John F Kennedy was President of the United States. He was young, smart and popular. Tragedy struck him in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. His assassination put the whole country in great mourning. People at CSDR were shocked and saddened by his sudden death. I contacted old timers to share their recollections on what they were doing when they first learned the shocking news.
Karen Kleiman, ‘66, shot this picture with her camera that she often carried with her. Her picture turns out to be priceless. As far as I know, the US and California flags have been put at half staff only twice in the past 70 years. The above was the first.
David Simpson, ‘66, found out the big news as he exited the driver training car on campus. It is the day he never forgets.
Kleiman found out the sad news in Frank Husak’s reading class. Frank left the radio on all day to hear all the news. He listened to the bad news of JFK’s shooting in Dallas and broke the news to his class.
On the first anniversary of President Kennedy’s shooting in Nov 1964, I was seven at the Missouri School for the Deaf. I locked my eyes on the black and white TV for some reason. I watched the horse-drawn carriage with the US flag-covered coffin on Pennsylvania Ave. I saw John Jr, 3, make a military salute on his forehead for his Dad. Twenty years later, I realized it was President Kennedy’s funeral procession.
Lily Miller, ‘68, was in Miss Meek’s homemaking classroom. She had her radio on. All of a sudden, she stopped teaching and listened to the radio. She looked shocked and told her students that JFK was shot. Then the bell rang. They went to their next class, PE. The girls told Miss Emerick and Mrs Peters about JFK’s shooting. The teachers told them to go to the gym and sit on the floor. TV was brought out. Since there were no captions on TV then, Mrs Peters interpreted some. She slowly told the girls that JFK had died—an unforgettable day for Lily.
Tom Henes, ‘63, was in his first year at Gallaudet. He learned the bad news from his college friend. Professors canceled all the afternoon classes. The US Capitol is only a few miles from Gallaudet. President JFK was laid to rest in the Rotunda inside the Capitol a few days later and then buried in the Arlington National Cemetery with a forever flame as seen in the picture.
We at CSDR salute our President John F Kennedy for his service and sacrifice in the line of duty. He remains in the national’s and CSDR’s history as a great President.
Kevin Struxness, ‘76, MA
Editor, CSDR Old Times
23 November 2024
Comentarios