where were you in 11/22/63

[W7TFO]

Another 4th grader, this time in Yuma, Az.  The school intercom system burst on in the middle of the announcement, played from a local radio station.  We all went home then. 

[wa6mtz]

I was working with the Forest Service  crew in Colorado at 8500 feet elevation with snow up to our rears.  We were burning slash piles from the summer. We heard it on the evening news on a battery operated radio in our cabin where we stayed.

[ka3zlr]

Prolly starting First grade I think, and that was one HOT summer if I remember right.

73
Jack.

[W1AEX]

Sitting in Mr. Morrison's 7th grade science class, staring at the back of Kathy Coakley's head. Miss Simon, the spanish teacher that we were sure Mr. Morrison was having an affair with, burst into the room hysterically crying and blurted out the news.

[K1JJ]

I was minding my own business having lunch on this grassy knoll on the north side of Elm street in Dallas when some a-hole near me who set off a cherry bomb.

T

[W3RSW]

None of your business.

Prepubescent, eh Stevie? 

-Yeah for all of you that weren't a thought yet or were still in the bag, etc., then good for you.  You've been spared a whole lot of baggage over your formative years.

I was washing Christmas tree street ornaments for the city of Marietta, Ohio trying to scarf up some cash for tuition.  It was in an old city bldg. on the Muskingam River, no water turned on, so I had to slide up and down a greasy river bank carrying buckets of water.

Had a six transistor Philco with me and heard the news.  Finished washing about an hour after the shooting and walked up to the campus.  Everyone was so quiet that I thought few had heard about it.  What a false reading of the general demeanor that was. ....

[W8IXY]

My senior year, I was in the final period of school that day, of all things religion class....the announcement came over the school PA system just before the end of classes for the day.  It was a Catholic high school, and the PA voice asked for a "prayer for the repose of his soul".

After classes dismissed, it was almost silent in the halls.  There were 2000 young men there, and at least a hundred stood outside of our radio club room, listening to the coverage on a Voice Of America frequency, through the club's HRO60.  I still remember the event clearly, right down to the actual sound of that receiver and matching speaker.  Its still chilling to remember.   

73
Ted W8IXY

[flintstone mop]

I was a Junior in H.S. in Oxon Hill Md. and it was during an assembly that the principal approached the podium to make a special announcement. It got very quiet and there were students crying.

Fred

[K9PNP]

Sitting in the student union snack bar between classes at Evansville College [now University of Evansville].  Interesting thing was that EC had final exams the day of the funeral; said they couldn't change the schedule since it was finals week.

[W9GT]

I was still 18, a Sophomore in college...attending Purdue regional campus in Fort Wayne.  I also had a part-time job working as a tech for a sound company and I was working on installing an intercom system at a trucking company terminal. We heard that Kennedy had been shot, but didn't hear any details. I was crawling up through rafters in the overhang of the loading dock stringing wiring, and happened to look toward the downtown area of the city.  I saw the flag on the Lincoln tower (one of the tall buildings in downtown) go down to half-staff.  That was later in the afternoon.  We pretty much knew after seeing that that he had been killed.  That was quite a shock.....kinda marked the end of innocence and the end of an era.

73,  Jack, W9GT

[K1JJ]

That was quite a shock.....kinda marked the end of innocence and the end of an era.
73,  Jack, W9GT

Yes, the end of innocence.  It amazes me to watch films of Hilter walking freely amongst a huge crowd, even during the early years of WWII.  And the various popes driving in open limos... as well as Kennedy driving through Dallas in that open convertible.   The much older pics from the Civil War up to Kennedy show our leaders in open public places without elaborate security precautions.

Can you imagine this being done today without $millions poured into pre-security prep work for the event?  Yes, the age of innocence did end around 1963, indeed.

T

[k3zrf]

I was in 9th grade at Warwick High school in Lititz, PA. The principal passed the message thru the intercom. Had just got done reading an article in Pop Science about building a bomb shelter.....I remember looking out the window wondering if mushroom clouds were about to appear.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

I'd say it was more an end of naiveté.

Camelot was a myth. Presidents had been assassinated in the past. Presidential security had been increasing for decades. Citizens used to be able to walk right into the White House. That ended well before Kennedy. Lincoln took horse rides around DC to relax -with NO security. Talk about innocent.
No, the innocence (if there was actually a time when it existed) ended well before Kennedy's death.

[The Slab Bacon]

I was in the 3rd grade when the announcement came over the school intercom. Teachers were crying. The principal (an old spinster) was all choked up ant tripping on her words. And they sent us all home from school. Partially out of fear. Like Dave we were all scared that "the Russians were coming" and that the world was about to end..................
          
                                                  the Slab Bacon

[W1GFH]

Catholic grammar school, 6th or 7th grade, an abrupt announcement on the school PA system, followed by the nuns praying, followed by an all-TV weekend at home.

[WB2EMS]

followed by an all-TV weekend at home

I've heard it argued that that weekend was the tipping point between Newspapers as the main news outlet, and TV taking over that role. The real-time coverage of Walter nearly in tears, of Oswald's demise, of the funeral, there was nothing that the printed word could do that compared to the impact of those images.

I remember eating meals in front of the TV for the first time ever, plopped in front of the screen watching history unfold in front of my eyes.

[Opcom]

from part of our family history book:

"The first house in California that we lived in was 25071 Filaree, in Sunnymead, CA. Dad had been assigned to March AFB. We moved in on November 22, 1963. While the household goods were being moved in, the TV set was set up so Ricky and I would have somethig to do and stay out of the way. He was 2 and I was 3. Shortly after the old black and white set had warmed up, something very important happened. I don’t recall if Rick saw it, but I saw it live right then and there on the glowing bluish-white 19” screen. (Only wealthy people had color TV back then as the cost reflected today would be about $8,500) Does anyone recall what happened that day?"