Memories

       If you are over 50 you most likely remember exactly where you were during the afternoon 50 years ago.  It was one of those moments in history that you just don't forget - the killing of President Kennedy.  On a Penn State football board that I read regularly somebody recently asked where we were when the announcement was made.  Here are a sampling of some of the replies....  I was walking across campus  on the campus side of the Hammond Building.  I became aware that many of my fellow students were carrying transistor radios, (younger posters do a google on transistor radios)    My first thought, and I remember it vividly was " What is everyone listening to, it can't be baseball. because the World Series was last month.   I stopped a nondescript guy I knew from my freshman dorm and asked why are you listening to the radio .  You know the answer, the President has been shot.   And that is my November 22,1963 moment .... I was in the HUB . You could have heard a pin drop. Nothing but the radio. Will never forget that moment .... I was returning from class to my fraternity on E. Fairmount Ave. and when I entered the foyer area I saw a fraternity brother crying and very emotional and that is when I heard the terrible news .... I was in seventh grade when the principal called the entire 1000 strong middle school student body to the auditorium.  I had gone to a small rural elementary school so being in the auditorium for the first time was overwhelming by itself.  Most students were in shock and just stared ahead in silence.  A few of the girls cried inconsolably.  Kennedy and his photogenic family made a very favorable impression on young teenagers especially the girls. I remember someone speculating that it had to be either the "Mob" or the country of Italy because the sniper's rifle was an Italian version of a Mauser rifle .... Beginning of ninth grade biology class. Ironically, daily school announcements were always made at that time -  by students for speech class credit. Sometimes the kids were good, sometimes they were nervous.  So the announcements come on and it sounds like the student body president says, "There's a black dog in American History." He actually said "black day." Then he says, "no, I can't do this." By now everyone is cracking up. Then the school principal comes on and tells everyone what happened .... The biology teacher says, "Just like that, huh?" and goes on with the regularly scheduled lesson. What a jerk .... I was jumping off a buddies porch into a pile of leaves.  My mom came running out of the house screaming hysterically.  I also remember sitting in front of the black and white tv Sunday morning and watched Oswald get shot .... I was a sr. in high school when our teacher had left for a few minutes. When he came back we got the horrendous news. Shortly the announcement was made over the pa system. Leaving school many were crying. We had three days off school. I saw Ruby shoot Oswald on live tv at my neighbor's house. Trying times .... I came home from morning kindergarten and parked myself on the floor in front of the TV, playing with my favorite toys. I remember the news break, and on comes Walter Cronkite. When he said the president had been shot I got up, went to the backdoor and shouted it out to my mom. It was uncharacteristically warm that day and she was out hanging laundry. She didn't believe me until she came in and saw it for herself. That day is as vivid as if it happened yesterday .... It was announced over the loud speaker. The teachers started crying hysterically .... I was in 1st grade.  I still remember our teacher telling us what happened and that we were going to be dismissed immediately.  It was a quiet ride on the bus and at home all weekend ....  I was in an Algebra 2 class, taking an exam. The witch would not stop the test.  Kids were in tears any I don't think anyone did too well on the mid-term .... Heard the news when I walked out of our school's library.  I remember staying after school that day and talking about the events of the day with my friends.  We were lost and didn't know exactly what to do .... I was in kindergarten as well, got sent home immediately.  Everybody everywhere crying.  Didn't know what happened until i got home.  Extremely vivid in my memory .... I was walking to a Music Appreciation TV class on the Mall and saw a girl sitting on one of the benches, crying.  I couldn't understand why - until I got to my class and found the news on instead of the class .... And those were some of the memories that were posted. 
       My moment was teaching an Algebra II class when the announcement was made. We were all stunned, there was silence, and then there were tears.  Fortunately it was near the end of the day and we were soon sent home.  And the events of the next few days are also etched permanently in my memory.  Now we tend to remember the important events in our lives - births, marriages, deaths, etc. - but there are a few national events that we never forget.  For me those include Kennedy's death, the shooting of Oswald (watching it on TV), the launching of Sputnik by the Russians (driving on route 283), killing of Martin Luther King (driving to a church meeting), shooting of President Reagan (driving to a school meeting) and of course 9-11 (preparing for class), as well as several others.  I wish that I could ask my parents what they were doing when the attack on Pearl Harbor was announced.  I guess we never know what a day may bring so it reminds us to walk daily close to the Lord and trust Him fully for not only today, but also for tomorrow.