The Briefing Room
General Category => Science, Technology and Knowledge => History => Topic started by: TomSea on November 22, 2019, 01:08:15 pm
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Tears, grief and disbelief: The assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963
Today
President John F. Kennedy died on Nov. 22, 1963, when he was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
Kennedy had started his term as the 35th president of the United States in January 1961.
Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, were riding in a motorcade from the airport headed to a luncheon where he was scheduled to speak. They were accompanied by Texas Governor John Connally and his wife, Nellie.
Read more at: https://www.pennlive.com/life/2019/11/tears-grief-and-disbelief-the-assassination-of-president-john-f-kennedy-in-1963.html (https://www.pennlive.com/life/2019/11/tears-grief-and-disbelief-the-assassination-of-president-john-f-kennedy-in-1963.html)
A handful of JFK articles today. Just posting. Maybe more later.
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Who can forget this day? I was in 2nd grade and they closed our school. I remember my mom picking us up in tears and her explaining what happened. We got home and instead of cartoons, the news ran with the assassination of JFK. Neighbors talked about it for days. It meant nothing to me at the time as I was too young. Even at 7 though, the sentiment of the country made an impact and I've remembered it.
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I was also in second grade in Catholic Grade school and all 8 grades filed out of class and walk across the grounds to church. Spend the rest of the school day praying for the President. When I walked home and came inside the house my Mom was watching the news and crying.
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I learned of it as I was walking into the school "multipurpose room". They didn't send us home early or anything like that. And it was a public school, so no spiritual stuff was done.
In CA's scope and sequence for History, the following year for me was our first time covering American History, so I don't know if I knew in 11/1963 that any American President had been assassinated.
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Hmmmmm....buncha old farts in here......I was in the 2nd grad too when it happened. I was attending Reagan County public schools at the time and we lived 35 miles from Big Lake. they let school out early that afternoon. It did not really matter to me, as I did not care and all the political indoctrination they did on us had not taken hold.
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I was in 7th grade remember it was a snowy Friday was in cafeteria eating lunch when they put it over the PA.
Politics aside I think the assassination had a long term effect on the public's perception of the Federal Government. It made conspiracy theories mainstream... :shrug:
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I was ten and at school as most were. They let us out early. I know I sure didn't understand the gravity of the situation at the time.
I do know that Dallas was branded with the event for many, many years. Unfairly.
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I was ten and at school as most were. They let us out early. I know I sure didn't understand the gravity of the situation at the time.
I do know that Dallas was branded with the event for many, many years. Unfairly.
The Press hounded on the fact that "Right Wingers" attacked Adlai Stevenson in Dallas a few weeks before the assassination. They so wanted it to be a right-winger that killed JFK. They still can't deal with the fact that a Commie did it, hence all the conspiracy theories.
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I was also in second grade in Catholic Grade school and all 8 grades filed out of class and walk across the grounds to church. Spend the rest of the school day praying for the President. When I walked home and came inside the house my Mom was watching the news and crying.
1st grade at the time. What seemed most strange that day, was the sound of the news coming across our classroom intercom, instead of the Principle's voice, and grown ups being quiet.
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The Press hounded on the fact that "Right Wingers" attacked Adlai Stevenson in Dallas a few weeks before the assassination. They so wanted it to be a right-winger that killed JFK. They still can't deal with the fact that a Commie did it, hence all the conspiracy theories.
Yep. They still try to tell the lie it was a bunch of Birchers who killed him. I hear that all the time from the few older Cook County inlaws who are still alive......
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I was in third grade in southern California, and don't remember school being cancelled or anything like that. I do recall that it made perfect sense to my 7-year-old brain that since JFK was a Democrat, and Republicans oppose Democrats, the shooter must have been a Republican.
Needless to say, neither my thought processes - nor my knowledge - were particularly sophisticated at the time. :shrug:
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I was 12 in a Catholic school when it happened...most of us walked over to the church to pray others stayed and watched on the television which was wheeled into the classrooms for the older children....they released school early..my mom was in tears when she picked us up..we went home and spent the weekend in mourning...it was like a member of the family had died..I had planned a slumber party for several of my girlfriends...it was cancelled, of course everyone understood as they were all grief stricken as well.
....an aside...several years earlier JFK was campaigning in Belleville, Ill [where we lived]...all the parish schools in the area lined the road with kids and nuns to wave to him in the motorcade..I remember seeing his bright red hair....a few blocks before us in another parish a wedding was just finishing and the bride and groom were exiting the church..the motorcade stopped and JFK exited the car to kiss the bride....sigh
adding....right before we left for Sunday morning Mass Oswald was shot...looking at people in church was surreal, we were all going through the same thing...that is one thing I will never forget, the looks on every ones faces...no smiles or hellos
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And yet another aside @mystery-ak ...I had a lot of family in Belleville. Went there once as a kid...beautiful town.
