Poppop & JFK

James Francis Smith was my grandpa, and after passing away in 2020, he remains an active influence in my life. He had the quality in that, with 84 years on earth, basically had a story for everything. He translated much of his experience onto a page, where he wrote and published 7 books in his retirement from Weyerhaeuser, the Fortune 500 paper company. His final publication was called The Grassy Knoll Assassination where he introduced Sherlock Holmes to investigate the John F. Kennedy assassination. Like all of his books, it was an absolute page turner. But through years of research he 'caught the bug' and became fascinated with what transpired on November 22, 1963. On that fateful day, there were a number of factors that led to the president's demise. As his loving grandson, I helped him market his books, introducing him to the fervent and passionate JFK fanbase on the internet. We made Facebook pages, developed his LinkedIn profile, and regularly added to his WordPress blog. Controversy propels the JFK faithful, and some of his assertions were not met with a warm response. He had not expected a backlash to his contribution to the JFK community, and I had to constantly encourage him to continue with his dedication to finding the truth. Stubborn and confident, he insisted that his book was the preeminent source of what happened in Dallas Texas. He offered a unique and educated perspective to the mystery, but I had to remind him that the old man with Wi-Fi may not have it all figured out. However, I remained supportive to feed the fire that had brought him the motivation to bring the story to life. I am incredibly proud of him for his courage to believe that he could become an accomplished author, and I find resolve in that he got to complete his library with The Grassy Knoll Assassination book.