Buell Frazier is but one example someone perhaps having a morphing memory. We haven’t seen any evidence of his morphing until recent years. But human memories can morph over time. Maybe a discussion of this is in order.
I am going to give an example based on a real event from about 50-years ago. While still barely teenagers but the drinking age lowered to 18 for a short while, some friends and I went to town to see an up and coming band (but mainly to drink beer). Here’s a photo of that band that was taken some 6-months before we saw them.
If you didn’t recognize them, that is Lynyrd Skynyrd before they became well known. Here is my memory of that night:
We got there early and snagged a table right in front of the stage, maybe 10 feet from the band. The pitchers of beer flowed all evening. Sometime later on one of our group said something like “Hey, there’s someone who looks like Mick Jagger.” I thought to myself “no way.” I don’t remember seeing Mick Jagger or anyone that looked like him. I do remember a discussion as we were returning to the car about how good Lynyrd Skynyrd was.
Now, here is the memory of one of my friends. He is currently a very healthy and fit individual and happily married and enjoying life. He “remembers” that Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones joined Lynyrd Skynyrd on the stage and performed together with them. Now, I will confirm that we were all young and foolish and had had too much to drink. I can only guess that my friend had repeated the story over the years and it morphed (like a fish story) into what he actually believes at this point in time 50-years later. I got away from the heavy drinking a few years after this episode. He continued to drink heavily until maybe 15-years ago. I didn’t see him for all those years but our paths crossed about 8-years ago. And he firmly believes he saw Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones that night 50-years ago. I have researched enough to say that there is no evidence that Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones were there that night. But I doubt that anyone could ever convince my friend that he didn’t see them.
Anyway, this might be a good thread to discuss some of the witnesses to the JFK assassination whose memories appear to have morphed over the years. I already mentioned Buell Frazier, who else would anyone like to discuss?
