Where Were you Nov 22 1963

[CryingForTheHorses]

As a small boy living in Canada, I remember walking home from school and a lady telling me The US president had been shot,When I got home my mom had it on tv. Would be interesting to hear where everyone was that fatefull day.Tomorrow marks the 41th anniversary of JFK's death

[cj]

I was not born yet, but as a kid we had a nice picture of Robert and John Kennedy hanging in our living room. It know my parents were big fans.

[betchatoo]

Originally posted by cj
I was not born yet, but as a kid we had a nice picture of Robert and John Kennedy hanging in our living room. It know my parents were big fans.

I was in Gym class (that was before it became physical education) at Carl Schurz High School in Chicago. They sent us all home early. Then, later on, I watched as Jack Ruby shot Oswald, live on TV.

[witchdoctor]

I was coming home from Kindergarten. I was in disbelief because his motorcade came in front of our school the day before and all of us got go out and wave to him.

[Rpd]

I was 13 and home from school (playing hooky). Saw it on TV and called my mother and she didn't believe me. We watched it all weekend and saw Ruby live on Sunday. Never forget it.

[formula_2002]

I was at a coordination meeting in the basement of a new constructiion site in NYC. It was New Sate Theater at Lincoln Center. I'll never forget the moment..

[Hammerhead]

US Army Stationed in Alaska

[so.cal.fan]

I was driving my 1953 Chevy in Van Nuys,Calif, listening to the radio....when a news break came in from Dallas......I had a dream the night before about someone being shot through the back of the head! My heart stopped for a beat.....I rushed home to hear Walter Cronkite announce the President was dead.
I too saw the live TV of Jack Ruby killing Oswald.......and then the long funeral.......never forget those drums.
That was a terrible dark period in our history.

[kenwoodallpromos]

I was in school.
One question I had then and still have is why did it seem Oswald was not in a hurry to get out of town?
Maybe he went back to get the pistol.
__________
William W. Whaley, a taxicab driver, positively identified Oswald in a police line-up on November 23, 1963, at the Dallas Police Department as a passenger in his cab on November 22, 1963. He was unable to remember the exact time, but was certain he picked up Oswald between 12:30 and 12:45 p. m, ****at the Greyhound Bus Terminal Taxi Stand, approximately seven blocks from the scene of the assassination (Exhibit 1), and transported him about two and three quarter miles to the 500 block of North Beckley Street in Dallas (Exhibit 1). As previously noted, the room rented by Oswald was at 1026 North Beckley Street.

Arrival at Room Back

Mrs. Earlene Roberts, housekeeper at 1026 North Beckley Street, positively identified Oswald as the man who had rented the room from her on October 14, 1963, under the name 0. H. Lee. She said Oswald came home shortly after she heard the news that the President had been shot. She estimated the time as approximately 1:00 p. m. He obtained a jacket from his room and left hurriedly. She also said that while she had never observed Oswald in possession of a gun, she noticed a holster for a hand gun in his room late on the afternoon of November 22, 1963.

[kingfin66]

Still 769 days from entering this world.

[CryingForTheHorses]

I remember watching the funeral but I dont remember Oswald getting shot..I missed that!
I will never forget seeing little John-John salute his fathers casket!

[Tom]

I was sitting in Mr. Cullen's 7th grade Social studies class. I remember the details so clear it scres me. I was in row 2, behind Joey Bell, who was wearing a read and white stripped sweater. Cliff was behind me, wearing a blue sweater, and Mr. Cullen was wearing a blue pinstrip suit with a read pattern lining. Double breasted. We were studying pirates along the frontier roads - they were called the "Oh Shun" roads because of the robbers.
Mr Hunter, from across the hall, burst into the room , tears flowing, and literally screamed the "President is dead!"
Seconds later, the PA announced the assasination and sent us home an hour early. People were crying in the halls. I spent the next three days watching the TV coverage, and remeber being stunned when Oswald was shot on live TV!!
My neighborhood was mostly Catholic, and several of the men got together and drove to DC to pay respects at the Rotundra.
The whole block was very quiet all weekend.
I don't remeber what I had for lunch today, but I remember that day like it was yesterday.

[JustRalph]

I was almost two years old. But my first memory of televison is the funeral.

[cryptic1]

I was in grade 8 geography class. The teacher walked in
crying and advised us what had happened. Within minutes
of that, the school was closed for the day.
The weekend was spent glued to the TV and I too vividly
remember Oswald being shot that Sunday morning. I think
this is one of maybe 2 or 3 instances that those who were
old enough to remember will never forget where they were
for the rest of their lives.

cryptic1

[Tom]

That weekend may have been the pinacle of TV coverage. For the first time in history, the whole world shared a tragedy together, not weeks or months later from letters or newspapaer articles. Being the height of the cold war, it was a good thing that TV was there to keep the nation glued to the tube and not coming unglued alone and scared.
I still am riveted to any of the documentaries they keep showing about those days...especially the old black and white films.

[schweitz]

I was a junior in high school in Fort Worth--it was announced over the pa system that the President had been shot and school was out for the day. Like others I was glued to the TV for the next few days. We were all so innocent back then.

[ElKabong]

Sitting in Mrs Alexander's 3rd grade classroom @ Lakewood Elementary. About 10 minutes from the Tx Schoolbook Depository. It was announced over the PA system pretty soon after it happened.

Lot of things stick in my mind about those days. One of which is how many people had hatred for 'everything Dallas' for a good long while. As if the city was behind the whole deal. Ignorant stuff.

[so.cal.fan]

I remember that about Dallas, El Kabong.
I think only when the top rated TV show Dallas came out, did that disappear. It always struck me that that was the case.
Do you agree?

