56 years ago President Kennedy dies.

[CowgirlsFan]

May he continue to rest in peace.

 

Where were you?

 

Living in Fort Worth Texas, I got to skip school for the first and only time.  Mostly because my Mother was painting and didn't want  to stop and go pick my sister and I up.

[ExiledInIllinois]

Not born till 4 years 7 months later.  But my sister was 4 months old.

[row_33]

 i remember RFK's death, wasn't born yet for JFK

 

[Gray Beard]

I remember getting dismissed early from first grade. I found out why we were dismissed early after I got home.  I remember that it seemed like it was a significant, historic event, but I really didn’t understand.  Back then it was a big deal that flags were flown at half mast. 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

When my first grade teacher hung up the phone and said “Our president is dead”, I had no idea who she meant.  School president?  I do remember the tv being on in the house for days afterwards, I think it was Sunday morning and we saw in real time Jack Ruby shoot Oswald.

[Mike in Horseheads]

I was 3 years old and that's the first time I can remember my mother crying for whatever reason. Obviously didn't know why

[US Egg]

15 minutes ago, Mike in Horseheads said:

I was 3 years old and that's the first time I can remember my mother crying for whatever reason. Obviously didn't know why

Same here.

[KD in CA]

That was a few years before me, but I can tell you my mother was doing the ironing.

 

No memories of the 60s here.

[Augie]

I was bothering my sister and her friend in the basement. My parents made me come upstairs and leave them alone. We watched the funeral procession. That was a long, long time ago, and I remember that room, where the TV was and where we all sat. I was four.  

[/dev/null]

[ExiledInIllinois]

31 minutes ago, KD in CA said:

That was a few years before me, but I can tell you my mother was doing the ironing.

 

No memories of the 60s here.

Always seemed like there was never ending ironing back in the day.  My grandmother would iron the bed sheets. WTHF! LoL...

25 minutes ago, Augie said:

I was bothering my sister and her friend in the basement. My parents made me come upstairs and leave them alone. We watched the funeral procession. That was a long, long time ago, and I remember that room, where the TV was and where we all sat. I was four.  

You do seem like a guy that would bother people. 

 

J/K...?

[jkeerie]

I was in grade school.  They were announcing the buses for the ride home.  Then they announced President Kennedy was shot...and a few minutes later, "the President is dead."  We were all quiet.  I got on the bus and when the bus pulled up at the bus stop at the end of my street,  I got off and ran all the way home.   I ran into the living room and saw my Mom sitting in front of the TV, crying.   I cried with her.

[Augie]

35 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

 

You do seem like a guy that would bother people. 

 

J/K...?

 

Good luck now that you're on my list!!!    

 

? 

[KD in CA]

37 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Always seemed like there was never ending ironing back in the day.  My grandmother would iron the bed sheets. WTHF! LoL...

You do seem like a guy that would bother people. 

 

J/K...?

 

I think Mom did that too.  Bed sheets don't get themselves nice and crisp you know!

[thebug]

You ***** are old!!!! 

[row_33]

13 hours ago, Mike in Horseheads said:

I was 3 years old and that's the first time I can remember my mother crying for whatever reason. Obviously didn't know why

same for me, but for RFK....  

 

and the Life cover with him running with dog on the beach arrived and triggered another session...

 

[Azalin]

I was in 1st grade (had just turned 6). I came home from school, saw tears in my mom's eyes and asked why she was crying. She told me that the president had been shot. She may as well have said that God had been shot, it was such an overwhelming thing for me to hear at the time.

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

 

[Wacka]

In first grade. Remember the phone ringing in the classroom (didn't happen often). The teacher answers and then says i have to go out in the hall.  She comes back in and tells us that the president was shot. The school was small (grades 1-5) with maybe 150 kids total. They had the TV  on a rack that they could wheel around  so the set it ip in the cafagymatorium so we could watch it until the busses came to take us home early. Thats where we heard that JFK had died.

Edited November 23, 2019 by Wacka

[Marv's Neighbor]

I was in HS.  At the time it was a big deal because we were just a year past the Cuban missile crisis, and JFK got us through that, just fine.  Very sad to see his wife and children.  Sadly that was followed by similar killings of MLK & RFK.  Also saw Oswald shot, on live TV.  Remember hearing that it was the first live televised murder.

 

Horrific events such as that, the Challenger explosion etc. do stay with you, but now 56 years later, the day is barely mentioned.  We only had :15-30 minute evening network TV news then but this took up almost 4 days of continuous TV. 

 

The AFL (Buffalo) didn't play that Sunday but the NFL did.  It was the right call for the AFL to make.