45 years ago

[twinsrwe]

It has been 45 years ago since John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Even as of today, this tragedy remains one of the most controversial events in U.S. history.

Anyone who's old enough to remember November 22, 1963, knows exactly where they were when they found out John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I remember I was in Algebra class when the lesson was interrupted by an announcement made by the principle. It seemed as though the entire world stood still; you could have heard a pin drop and we were sent home for the day.

Do you remember where you were when you heard that JFK was killed?

[Kat]

People were actually talking about this today finally.
In past years, one often goes the day without hearing any reference to this anniversary in discussion.

I used to think I remembered where I was, but recently found my old report cards my dad had kept, and turns out, by my schedule, I was not just coming out of Home Ec. (Home ICK we called it)- after all.

[SallyG]

I was 7, so I don't recall the day clearly. I would have been in school in the second grade. If we got out early, which I'm sure we did, I don't remember it.

I do, however, remember watching the funeral on TV with my parents, and seeing John, Jr.'s salute. That is very vivid in my memory.

[doug65oh]

It’s odd, but I actually had to hunt to find almost any reference to President Kennedy or the assassination in the news today. There’s a piece or two in the Cape Cod Times, but that’s about it so far as I saw. It’s amazing some of the comments folks have posted in places, though. First thing I thought of was is this how far we’ve come? I did find this though, an amazing piece at http://www.baylor.edu/lariat/news.php?a ... tory=54787

The column is apparently called "Point of View" and this one was published the day before LBJ's address to the Congress.

I should dig out my Camelot cd...

[twinsrwe]

I also had a difficult time finding anything on the assassination of JFK until later in the day when I did a Google search using the letters/numbers: JFK 45 years

Here is an article from The Dallas Morning News:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 60df2.html



Also found a couple of interesting videos:

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en- ... f34ec3a608

http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/ ... 04263.html

[doug65oh]

I ran across what has to be one of the funniest clips - I'd never seen it before. WFAA TV in Dallas was covering the President's arrival at Love Field. Off to the side, visible for a few seconds, was a woman waving a hand-made sign that said Nixon Go Home!

Here's the clip, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uFvgZsU-bs

[mbhenty]

The nuns had taken us on a field trip that November day in 1963. If I remember correctly it was to Lafayette park. We suddenly were told that we had to head back. All the nuns were crying. We knew something was wrong. Though nuns were routinely instruments for making us cry, it was strange to see them in such a weak and desperate state.

Shortly after that a portrait of a young John Kennedy, one hand folded over his wrist, the American flag over his left shoulder, was placed on the wall in the living room. Facing JFK, but on another wall, was a portrait of Pope John.

Mom passed away last month. We begun cleaning the house out. Just these past few weeks Pope John and President John were taken down. They both hung there for almost 45 years.

[doug65oh]

One of the most fascinating interviews I've ever seen is at http://www.c-span.org/apa/jfk.asp - click the link for Dr. Jim Carrico. He's since passed away, but was part of the medical team who treated the President at Parkland Hospital. It's an excellent "slice of life" sort of interview, very well-done. Dr. Carrico gets slightly technical now and then but is always considerate of the layman. (I suspect he had a wonderful bedside manner.) Graphic it really isn't, not at all.

[Nadzieja]

First I want to say that I'm sorry to hear about your mom, mb. Be gentle with yourself because you're probably going to find things in that house you totally forgot about and will bring back many memories. I know I did. I was in 4th grade and remember a nun came running in and said that someone shot the president. The nuns were just so upset, we all got sent home & lived in front of the tv for the next few days. I remember watching the entire funeral with the rest of my family.

[mbhenty]

Yes, Thank you NADZIEJA for the kind words and advice.

Mother loved President Kennedy. If we didn't hear it once we heard it a million times when she would say, "Mr. Kennedy and I were born in the same year." As the years went by she spoke less and less of it, until she denied she was that old.

Yes, I believe the nuns sent us home also.

I remember watching it and being very disturbed. It was to real and violent, like no movie I had ever been to.

Today when anything about it appears on the TV I immediately change the channel or turn off the box. I refuse to watch it.


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Yes, TWINSRWE. I just noticed the photo of Kennedy that you displayed in your post above. I missed it the first time around, thus I displayed my own image. That was the photo my Mother had on the wall for 45 years. Every time we visited Mom Mr Kennedy looked down upon us. On the 4th of July she would drape a small flag over it. During "Palm Sunday" Mr. Kennedy was decorated with palms.......durring Christmas it was ribbons or bows. He received more attention than the photo of Pope John which sat on another wall.

[Stefani]

I was four an a half years old when it happened. But I distinctly remember the TV being on all night long and people filing by the casket in the rotunda of the capital. Black and white images of grief. I remember the funeral too.

I don't remember my parents' words or feelings. We were in California then, weren't we Kat? I can't remember more than that, but for four and a half, that is a stark memory.