[ElKabong]

You might be right, SCF. (although no one here ever watched that garbage ;) )

I do recall that the people here in the city thought the Cowboys success had a hand in turning it around, beginning in the late 60s. They were likeable (back then) and were sorta cutting edge for the late 60s, early 70s in football. When I went into the service, the Cowboys were more popular outside of Dallas than they were here, oddly enuff. Maybe Landry and Staubach's public "good guy" images had something to do with it?? I don't know.

I do recall taking trips to Minn and Wash in the following summers after the assasination. People had a hatred for Dallas, no doubting it.


Btw, "JR" grew up about 10 minutes from where Schweitz lives (weatherford).

[so.cal.fan]

Yeah, I forgot about the Cowboys. Sure that helped.
I'm surprised Dallas wasn't popular in Texas!
It was very popular in Calif. Number 1 show in LA.
I loved that show....never missed an episode!
I always thought it was strange that people associated the assination of the President with Dallas for so long.....but no one ever associated the assaination of Sen. Robt. Kennedy with Los Angeles.

[schweitz]

Originally posted by ElKabong



Btw, "JR" grew up about 10 minutes from where Schweitz lives (weatherford).

Yea, his mother is Mary Martin of Peter Pan fame---there is a statue of Mary as Peter Pan in Weatherford. I used to play touch football games in what we called Peter Pan Park in Weatherford---a long time ago. :)

[ElKabong]

Originally posted by so.cal.fan
Yeah, I forgot about the Cowboys. Sure that helped.
I'm surprised Dallas wasn't popular in Texas!
It was very popular in Calif. Number 1 show in LA.
I loved that show....never missed an episode!
I always thought it was strange that people associated the assination of the President with Dallas for so long.....but no one ever associated the assaination of Sen. Robt. Kennedy with Los Angeles.

I suppose that show was kinda popular here amongst some folks, too. In 1979 I moved back to the DFW area after serving (in Austin), and every local HS band at halftime's played that Gawdawful 'Dallas' song...so, some here watched it for sure. That song made me cringe.

Maybe (justa guess here) people hated Dallas so much back then was b/c of the multitude of wildarsed theories of conspiracy about it all. Everybody had a different conspiracy it seemed. When Ruby shot Oswald (ahem, a Ft Worthian, btw :) ) it just made it all look like some wild wild west show was going on down here. I think maybe people figured it was like that 365 days a year here.... Pure chaos, that weekend.

[schweitz]

Originally posted by ElKabong
When Ruby shot Oswald (ahem, a Ft Worthian, btw :) )

Sort of--he lived in Fort Worth for a little while (he attended my high school before I was there) ---he is now buried in Fort Worth.

[ElKabong]

schweitz,

We moved to FW in 1968. In 1970 for our game vs AHHS, our HS' rally squad (or whatever they called themselves) made a painted sign that referred to youse guys as 'Oswaldville', or somesuch, and hung it on the sidelines. They had to take it down, our coaches objected.

That was 7 yrs after the deal...Kinda nutty.

[schweitz]

Originally posted by ElKabong
schweitz,

We moved to FW in 1968. In 1970 for our game vs AHHS, our HS' rally squad (or whatever they called themselves) made a painted sign that referred to youse guys as 'Oswaldville', or somesuch, and hung it on the sidelines. They had to take it down, our coaches objected.

That was 7 yrs after the deal...Kinda nutty.

Sounds like something that Paschal High might do.:D

[ElKabong]

Originally posted by schweitz
Sounds like something that Paschal High might do.:D

Wrong district, we were down I-20 a ways from ya. (beep, beep) :)

In the early 90s I dated a lady whose dad was a motorcycle cop well behind the motorcade. Sez he was positive the last 2 shots were from the Schoolbook depository, he couldn't say for sure where the first was from. Everyone that sees the video thinks the 3rd shot came from the grassy knoll, but he said he's certain it didn't.

"Grassy knoll theories" :)

[schweitz]

Originally posted by ElKabong


"Grassy knoll theories" :)

Have you checked out the museum in the School Book Depository building? Pretty interesting.

[ElKabong]

Yep, it certainly is. Anyone visiting Dallas should go there (since there's not much else here to do, for tourists).

Went by there today as a matter of fact (I-30 traffic to LS was a beotch, had to divert thru downtown) they have a hot dog cart in front of the old bldg now....Guess they have visitors galore this time of year. Never ceases to amaze me to hear people say "those trees are too tall to get off the shots he fired"...Lol, those trees have grown the past 40 years.

[Binder]

I remember coming home from school
I was in kindergarden My mom was watching TV crying and said
no cartoons today Billy "something bad happened..."

[betchatoo]

I got up this morning and the radio was mentioning this was the anniversary of JFK's death and it immediatly wakened two memories of the time for me. One was Bll Maudlin's cartoon of the Lincoln memorial, crying. The other was a song that came out within a few days of the assasination, by a popular folk group, The Chad Mitchell Trio.

A young man rode with his head held high
Under the Texas sun
And no one guessed, that a man so blessed
Would perish by the gun

The heart of the world lies heavy
With the helplessness of tears
For a man shot down
In a Texas town
In the summer of his years

[Pace Cap'n]

Was a junior in high school and skipped school that day to work building fence on a large ranch. The lady of the house came out to the barn area to tell me what had happened.

What a shocker!

In three years of working there, that was the only time I ever laid eyes on that lady.

We didn't have TV, just a radio. For three days every station played nothing but dirges.

The most collectively somber period I've ever known.

[CryingForTheHorses]

Thankyou everyone,All of your replies are greatly admired!!