Fifty years ago today.

[Auggie]

2. I was six years old

For some reason our school system had closed for the day and I was spending time with my grandmother in a nearby town.

The kid from next door was over, and we were sitting in Grandma's cramped dining nook adjacent to the kitchen. The radio was on as she fixed us lunchtime grilled cheese sandwiches.

Suddenly she came running from the kitchen. "Oh my God," she said, "Someone just shot the President!"

I said, "Someone should shoot whoever shot the President."

Two days later I watched as Jack Ruby murdered Lee Oswald on live television.

Wow.

I couldn't grasp the magnitude of what all happened -- nationally, politically -- but I do remember being very sad. Especially for Caroline (my age) and John-John, who lost their dad.