Where Were Jane Berry, Betty Thornton and Peggy Burney During the Motorcade?

[Thomas Graves]

We now know that the four headscarf-wearing women who were standing shoulder-to-shoulder in Zapruder and who were labeled by Robin Unger as "Berry, Thornton, Burney, and (unknown)," and who are currently labelled by Don Roberdeau as "Berry, Thornton, Burney, and Jean Newman" (LOL) ...

... were actually Karen Westbrook, Carol Reed, Karan Hicks, and (big and tall) Gloria Calvery.

So where in the heck were Berry, Thornton, and Berry?

(We already know that Jean Newman was standing where Roberdeau originally had her -- just to the right of suit and trilby-wearing Ernest Brandt, who, in turn, was standing next to his young client, John Templin.)

-- MWT 

[Thomas Graves]

Here are excerpts from Berry's and Thornton's 4/01/64 FBI statements:

Berry -- "At approximately 12:35 P.M. I was standing on Elm Street in front of the Texas School Book Depository Building with Betty Thornton, also an employee at Scott-Foresman..."

Thornton -- "At approximately 12:35 P.M. I was standing with Jane Berry, another employee of Scott-Foresman, on Elm Street in front of the Texas School Book Depository Building ..."

There is no FBI statement by Peggy Burney on this date because she didn't work in the TSBD -- she worked for Abraham Zapruder at Jennifer Juniors Clothing Company in the Dal Tex Building.

However, on 11/23/63 in the Dallas Times Herald newspaper, Burney was quoted as saying she was standing "at the curb on Elm Street about a third of the way from Houston Street near the overpass."

-- MWT 

[Thomas Graves]

I've just now read in an old post at jfkassassination. net which says that Peggy Burney's first cousin was Vivian Castleberry (nee Anderson; b.1922, d.2017), women's page editor at the Dallas Times Herald newspaper, and from Burney's 11/23/63 report in that paper I've gleaned that Margaret (Peggy) Burney was married, and that she was the head of the shipping department at Jennifer Juniors.

Here's Castleberry's obit. in which her maiden name, Anderson, is mentioned.

Could Mrs. Margaret (Peggy) Burney's maiden name have been Anderson, too?  Were Castleberry's and Burney's fathers brothers?

Regardless, I hope to find some kind of photo of Burney from over the years to give us an idea what she may have looked like on 11/22/63.

https://www.dallasnews.com/obituaries/obituaries/2017/10/05/vivian-castleberry-pioneering-dallas-journalist-empowered-women-dies-95

-- MWT 

[John Iacoletti]

"We now know"

 

[Thomas Graves]

The fact that Berry and Thornton both said they were standing together on Elm Street but are not visible in the group of people stretching from A. J. "Hardhat" Millican to Sharron Simmons (the gal wearing the light-blue headscarf near the Stemmons sign in Zapruder), suggests that they must have been in the group of people stretching the other direction, i.e., between A. J. and the "island" in front of the TSBD entrance.

--  MWT 

[Thomas Graves]

For what it's worth, since Peggy Burney was a first cousin of a 41 or 42 year-old woman (Castleberry), I assume that Berry was between 37 and 47 years of age at the time.

Approximately.

-- MWT 

PS  Having re-read her newspaper account, I realize now that she must have been standing near the Houston-to-Elm curve, because SHE says she was standing on Elm Street, and that JFK "was waving and smiling" when the limo "made the curve around the corner".

(Alternatively, she may have been standing near the intersection on Main and Houston if the newspaper editor's comments are correct, i.e., that she "was in the crowd at the corner of Main and Houston".)

In the article she says the limo was about 15 feet past her when she heard the first shot, but I think she's really referring to the second shot, for the simple reason that she says that JFK "ducked" after that "first" shot, and that, in so many words, that the next one blew JFK's brains out.

[Royell Storing]

For what it's worth, since Peggy Burney was a first cousin of a 41 or 42 year-old woman (Castleberry), I assume that Berry was between 37 and 47 years of age at the time.

Approximately.

-- MWT 

PS  Having re-read her newspaper account, I realize now that she must have been standing near the Houston-to-Elm curve, because she says JFK "was waving and smiling" when the limo "made the curve around the corner".

(Alternatively, she may have been standing near the intersection on Main and Houston if the newspaper editor's comments are correct, i.e., that she "was in the crowd at the corner of Main and Houston".

In the article she says the limo was about 15 feet past her when she heard the first shot. but I believe she's really referring to the second shot, for the simple reason that she says, in so many words, that the shot after that one blew his JFK's head off.

    Even though you are relying on "reports" and or interviews/stories, people are fairly Loose with their verbiage. In general, they are Not precise. A good example of this is the WC Testimony of Emmett Hudson and his description of where he thought the shots came from. Much like following the directions of a gas station attendant, You need to proceed with caution.

[Thomas Graves]

    Even though you are relying on "reports" and or interviews/stories, people are fairly Loose with their verbiage. In general, they are Not precise. A good example of this is the WC Testimony of Emmett Hudson and his description of where he thought the shots came from. Much like following the directions of a gas station attendant, You need to proceed with caution.

Royell,

Gee, thanks for the advice.

-- MWT