I remember sitting at one of the picnic tables outside Hutchinson
Commons with friends from college. I was
in Med School and most of them were in various graduate biological science
programs. Someone walked by and said
something about Kennedy being shot. We
really did not believe that it was anything serious. Someone told a joke about Kennedy collecting
bowling balls to make a rosary for the Statue of Liberty which would now be
called “Our Lady of the Harbor.” We
finished lunch and hurried off to class.
I had anatomy lab nearby and joined my group around our cadaver.
Very quickly the class learned that Kennedy had indeed been shot in
Dallas and had died! The entire class
was silent. A few people continued
dissecting but most just sat quietly talking and thinking about what a
horrible, unimaginable thing had happened.
I think I’ve always been interested in politics. One of my earliest memories is listening to
the radio and hearing hushed voices and hoof beats marching slowing. Later, I realized that I had listened to
FDR’s funeral procession in Washington in April 1945. Arthur Godfrey was
describing the procession.
I remember listening to the GOP and Democratic conventions in
1952. By 1956, I was really
interested. I followed the nomination of
Stevenson who then threw the nomination for Vice-President to the
convention. I had read an article in
Life about a group of Senators. Included
were Theodore Francis Green of RI who chaired the Foreign Relations Committee
and was in his mid-90s, several other senior senators and a young man they
called “The Boy,” John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
He was a young dynamic RC Irish American from Massachusetts. When he ran for the VP nomination it was
exciting. No Catholic candidate had
gotten that far since Al Smith in 1928. He
lost, of course. But in 1960, I stayed
up until the early hours to hear Wyoming make his nomination for President
final. I also stayed up very late to
hear his acceptance speech.
Election night was difficult. There was only 1 TV in Burton Judson
Courts for about 400 students. I don’t
really remember watching TV much. My
memories of the election come mainly from Theodore White’s, “The Making of the
President 1960.” I did watch the
inauguration in January and was delighted with the new President. He was everything I thought a President
should be, intelligent, thoughtful, well-spoken, witty, good-looking,
charismatic, etc.
Various commentators have tried to determine why JFK was so well
remembered since his death. After 8
years of Eisenhower who was everyone’s “grandfather,” it was exciting to have a
President who was everyone’s son and brother.
Nixon was everyone’s lawyer and therefore, easily fired. JFK’s sophisticated, intelligent, cultured
wife did not hurt either. The White
House had gone from Midwestern blah to eastern sophistication and culture. Additionally, JFK was superb on TV. He was the first President who knew how to
use the new media. With almost daily
coverage and the dramatic increase in televisions in homes, he became part of
everyone’s family. When he died we lost
a family member. The minute by minute
coverage of the funeral left a permanent image on the American mind. When Jackie Kennedy died, at least one
commentator remarked that she held the country together during that weekend. Her courage and poise forced everyone else to
behavior similarly. If she could get
through this, so could every American.
Only recently have I accepted that Oswald shot Kennedy alone. There was no second gunman in Dealey Plaza or
on or behind the grassy knoll. However,
I have trouble believing that killing Kennedy was solely Oswald’s idea. Maybe if, Ruby had not killed him, I might
accept that he acted totally alone. But,
since Ruby silenced Oswald 2 days later, no one can prove that Oswald acted
alone and that no one helped him in any way.
Nor can they prove that Ruby was not hired to silence him forever.
Six others were hanged for conspiring with John Wilkes Booth. Garfield’s assassin was an insane individual
who stalked the President. Garfield had
no protection as he stood talking to someone in front of the train
station. Besides, Garfield died from
inept, stupid medical care, not from the bullet wound. While British physicians
were using aseptic techniques, American doctors did not believe in Llster’s
germ theories. I know little of
McKinley’s assassination and cannot comment.
Friday was the 50th anniversary of JFK’s death. Television covered that day extensively this
year, showing clips and reviewing events.
Bill Maher did a wonderful tribute to JFK on his show, explaining why
the Democrats like JKF and the Republicans idolize Reagan. Tom Brokaw did a special asking prominent
people where they were that day. Anyone
old enough knew exactly where they were.
Kathleen Parker in her column said that the assassination was in our “bones”
and would never leave us. I think for
those of us alive in 1963 that is absolutely true.
There were two tributes from 1963 that they did not mention. There was a TV show, entitled “That was the
Week that was.” It did an amazing
tribute that week. The second was the
Herblock editorial cartoon that covered a full page in the Chicago Sun
Times. It showed Lincoln in his chair in
the Memorial leaning forward with his head in his hands in total anguish! It was devastating to see.
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