The testimony of Mrs. Barbara Rowland was taken at 4 p.m., on April 7,
1964, in the office of the U.S. attorney, 301 Post Office Building,
Bryan and Ervay Streets, Dallas, Tex., by Mr. David W. Belin, assistant
counsel of the President's Commission.
Mr. BELIN. Mrs. Rowland, will you stand and be sworn. Do you solemnly
swear that the testimony you are about to give before this President's
Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy is the truth, the
whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Would you please state your name.
Mrs. ROWLAND. Barbara Rowland.
Mr. BELIN. Is it Miss or Mrs.?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Mrs.
Mr. BELIN. To whom are you married?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Arnold Lewis Rowland.
Mr. BELIN. Your husband has already gone to Washington to testify
before the Commission in Washington, is that correct?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. What is your occupation right now? What are you doing?
Mrs. ROWLAND. I am a housewife.
Mr. BELIN. Are you a high school graduate?
Mrs. ROWLAND. No, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Are you still attending high school?
Mrs. ROWLAND. No; but I plan to go back later.
Mr. BELIN. In the fall?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Where is your husband working?
Mrs. ROWLAND. He's got a new job. He is working for Life Circulation
Co., or corporation, I don't know which.
Mr. BELIN. What does he do?
Mrs. ROWLAND. He is a telephone solicitor.
Mr. BELIN. For magazine subscriptions?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Is your husband a high school graduate or not?
Mrs. ROWLAND. No.
Mr. BELIN. Did you meet while you were going to high school?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. How old is your husband, by the way?
Mrs. ROWLAND. He is 18.
Mr. BELIN. When were you married?
Mrs. ROWLAND. We were married May 16, 1963.
Mr. BELIN. So you will be having your anniversary in another few weeks?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. Do you know if I got on the record your residence?
Mrs. ROWLAND. 1131A Phinney.
Mr. BELIN. Is that in Dallas?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. Are you originally from Dallas?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. You lived here all your life?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Except the summer we lived in Oregon.
Mr. BELIN. Is your husband originally from Dallas?
Mrs. ROWLAND. He is from Corpus Christi.
Mr. BELIN. Has he lived in Texas all of his life, do you know, or not?
Mrs. ROWLAND. No. He has lived in Texas and Kansas and Oregon and
Arizona, and I don't know where else.
Mr. BELIN. When did he live in Kansas?
Mrs. ROWLAND. About 2 years ago, I think.
Mr. BELIN. Do you know what he was doing when he was in Kansas?
Mrs. ROWLAND. He was going to school and working, I don't know what as.
I think he worked in a cafe.
Mr. BELIN. Do you know how far your husband got through school?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Well, his credits are all mixed up. I think he lacks one
or two semesters.
Mr. BELIN. Of completing high school?
Mrs. ROLAND. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. You said you were going back to school. Does he plan to keep
working, or does he plan to go back to school?
Mrs. ROWLAND. He plans to go back to school sometime. I'm not sure when.
Mr. BELIN. To finish high school?
Mrs. ROWLAND. And college. Go to college, I think.
Mr. BELIN. Well, has he ever made any application for college yet, that
you know of?
Mrs. ROWLAND. I don't know for certain.
Mr. BELIN. Do you know, or has he ever said to you that he has?
Mrs. ROWLAND. He told me he was going to make an application at Oregon
State, and--but I don't know if he ever made any applications anywhere.
Mr. BELIN. Would you categorize yourself insofar as your grades that
you got in high school, would they have been C's, B's, or A's, or what?
Mrs. ROWLAND. A's and a few B's.
Mr. BELIN. What was your major?
Mrs. ROWLAND. English.
Mr. BELIN. If you had one?
Mrs. ROWLAND. I was going to major in English, Math, and Spanish.
Mr. BELIN. All three?
Mrs. ROWLAND. In high school.
Mr. BELIN. What about your husband? Did you know what he was majoring
in?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Math, I think.
Mr. BELIN. Do you know about what his grades were?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Varied.
Mr. BELIN. What do you mean by that?
Mrs. ROWLAND. He made A's and B's in some subjects, and he made C's and
D's, I think, in other subjects.
Mr. BELIN. Was this before you were married?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Yes. He says he has an A average, but I don't believe
him.
Mr. BELIN. Why? Did he tell you that?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Yes. He told me that, because I saw a few of his report
cards.
Mr. BELIN. Pardon?
Mrs. ROWLAND. I saw a few of his report cards and they weren't all A's.
Mr. BELIN. For what years would that have been?
Mrs. ROWLAND. I don't remember. I just saw them.
Mr. BELIN. Mrs. Rowland, I want to get just a little bit more
background information. After you were married, were you employed at
all or not?
Mrs. ROWLAND. I worked for Sanger Harris during the Christmas season
this year, this past year.
Mr. BELIN. Other than that?
Mrs. ROWLAND. Well, I worked for about 3 days for a friend of mine at a
dry goods store.
Mr. BELIN. What about your husband? What jobs has he held since you
were married?