Where were you when JFK was assassinated?

Dryburn

Well-Known Member
Apr 3, 2006
10,033
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Somewhere in the U.S.
Next month on November 22, will mark the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination. I realize this will date me, but I thought it might be interesting to see what those who do remember it remember about it, what they were doing, whatever. It is one of those dates that people always remember where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news.

Personally, I was in the 7th grade at the time. Shortly after lunch that day, an announcement came over the loudspeaker system that we were all supposed to leave our classes and report to our home rooms. A little while after we got there, our teacher, Mrs. Johnson came into the room, did not say a word, but started writing on the blackboard JFK's famous quote "Ask not what your country.....". When she finished, she went to her desk and sat down but didn't say anything for a few minutes. It was obvious that she was having difficulty speaking, or deciding what she wanted to say.

Finally, she looked up and told us that the President had been shot in Dallas, and had died. She said school was being dismissed for the day, and as soon as the bus drivers could make it to the school, we all would be sent home. She said the school was contacting as many of our parents as possible, and announcements were going out over radio and tv.

That night of course, all that was on tv was the news of the assassination. It was a pretty scary time.

A couple of days later, my family and I came home from church, and as always, my sister and I were on the floor in front of the tv while my mom made lunch. Not long after we started watching, a special news bulletin came on from Dallas because the police were moving Oswald from one jail to another or something. My dad told my mom to get in the room because that was big news. We all sat there, and of course saw Jack Ruby shoot Oswald live on national tv. I remember my parents being really upset about that because of course it was the 60's and they weren't too keen on their kids seeing a murder live on tv.
 
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Clark

Well-Known Member
Jun 24, 2009
18,463
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Altoona
My mother had not yet been born. I'm curious to see how many people on here actually were alive and remember that.
 

cyclonestate

Well-Known Member
May 4, 2009
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I was a little kid standing at the top of our basement steps screaming to my mom that he was alive again each time the news played a clip of him. My mom had to explain to me that he was still dead.
 

ImJustKCClone

Ancient Argumentative and Accidental Assassin Ape
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Jun 18, 2013
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traipsing thru the treetops
Wellllllll...I'm one of them. I was eight. We were in Salt Lake City, in a hotel room. We had traveled there so that I could be the flower girl at my uncle's wedding. I remember very little about it - I was much too excited about my pretty yellow dress with the crinoline, and my new white patent leather Mary Janes. Whaddaya want from me? I was eight!

I remember the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr and Bobby Kennedy much more vividly.
 

intrepid27

Well-Known Member
Oct 9, 2006
6,014
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Marion, IA
I was 3 years, 10 months old and I still remember that day clearly. It is easily my earliest memory. I was sitting on bed with my brother and I vividly remember the pattern on the bedspread and the dress my mom was wearing. I think the extreme level of my mothers distress anchored that moment in my mind.

It's crazy because I could not even tell you what my next earliest memory is.
 

isuno1fan

Well-Known Member
Mar 30, 2006
23,300
4,699
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Clive, Iowa
I remember where I was when Reagan was shot. That was a similar in school (5th grade) experience for me. Also remember when the space shuttle exploded (was in HS).

Also remember Elvis dying for some weird reason.
 

ribsnwhiskey

Well-Known Member
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Feb 6, 2009
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I was -11. My parents were freshmen in college. I did see JFK 3 times in the theater though.
 

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