anyway, and earned his wings as a paratrooper.

In January 1945, J.D. shipped out to France to join parachute infantry replacements for the war ravaged 513th Battalion. On a patrol near the Rhine Valley, he was injured carrying a fifty-caliber machine gun. Later, when his name came up on a list of Purple Heart candidates, he had his name removed, telling senior officers that his injury was due to his own negligence. That was J.D. Honest. Forthright. His combat service in France earned him the Bronze Star.

After the war, J.D. returned to Red River County and married his high school sweetheart, Marie Frances Gasway. The newlyweds moved to Dallas, Texas, and in late 1949, returned to Red River County where J.D. hoped to farm and raise a family. But the fickle East Texas weather played havoc with the lives of many farmers along the Sulphur River basin, including the Tippits.

In June 1952, J.D. quit the farm and moved his family back to Dallas. A month later, he was hired by the City of Dallas as an apprentice policeman at $250 dollars a month. At twenty-eight, J.D. Tippit cut a handsome figure in his police uniform. He was proud to wear badge number 848.

J.D. had a keen eye for police work. He was a good judge of people, and above all he was dependable. Those who worked with him knew they could count on him. In 1956, he received a Certificate of Merit Award for his "outstanding judgment and quick thinking..." Many officers, including former patrol partners Bill Anglin and Murray Jackson held him in the highest esteem and considered him to be one of the best officers they'd ever been around.

Away from police work and the handful of second and third jobs he held to make ends meet, J.D. was a member of the Beckley Hills Baptist Church and a devoted family man. He liked Clark Gable movies, the music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, bushy Christmas trees, and clowning around with friends and family. He was the funny brother, the favorite uncle, the lovable guy.

On Friday, November 22, 1963 - forty-five minutes after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy - Officer Tippit, while on patrol in central Oak Cliff, spotted a suspicious young man near Tenth and Patton. He stopped and got out to investigate. The man, identified as Lee Harvey Oswald, pulled a gun from under his jacket and shot and killed Officer Tippit.

Few historians have considered the consequences for Dallas and the country had Oswald escaped. In that sense, J.D. Tippit's showdown with Oswald had a momentous impact on our nation's history.

When duty called, this hard working country boy stepped away from the plow and put himself in the line of fire. The war toughened his resolve and taught him the value of freedom, and the price often paid for it. Becoming a cop grew out of necessity. But it was a life he loved, and frankly, he was good at it. On November 22nd, while involved in the manhunt for the President's assassin, he once again placed himself on the front lines. This time, fate would take a hand.

Our country has recently learned a great lesson. Heroes aren't supermen. They don't wear red capes. They aren't endowed with special powers. They're human. They're our teachers, our firefighters, our police officers, and all of our civil servants who've set aside a great part of their own lives to help others. But most of all, they're our neighbors, our friends, and our family.

And so we honor J.D. Tippit who showed us the path that heroes walk. May those who pass this marker be inspired by his sense of duty, strength of character, and courage in the face of maximum danger.

Valuable lessons from an ordinary boy from Baker Lane.


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