I was in 4th grade, Lincoln Elementary School in Lakewood, Ohio. Miss Jones' class. (She who was constantly adjusting her bra and girdle. Now I find myself doing the same.)
Our principle, Mr Will come on the PA and said that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas and he had died. They didn't sugar coat stuff when I was a kid. Most of our dads had been in WW2 and they just didn't soft-sell stuff. When I was a kid, children died more frequently then they do now.
I remember this one girl, Melody, burst into tears. I was kind of stunned. There was a dullness in my head. No one in my family had died yet, not a grandparent or a pet. I had to process it. I remember thinking, "Why is she sobbing like that?" (She was kind of a drama queen anyway.)
I remember my parents did not vote for Kennedy. My dad was not a fan. It was the only time they voted for the same president!
I remember they let us out of school and we all were thinking "Cool! A few days off." But there was nothing on TV except the news, the funeral, the commentaries. I remember seeing John-John salute as the caisson went by.
My biggest memory was seeing Black Jack the horse with the boots reversed in the stirrups. To this day, I remember the horse's name. For some odd reason, I thought that was so cool. I remember thinking "When I die, I want a horse at my burial with the boot reversed in the stirrups." But that's a military honor so that won't happen. Funny what you remember....
