A Memory In B&W

Growing Up With History

I was going through the internet searching for something and came across a black and white photo that was dated 1963 and memories overwhelmed me.

It was November 22, 1963, a Friday, and in the middle of a high school assembly the school’s principle came out on the auditorium stage to loud laughter. It turned out he found himself inside a prop jail cell that was there for the school play – Oklahoma. He quickly stepped to the microphone and announced that the President of the United States had just been shot in Dallas, Texas. Complete silence.

That Sunday afternoon I took a bus into Washington and walked to the Capital to get in line to pass through the Rotunda where John F. Kennedy lay in state. I walked past the coffin sometime after 2 am on the 25^th.

Later on Monday I found myself standing on Pennsylvania Avenue as the funeral procession passed by. As the caisson carrying the coffin passed it was followed by the riderless horse and the Army handler was on the verge of losing control as the horse pulled at its reins and reared up. That was followed by the walking international dignitaries and what struck me as the only light moment of those four days. The front row included Charles de Gaulle of France walking next to the Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie. The contrast struck me as humorous since de Gaulle stood six foot six while Selassie less than five foot.

I had met Kennedy less than a year before when my Mother had been asked to bring her school class to the Rose Garden for a ceremony and I tagged along. Also if you’ve seen movies of the assassination you may recall the Secret Service agent jumping over the trunk of Lyndon Johnsons limo. That was a neighbor of mine named Mr. Youngblood. Also the Air Force One flight crew that day had another neighbor – Col. William Barnes. In those times Washington D.C. was like a small town and was a great place to grow up.