61 Years Ago This Friday-JFK Assassination

[murielm99]

2. I was a sophomore in high school,

in typing class. Typewriters made a lot of clatter in those days. One of the students noticed that the classroom intercom was bonging. Everyone stopped typing. The principal was on the intercom, telling us that the President had just been shot. After a while, he told us to resume our classroom activities. He would come back with updates. The next time he came on, the principal left the radio on for everyone to hear as the news developed.

One of the meanest boys in the school sat in front of me. He shook his head when he heard the President had been shot in the head. When Kennedy's death was announced, that boy cried.

When the bell rang, I went to my geometry class silently. Everyone was silent. I heard only the sound of lockers opening and closing. No one was speaking. Our geometry teacher spoke to us about the death of good men, the death of leaders, and how our government was designed to go on. We continued to be stunned and subdued. Before the end of the hour, everyone was sent home.

I will never forget that day, and the days that followed.