Experts Gathering to Mark Historic 50th Anniversary of JFK Assassination

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Oct 03, 2013, 11:53 ET

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Despite that it happened a half-century ago, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy remains so relevant today that it has drawn together 30 scientific, legal and investigative experts as well as scholars, journalists and authors to discuss and explore this historical event's continued significance.

Reporters are invited to take advantage of this rare gathering of experts and authorities on the subject, who will be in Pittsburgh Thursday, Oct. 17, through Saturday, Oct. 19, for Passing the Torch: An International Symposium on the 50th Anniversary of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy at Duquesne University.

Among the featured conference presenters are:

Oliver Stone, director of the Academy-Award winning film JFK and director/narrator of Untold History of the United States
Dr. Robert N. McClelland, professor emeritus at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, who served as one of Kennedy's attending physicians at Parkland Hospital
David Talbot, author of the provocative 2007 book, Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years, and founder and former editor in chief of Salon.com
Dr. Cyril H. Wecht, testified in 1978 before the U.S. House Select Committee on Assassinations, during which he was the only one of a 9-member panel of forensic pathologists re-examining the JFK assassination to disagree with the single-bullet theory; served as a consultant on JFK
Mark Lane, a criminal defense attorney and author of the pioneering 1966 work, Rush to Judgment, among other books on the subject
Dr. Josiah Thompson, a private investigator and author of the influential 1967 micro-study of the assassination, Six Seconds in Dallas
Robert K. Tanenbaum, an attorney and expert legal commentator who served as deputy chief counsel to the U.S. House Select Committee on Assassinations.

Hosted by Duquesne University's Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law, the conference will delve into existing evidence and examine new insights and theories on the president's assassination.

Cyril Wecht believes that public interest in the case continues to be high and that further study is essential. "We, as Americans, need to know the truth," he said. "We need to be aware of historical matters, such as the Kennedy assassination, that are important to all of us and that, if ignored, have a very dangerous potential of breeding further secrecy, complacency and lies."

For more information on Passing the Torch, visit www.duq.edu/jfk, contact [email protected] or call 412.396.1330.

Duquesne University
Founded in 1878, Duquesne is consistently ranked among the nation's top Catholic universities for its award-winning faculty and tradition of academic excellence. Duquesne, a campus of more than 10,000 graduate and undergraduate students, has been nationally recognized for its academic programs, community service and commitment to sustainability.

www.duq.edu.

SOURCE Duquesne University