Nov 21 2008
I Remember John F. Kennedy Assassination
Oh, How I Remember John F. Kennedy!
He was the inspiration of my generation, even though his life tragically ended, 45 years ago, on November 22, 1963.
Like so many others of my age group who so vividly recall when and where we heard about the assassination, I, in my junior year English Class taught by Mrs. Nelson, heard the school principal on the intercom. I don’t remember very many of my teachers but when Mrs. Nelson broke down and cried that day, it was the first time I felt ANY affection toward her. It so humanized her. All of us were stunned speechless. Only when she began to cry did any of the rest of us freely weep. It was awful.
I remember the next few days as well. There were endless replays of film from the Dallas visit. Photos of LBJ taking the oath of office with Jackie, bloodied, standing by his side. It was awful.
I remember the disbelief, the emptiness, the feeling that the world had come to an end. Then there was the funeral and the procession, and the burial, and the little salute from three-year-old John-John. It was awful.
The family is mostly all gone now. Joseph P., Rose, Jack, Jackie, John-John, Bobby, and many of the sisters and in-laws and spouses.
Senator Edward Kennedy, Ted, is now the family Patriarch. He has brain cancer, but he continues to serve his family and his country.
There are other Kennedys still in the public eye: Caroline; Robert Kennedy, Jr; and others.
The Kennedy family of my youth has pretty much passed along the torch to the next generation, as we all must eventually do.