I also had family in some really small towns in S. Ill. As I recall...beautiful. I looked up the town (Carrier Mills) a couple of years ago on a whim. The little George Bailey place is a ghost town due to the coal mines closing.
Like I said...sorry for the thread drift but it's been a really long time since I've heard Belleville mentioned. I had no idea JFK stopped there.
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And yet another aside @mystery-ak ...I had a lot of family in Belleville. Went there once as a kid...beautiful town.
I also had family in some really small towns in S. Ill. As I recall...beautiful. I looked up the town (Carrier Mills) a couple of years ago on a whim. The little George Bailey place is a ghost town due to the coal mines closing.
Like I said...sorry for the thread drift but it's been a really long time since I've heard Belleville mentioned. I had no idea JFK stopped there.
Belleville was a beautiful German town...of course it isn't anymore as all things change..most of my family that lived there have either died or moved....I just have memories of what it once was..
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I was 12 in a Catholic school when it happened...most of us walked over to the church to pray others stayed and watched on the television which was wheeled into the classrooms for the older children....they released school early..my mom was in tears when she picked us up..we went home and spent the weekend in mourning...it was like a member of the family had died..I had planned a slumber party for several of my girlfriends...it was cancelled, of course everyone understood as they were all grief stricken as well.
....an aside...several years earlier JFK was campaigning in Belleville, Ill [where we lived]...all the parish schools in the area lined the road with kids and nuns to wave to him in the motorcade..I remember seeing his bright red hair....a few blocks before us in another parish a wedding was just finishing and the bride and groom were exiting the church..the motorcade stopped and JFK exited the car to kiss the bride....sigh
adding....right before we left for Sunday morning Mass Oswald was shot...looking at people in church was surreal, we were all going through the same thing...that is one thing I will never forget, the looks on every ones faces...no smiles or hellos
My wife was dressed in her Catholic school girl Uniform on Nov 18 1963 and was bussed to watch The President at an event at Al Lopez Field and then saw him later along his route driving up Dale Mabry Ave.
Kennedy’s plane landed at MacDill Air Force Base Nov. 18, 1963 where the president met with military leaders before taking a helicopter into town for several events.
JFK came to Tampa to mark the 50th anniversary of the first commercial air flight between St. Petersburg and Tampa.
Kennedy was celebrated by enthusiastic crowds everywhere he stopped during his five-hour visit, Al Lopez Field, the Armory, the International Inn and along his motorcade route Franklin Street and Grand Central, now Kennedy Boulevard.
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Hmmmmm....buncha old farts in here......I was in the 2nd grad too when it happened. I was attending Reagan County public schools at the time and we lived 35 miles from Big Lake. they let school out early that afternoon. It did not really matter to me, as I did not care and all the political indoctrination they did on us had not taken hold.
LOL! I was a sophomore in HS walking down the hall between classes when the announcement was made. Don't remember much about what happened after that.
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And yet another aside @mystery-ak ...I had a lot of family in Belleville. Went there once as a kid...beautiful town.
I also had family in some really small towns in S. Ill. As I recall...beautiful. I looked up the town (Carrier Mills) a couple of years ago on a whim. The little George Bailey place is a ghost town due to the coal mines closing.
Like I said...sorry for the thread drift but it's been a really long time since I've heard Belleville mentioned. I had no idea JFK stopped there.
Small world. My aunt and family also lived in Belleville, IL. She has since died, but my cousin and his family still live close by.
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I had no idea JFK stopped there.
Belleville is just a few miles across the river from St Louis....it is and was a Dem stronghold so that is why he came...I am sure there was some big campaign event planned there and when finished headed back to St Louis and Lambert Airport and on to the next stop.
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Small world. My aunt and family also lived in Belleville, IL. She has since died, but my cousin and his family still live close by.
It is a small world! :laugh:
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Belleville is just a few miles across the river from St Louis....it is and was a Dem stronghold so that is why he came...I am sure there was some big campaign event planned there and when finished headed back to St Louis and Lambert Airport and on to the next stop.
Interesting. My paternal side has always been Repub so I can see why they wouldn't have attended. But they were Catholic. But JFK going to Belleville is a strange move. Oh well, I have no living relative to ask about this event. And it doesn't matter anymore any way.
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Interesting. My paternal side has always been Repub so I can see why they wouldn't have attended. But they were Catholic. But JFK going to Belleville is a strange move. Oh well, I have no living relative to ask about this event. And it doesn't matter anymore any way.
Naturally we were Catholic [Belleville was heavily Catholic back then] and Dems....My Mom changed and voted Repub for Nixon...I think it was the VN War that made her vote Repub..Nixon was my first vote also..
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The Illinois Central Trains stopped all trains
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