John
Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May
29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK,
was the 35th President
of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in
1963.
Republished
I saw
President John F. Kennedy assassinated on this day in 1963. I worked on the
fifth floor in the building east of the Texas Book Depository where supposedly
the shot was fired from. Myself and my office staff was lined up at the window
with an unobstructed view of the parade.
We
heard the shot, it sounded like a car backfiring and then Jackie started trying
to climb out the back of the car. She was wearing a bright pink pillbox hat and
suit and from our vantage point we could see all of the confusion with the
secret service trying to push her down and the car speeding away. Jackie was
doing her best to climb out of the car over the trunk.
I
didn't know anything to speak of about politics. I was a cynic about the
process of politics, having been involved in a campaign for Governor Huey Long
of Louisiana. That's a story for another day.
My
unvarnished reaction:
I turned away from the window and headed back to my office with all the staff yelling the President has been shot. My comment was, these people will do anything to get elected. Even fake a shooting.
I wasn't devastated at the news, at the time I wasn't too concerned with politics.
The person I was dating who later became my husband had been invited to the big whohah party for President Kennedy and Governor Connelly. When the announcement came that the President was dead my first thought wasn't about how it would affect a nation. It was I would not be going to a party and wouldn't get to wear a new black ribbon knit dress with the matching coat trimmed in black mink. I had my hair in a French twist and thought I was going to be the hottie of the evening.
I turned away from the window and headed back to my office with all the staff yelling the President has been shot. My comment was, these people will do anything to get elected. Even fake a shooting.
I wasn't devastated at the news, at the time I wasn't too concerned with politics.
The person I was dating who later became my husband had been invited to the big whohah party for President Kennedy and Governor Connelly. When the announcement came that the President was dead my first thought wasn't about how it would affect a nation. It was I would not be going to a party and wouldn't get to wear a new black ribbon knit dress with the matching coat trimmed in black mink. I had my hair in a French twist and thought I was going to be the hottie of the evening.
As the
weekend progressed and every television station counted and recounted the
event, it began to sink in on how the nation and the direction of domestic and
foreign policy would be effected. Like many others I stayed glued to the news
and watched every aspect of the assassination, the swearing in of President
Lyndon Johnson and the funeral. The city was like the Twilight Zone, no cars on
the streets, stores and restaurants empty. It was this way for the entire
week-end.
When my 21 year old grandson Gavin was about 9-10 I took him to the Texas Book Depository which is now a museum and was explaining to him how his Nana had actually seen the assassination of President Kennedy. He said President Kennedy is the only President that was assassinated wasn't he? I said no President Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth when he was at the theater.. He asked me Did you see that one to? No that was one way before my time.. He still hasn't lived that comment down.
When my 21 year old grandson Gavin was about 9-10 I took him to the Texas Book Depository which is now a museum and was explaining to him how his Nana had actually seen the assassination of President Kennedy. He said President Kennedy is the only President that was assassinated wasn't he? I said no President Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth when he was at the theater.. He asked me Did you see that one to? No that was one way before my time.. He still hasn't lived that comment down.
