Gordon Lightfoot Forums - View Single Post - Where were you when JFK was shot? (Gord was here)

Auburn Annie · 01-23-2020, 05:10 PM

I was in school, 6th grade I think. First, the principal came on the overhead speaker to announce JFK had been shot, and we immediately stopped whatever we were doing to start praying the rosary (Catholic school.) About a half hour later she came on again to announce his death, and dismiss school for the day. I remember walking home, grownups standing out on the streets crying, which made us kids really uneasy. Of course as soon as my father came home the (one) TV was set to news -- the first time I can recall virtually all news all the time. Broadcast news generally ran for 30 minutes each evening except during special events like political conventions, election night returns, etc.

And I was sitting next to my dad two days later, watching live on NBC, as sheriffs were moving Oswald from the local lockup to a presumably more secure prison. I said something to my father (who was a police officer himself) asking why were there so many people around during such a high profile transfer (even at age 11 it seemed they'd spirit him out in the dead of night, not surrounded by dozens of people) when there was a commotion and some guy lunged in front of Oswald and there was a large POP! sound. My father jumped up, swearing, and yelling for my mom to come in a hurry -- "somebody shot Oswald!!!!" And after all that, the funeral, that riderless horse with boots backward, Caroline and John John, his saluting, Jackie in deepest mourning ---unforgettable.

And a couple of months later ---the Beatles blew the doors off, brought back joy and cheeky humor and LIFE to a mourning nation.

01-23-2020, 05:10 PM	#35
Auburn Annie Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Upstate New York Posts: 3,101	Re: Where were you when JFK was shot? (Gord was here) I was in school, 6th grade I think. First, the principal came on the overhead speaker to announce JFK had been shot, and we immediately stopped whatever we were doing to start praying the rosary (Catholic school.) About a half hour later she came on again to announce his death, and dismiss school for the day. I remember walking home, grownups standing out on the streets crying, which made us kids really uneasy. Of course as soon as my father came home the (one) TV was set to news -- the first time I can recall virtually all news all the time. Broadcast news generally ran for 30 minutes each evening except during special events like political conventions, election night returns, etc. And I was sitting next to my dad two days later, watching live on NBC, as sheriffs were moving Oswald from the local lockup to a presumably more secure prison. I said something to my father (who was a police officer himself) asking why were there so many people around during such a high profile transfer (even at age 11 it seemed they'd spirit him out in the dead of night, not surrounded by dozens of people) when there was a commotion and some guy lunged in front of Oswald and there was a large POP! sound. My father jumped up, swearing, and yelling for my mom to come in a hurry -- "somebody shot Oswald!!!!" And after all that, the funeral, that riderless horse with boots backward, Caroline and John John, his saluting, Jackie in deepest mourning ---unforgettable. And a couple of months later ---the Beatles blew the doors off, brought back joy and cheeky humor and LIFE to a mourning nation.