John F Kennedy, 50 years ago

[Joelene9]

  Fifty years ago on Friday, November 22, 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, TX.  Those of us that were alive at the time, please give an account of where you were, what were you doing and what you felt.  Those who were not around yet, you may ask questions. 
  A little bit of background: 1963, cold war.  War in Vietnam on with "advisors" mainly.  Domestic lifestyle different than today with most of the women at home with the kids.  Kennedy kickstarted the race to the moon. Technology was moving up, but TV was still a slow medium.  It took awhile to warm up the TV cameras, mixers and relays in those days.  Radio was first with the news, followed by bulletins on TV.  Then those bulletins switched into commercial before a camera was ready in the newsroom.  You can see these by going to YouTube and google "JFK assassination as it happened".  Some of these start with the soap operas and commercials that were interrupted. 

  Here's my account:  I was in 5th grade at lunch when I noticed the teachers attending were silent.  The lunch fare was either fish or chicken, due to it was a Friday and the Catholic students had to have their fish.  My friend Eddie came over and told me that he overheard the teachers that Kennedy was shot. We then went out to the playground for awhile until there was a rally aroung the fl->-bleeped-<-ole to lower the flag to half staff.  We were then placed in our respective media rooms to watch the coverage on TV.  We went home early 2 hours later.  We didn't return to school until the following Tuesday.  The flags were at half-staff for a month.  I did see the Oswald assassination live on TV that Sunday. 
  Forward a few years:  I turned on the TV looking for cartoons and found coverage of a new aircraft carrier launching.  I saw Caroline Kennedy whack at at the bow with a champagne bottle and it didn't break.  A second attempt with the help of the Secretary of the Navy accomplished the breaking and the USS John F Kennedy was born.  Little did I know that I would serve on that ship.  Caroline is now recently the US ambassador to Japan.  She is the last survivor of "Camelot". 

  Joelene
 

[Ms. OBrien CVT]

I was about 8 or 9 when it happened.  I was coming home and some kid said the President was dead.  I almost punched him in the mouth for saying such a bad thing.  But when I walked in the house, Mom was watching the TV and quietly crying.  On the TV, the news was reporting that the President had been shot.

[Devlyn]

I was just shy of two, I don't remember it.

[Gabrielle]

I was in elementary school.  They sent us all home.  In those days we walked or rode bikes, because it was a suburban neighborhood school.

These are some of my earliest vivid memories.  I recall it was a big deal the Dodgers beat the Yankees a couple months earlier.  And a few months later I remember the Beatles on TV.