Barbara J. Hamby

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Another Anniversary of an Assassination

Reading about the JFK assassination on the web today reminds me of where I was when I heard about it. My second husband and I were living in a small house on S.E. 52nd Avenue near White Stag on Johnson Creek Boulevard. I followed my bulging belly out the back door, waddled to the outbuilding that was his woodworking shop, and announced the news to him. I was pregnant with our son who was born a week after the first of the year 1964. My daughter was at school.

What little I remember about that day is that I was stunned and probably more emotional than when in a non-pregnant condition. At age 34, I had voted for even fewer winners than I have now and I was outraged to see one of them killed. I was glued to the television for the whole horrific saga. John Kennedy had been the hope of my generation and he was suddenly struck down.

Nothing before or since affected me so strongly until the September 11th plane crashes. When I heard that news on my car radio, I truly thought it was a fictional show ala Orson Welles. Gradually, I began to realize it was all true and happening in our country.

I sincerely hope I can live out the rest of my lifetime without any more such horrible shocks.

Tomorrow I plan to post the long list of things I have to be thankful for on this holiday.