[twinsrwe]

Mb, I also want to say that I am sorry to hear about your mother. I agree with Lorraine - I know when my siblings and I went through my mothers belongings it was very difficult - some of the memories were sad some were happy. Dealing with the death of a family member is never easy.

... Yes, TWINSRWE. I just noticed the photo of Kennedy that you displayed in your post above. I missed it the first time around, thus I displayed my own image. That was the photo my Mother had on the wall for 45 years. Every time we visited Mom Mr Kennedy looked down upon us. On the 4th of July she would drape a small flag over it. During "Palm Sunday" Mr. Kennedy was decorated with palms.......durring Christmas it was ribbons or bows. He received more attention than the photo of Pope John which sat on another wall.

Actually, I like your photo better than the one I posted, since yours is a bit longer and indicates who colorized the it - I can read that the guys first name is Fabian, but his last name is too fuzzy for me to read. What is his last name?

[doug65oh]

Here's a Kennedy Library link that asnwers your question, Judy.

http://store.jfklibrary.org/jfk/product ... 026&s_id=0&

The firm still exists, believe it or not. See http://lfbachrach.com/

[twinsrwe]

I find it interesting that there is a lot more reports on the news today regarding the 45 year anniversary of JFK's assassination than there was yesterday!

Something else I found interesting, which I just didn't put much focus on before searching for anything regarding the 45th anniversary of JFK's assassination, was the fact that Caroline was born on November 27, 1957 and John, Jr. was born November 25, 1960. So, their father was assassinated 5 days before Caroline's 6th birthday and 3 days before John, Jr. 3rd birthday. To make matters worst, President Kennedy was interred on John, Jr's 3rd birthday! This information makes the photo of little John-John saluting the flag-draped casket of his father as it pasted by him an even more emotional and iconic image. It puts shivers up and down my back!

I am posting one photo in black & white and another in color, as I don't know which you'd be most familiar with. My family had a black & white TV, so of course the first one is most familiar to me. Although the colorized one is interesting to note that Caroline seemed to be oblivious to what was going on in front of her - perhaps this was her way of coping with her father's death.

(Click on images to enlarge.)

[twinsrwe]

Here's a Kennedy Library link that asnwers your question, Judy.

http://store.jfklibrary.org/jfk/product ... 026&s_id=0&

The firm still exists, believe it or not. See http://lfbachrach.com/

Thanks, Doug! I enjoyed viewing both links.

[doug65oh]

Here's a couple of neat pictures. You don't know their faces perhaps, but more than likely you've seen their work a time or two.

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/images/stoughton.htm
http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/images/photogs.htm

[mbhenty]

Yes, TWINSRWE: Thanks for the kind words.

The photographer's name is Fabian Bachrach.

There is one on ebay for sale as we speak.

http://cgi.ebay.com/John-F-Kennedy-Colo ... 3005r25759

[Kat]

Yes, going thru a loved one's personal possessions is very bittersweet. The things one finds- the things they found important. And memories. So sorry for your loss.
It's been a tough year so far.

Yes we were in California. My second year out of Catholic school, 7th grade. (That school was featured in a true crime book as a place [and at a place I used to sit outside on break] where a murder plot was decided upon, years in the future].)

As a family, we did watch the unfolding story constantly. I think we saw Ruby get shot live TV, I believe.
Yes, MB, that is real violence.

We did not leave school.

I rember Reagan being shot on TV, and the Texas sniper, Charles Whitman, too. Lots of scarring violence.

Actually I saw quite a few programs on TV on the Kennedy Assassination this past weekend, late at night.

[mbhenty]

Yes, Thank you KAT for the kind words.

I found the Kennedy assassination particularly violent, perhaps because I was so young.

When Regan got shot all you can see is a bunch of guys hunching over, getting into a car, and tackling another.

When John Kennedy got shot I was terrorize by the scene of Jacqueline Kennedy getting out of her seat reaching to the back of the car to retrieve, what was reported at the time, a chunk of Kennedy's brain. I shiver writing this. It's amazing how memories and terror of a child can undo the stable emotions in the adult. Still rocks me today. I refuse to witness that image and footage ever again.

[twinsrwe]

I agree Mb, the scene of Jackie crawling onto the back of the car is gruesome! I don't blame you for not wanting to see it again.

You're right, about childhood memories and the terror one experiences. The Kennedy assassination was extremely violent, and the news reports held nothing back.

[Yooper]

That was a tragic day, indeed. I had gotten the day off school to go hunting with my father that weekend. We found out about the events at about 1:00 pm, Walter Cronkite's television coverage. All we had was radio to keep track of the events, so I missed a lot of the live television broadcasts.

I saw a television program the other night which supported the single assassin theory. It struck me that 45 years later, we are still going to the time and expense of producing support for both sides of the controversy.