This evening
I have finished watching six continuous hours of a poignant documentary, “The
Kennedy Years” on CNN.
Amazing to
consider that two days ago the world “celebrated” the 55th
anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. I was 14 at the
time and in the 9th grade. (And, dear reader, if you possess the
most rudimentary of mathematics skills, you can quickly guess my age).
Almost three
years earlier I was in the sixth grade and our teacher, Mr. Ball, a rather
progressive instructor for the time, clicked on the black & white
television set, adjusted the rabbit ears, and turned the knob to one of three
network channels available during that era.
The date was
January 20, 1961, Inauguration Day, and thousands of men, women and children
were crowded into the Washington Mall, (which, as you may know, is a large,
empty outdoor space, not a building).
Senator John
Fitzgerald Kennedy had fought a hard-won race against Vice President Richard
Nixon. (And it goes without saying that years later this man won the presidency
in his own right, but was ultimately “ushered to the curb”).
In the
waning months of the year prior to JFK’s inauguration, Mr. Ball asked the class
to fill out our own personalized ballots; little more than a sheet of lined
paper ripped out of our spiral notebooks. I have long since forgotten which
candidate won Mr. Ball’s presidential class election, (but I am relatively sure
the results mirrored the outcome of the national election).
Pt. 2
Prior to the
presidential oath of office an aged Robert Frost stepped to the podium, and
began to read one of two poems for which he was best known; “The Road Not
Taken.”
America’s
beloved old poet began to read.
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood”
Stopping momentarily, and perhaps rubbing his eyes, he continued
speaking. However, it was apparent he was no longer reading, but reciting the
poem from memory. The bright sunlight had precluded the use of his notes.
Thankfully, nothing was wrong with the old poet’s memory. He had it “down pat.”
“And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
“Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
“And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
(And I might mention, in passing,
that the old poet’s poem possesses not only a literal, but a figurative
meaning, as it is all about life, itself).
Although no one in the audience
could have known it, America’s poet had exactly two years and nine days to
live, and he went on to his reward the same year the man whom he was honoring
would meet his Maker.
Pt. 3
As the inauguration ceremony
continued, America’s 35th president rose
from his seat, and was
administered the oath of office by Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Earl
Warren; (ironically the same man who would head The Warren Commission which
investigated the assassination of the man to whom he was now speaking).
"I, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, do solemnly swear that I will
faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to
the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the
United States."
Having spoken these historic words, President Kennedy moved directly
behind the podium, greeted various dignitaries, and read the first paragraph of
his inaugural speech.
“We observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of
freedom, symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning, signifying renewal, as
well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn
oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.”
As I reflect back to that day, almost six decades ago, it occurs to me
that our entire classroom was as quiet as a mouse. Though our freshman year of
junior high school was still months away, no one had to remind any of us that
we were witnessing history in the making.
After a bit more of his monologue, the new president uttered another
often-quoted portion of his speech.
“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we
shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend,
oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty. This much we pledge, and more.”
Pt. 4
I missed one
day of school during my entire 9th grade school year. As the day
dawned clear and a bit cool, I wasn’t feeling well, and I asked my mother if
she would allow me to stay home. It seemed a shame to ruin my perfect
attendance, but my mom realized I wasn’t a “slacker,” and she nodded her
approval.
I happened
to be watching television about the lunch hour, comfortably situated in our
family’s business office, sitting in my mother’s typing chair, and with my feet
propped up on her desk.
Suddenly,
there was a news break; something which rarely happened in those days. In
recent years, we may see two or three so-called “news breaks” a day on networks
like CNN or MS-NBC, but fifty years ago the old television cameras had to be
warmed up prior to a coming on the air with a live broadcast. Thus, on this
particular day a photo of Walter Cronkite was posted on the screen, and now his
disembodied voice spoke to multiplied millions of CBS viewers.
“Ladies and
Gentlemen, this is Walter Cronkite. I’m coming to you with what appears to have
been a shooting in Dallas, Texas. We’re in the process of validating the following
information, but it appears President Kennedy has been shot by an unknown
assailant in the City of Dallas. There are also reports that Governor Connelly
of Texas was hit as their vehicle drove past the Texas School Book Depository.
We will be joining you in a live, extended report momentarily.”
After a few
minutes, live footage of the world-famous newsman flickered on the screen. The
veteran anchor was obviously anxious, and he stumbled over a few of his words.
And every half minute or so, he pulled his glasses off his face and spoke
directly into the camera. Cronkite repeated his previous remarks a couple of
times with minor variations. It was definite now. The president had been
gravely wounded, and his limo had just arrived at Parkland Memorial Hospital.
Pt. 5
The minutes
ticked by and sometime after 1PM Eastern Time, old Walter confirmed what, based
on the news reports, Americans expected to hear.
“It has been
substantiated now,” (and taking off his glasses, and looking up at the clock on
the wall) “President Kennedy died,” his voice faltered, and tears appeared in
his eyes, …“President Kennedy died at approximately 1PM, Central Time.”
The date was
November 22, 1963, not unlike an equally traumatic day which transpired two
decades earlier; “A Day that will live in Infamy.”
Over the
next 72 hours, America witnessed Lee Harvey Oswald arrested and accused of the
murder of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, we watched fascinated as our beautiful,
cultured first lady stepped off Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, her
beloved husband’s blood obscuring the natural color of her legs, we watched the
accused assassin gunned down on live
television, the funeral of our beloved president was televised the next day,
and while millions lingered in a state of shock, President Kennedy’s mortal
remains were interred on a hillside in Arlington National Cemetery.
I could not know it that
day when I sat in Mr. Ball’s classroom watching our 35th president
being sworn into the most prestigious office on earth, but six years later I
would find myself sitting on the steps of our nation’s capitol building, along
with about one hundred other members of my class, and ten or twelve teachers; a
scant few yards from where President John Fitzgerald Kennedy presented his
inauguration speech. Senator Spessard Hollard, one of Florida’s two United
States senators, sat immediately behind me. I still have the photograph, and glance
at it from time to time.
While we were in Washington, D.C. our class visited several well-known
sties, including the Smithsonian, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial,
and Arlington National Cemetery. Of course, President John F. Kennedy is
interred here.
It was very poignant standing at his gravesite, looking down at the
eternal flame, and reading some of the things this good man said in life
inscribed on a circular wall which overlooks the City of Washington, D.C.
Inscribed upon that wall are the most memorable two lines this president
ever uttered.
“Ask not what your country can do
for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”
by William McDonald, PhD. Copyright Pending.
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