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I missed one
day of school during my entire 1963-1964 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 “sluff-off,” (as we referred to a slacker) and she nodded
her approval. (By this time, re. last chapter, we were on better “footing” again.)
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, (as I
recall) on this particular day a photo of Walter Cronkite was posted on the screen with live audio feed.
“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 also 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.
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, CT.”
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, 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, and while millions lingered in a state of
shock, his mortal remains were interred on a hillside in Arlington National
Cemetery.
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