The other day I was at my psychologist's office and picked up a People Magazine. There was an article written by Jackie Kennedy's bodyguard. As I read the the article, I was rocketed back to 1963, the year John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
My first husband and I were students at the University of Tennessee back then. I was doing an elementary internship in third grade at an elementary school in Knoxville when the news broke about JFK's assassination. I remember it well. The principal rapped on my classroom door, entered, and then whispered, "The President has been killed." She then looked at my third graders and told them. . . and they clapped. Eight year olds, back then, did not know what assassinated meant. So that became a teachable moment.
What a shock! There was nothing I could do. Nothing the nation could do at the time, except mourn the loss of our President. Immediately, life stood still. Businesses closed. Schools closed. The Nation was in shock.
My husband and I, and our closest couple friends, decided to attend the funeral of John F. Kennedy. We packed the car, loaded up and headed for D.C. When we arrived on the day of the funeral procession, Sandra and I changed from pants into our black dresses, black hose and pillbox hats, with black veils covering our faces.
We stood along Pennsylvania Avenue that day. We watched the funeral procession from ten feet away as Charles DeGaulle, Jon Jon, Jackie Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy and other dignataries walked that Avenue. We cried that day. Our nation cried that day.
Later we visited the Capitol's Rotunda and touched the casket; and the following day, we visited the grave site.
I told my fourth grade students in Fort White this story once and had a parent tell her child that I lied. She said I wasn't old enough to have gone to that funeral. Well, I guess I have to give the credit to Mary Kay products because I was there.
Check out this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8LmBGiEURA&feature=related
Comments