Rosemary Willis
Encyclopedia
Rosemary Willis was a close witness during the assassination of President Kennedy
.
Clearly seen in the Zapruder film
at the start of the assassination wearing a white, hooded coat and a red skirt, located to the limousine's left, she runs southwestward and parallel with the limousine which she faces for a short time when the limousine was to her direct right.
At circa Zapruder film
frame 190 (hereafter "Z-190"), she is seen slowing, then she stops running and, simultaneous with her slowing/stopping, she slightly turns her level-facing head to end up looking towards the southwest corner of the Texas School Book Depository
.
Immediately after the sitting upright President Kennedy is first hidden at Z-207 by the "Stemmons Freeway" traffic sign in the Zapruder film
, Rosemary suddenly, and beginning at Z-214, snaps her head very rapidly 90 to 100 degrees westward (completely away from the depository southwest corner) within only 0.16 second to then face Abraham Zapruder
and the grassy knoll by Z-217.
Precisely 0.60 second after starting her extremely quick westward headsnap towards Mr. Zapruder and the grassy knoll, President Kennedy's head then emerges back into the Zapruder film view at Z-225. At that same instant he is still sitting upright with his face and arms already displaying a physical reaction to having already been impacted by a bullet sometime prior to Z-225.
Importantly, in 1978 Rosemary was interviewed by investigators from the House Select Committee on Assassinations (hereafter, the “HSCA”) and stated that she heard 3 shots shots during the assassination.
She also stated to the HSCA that while she was still facing the grassy knoll picket fence, she was attracted to view the quick movement of a person on the grassy knoll who quickly dropped down behind a "wall" out of her view.
Rosemary was also documented in the HSCA report stating that her father, military veteran Phillip Willis
, became very upset when the Dallas policemen, sheriffs, and detectives ran away from the grassy knoll, after they had first quickly ran onto the grassy knoll where he thought a shot had been fired from.
Rosemary's sister, Linda
, stated to assassination researcher and author Richard Trask (“Pictures of the Pain” 1994) that after the assassination she and Rosemary also saw someone find a piece of the president's head that had landed in the grass located at least twenty-two feet to the left of the president.
After the assassination Willis, along with her sister, father, and her mother (Marilyn) were present at the Kodak photographic laboratory getting her father’s assassination related photo slides developed at th same time as when the Zapruder film was also developed and first shown to approximately nineteen persons.
Even though she was a very close assassination witness, Rosemary was never interviewed by any Warren Commission
investigators.
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
.
Clearly seen in the Zapruder film
Zapruder film
The Zapruder film is a silent, color motion picture sequence shot by private citizen Abraham Zapruder with a home-movie camera, asU.S. President John F...
at the start of the assassination wearing a white, hooded coat and a red skirt, located to the limousine's left, she runs southwestward and parallel with the limousine which she faces for a short time when the limousine was to her direct right.
At circa Zapruder film
Zapruder film
The Zapruder film is a silent, color motion picture sequence shot by private citizen Abraham Zapruder with a home-movie camera, asU.S. President John F...
frame 190 (hereafter "Z-190"), she is seen slowing, then she stops running and, simultaneous with her slowing/stopping, she slightly turns her level-facing head to end up looking towards the southwest corner of the Texas School Book Depository
Texas School Book Depository
The Texas School Book Depository is the former name of a seven-floor building facing Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas . Located on the northwest corner of Elm and North Houston Streets, at the western end of downtown Dallas, its address is 411 Elm Street. The building is notable for its connection to...
.
Immediately after the sitting upright President Kennedy is first hidden at Z-207 by the "Stemmons Freeway" traffic sign in the Zapruder film
Zapruder film
The Zapruder film is a silent, color motion picture sequence shot by private citizen Abraham Zapruder with a home-movie camera, asU.S. President John F...
, Rosemary suddenly, and beginning at Z-214, snaps her head very rapidly 90 to 100 degrees westward (completely away from the depository southwest corner) within only 0.16 second to then face Abraham Zapruder
Abraham Zapruder
Abraham Zapruder was an American manufacturer of women's clothing. He was filming with a home-movie camera as U.S. President John F...
and the grassy knoll by Z-217.
Precisely 0.60 second after starting her extremely quick westward headsnap towards Mr. Zapruder and the grassy knoll, President Kennedy's head then emerges back into the Zapruder film view at Z-225. At that same instant he is still sitting upright with his face and arms already displaying a physical reaction to having already been impacted by a bullet sometime prior to Z-225.
Importantly, in 1978 Rosemary was interviewed by investigators from the House Select Committee on Assassinations (hereafter, the “HSCA”) and stated that she heard 3 shots shots during the assassination.
She also stated to the HSCA that while she was still facing the grassy knoll picket fence, she was attracted to view the quick movement of a person on the grassy knoll who quickly dropped down behind a "wall" out of her view.
Rosemary was also documented in the HSCA report stating that her father, military veteran Phillip Willis
Phillip Willis
Phillip LaFrance Willis was a close witness to the assassination of President Kennedy....
, became very upset when the Dallas policemen, sheriffs, and detectives ran away from the grassy knoll, after they had first quickly ran onto the grassy knoll where he thought a shot had been fired from.
Rosemary's sister, Linda
Linda Willis
Linda Kay Willis was a close witness during the assassination of President Kennedy.Seen in the Zapruder film at the start of the assassination wearing a blue coat and a long gold skirt, located to the left of President Kennedy's limousine, on the south side of Elm Street, directly in front of the...
, stated to assassination researcher and author Richard Trask (“Pictures of the Pain” 1994) that after the assassination she and Rosemary also saw someone find a piece of the president's head that had landed in the grass located at least twenty-two feet to the left of the president.
After the assassination Willis, along with her sister, father, and her mother (Marilyn) were present at the Kodak photographic laboratory getting her father’s assassination related photo slides developed at th same time as when the Zapruder film was also developed and first shown to approximately nineteen persons.
Even though she was a very close assassination witness, Rosemary was never interviewed by any Warren Commission
Warren Commission
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established on November 27, 1963, by Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
investigators.
External links
- Details and Zapruder frames documenting the Rosemary Willis very rapid headsnap towards the grassy knoll
- An Image-stabilized Version of the Zapruder Film, Running in a Loop. Users must initially wait a few seconds for the first quicktime version to download, after which the film runs continuously.
- The Phil Willis Camera – Argus Autronic I – Camera revue and User's Manual