I too was in High School. I was in Advanced American History class when the first announcement came over the speakers.
We were released to go about an hour later - they had to get the school buses in.
I have been fortunate to live through two life changing events. The Jack Kennedy assassination and September 11, 2001. Kennedy’s assassination shook me to my core - things like that didn’t happen in America. September 11th angered me.
May my children only live through one such event.
I was in 10th grade going to my locker when a friend ran up to me and said the president had been shot. We didn’t hear anything else until I got home and it was all over the TV. We spent the whole weekend glued to it. It seemed like the whole world had stopped that long weekend and during the funeral........everyone in a daze. I wouldn’t wish that feeling on my worst enemy. I hope we never see another one.
I was in history class. It was a bad day for me and the beginning of a horrendous run since LBJ became president because he spend most of his time in office screwing the country. It was however a great day for JFK who was a lackluster president whom we are fortunate spent more time screwing women than screwing the country.
I was in 7th grade homeroom and the news came over the intercom, but I was too busy checking out the cheerleader sitting next to me....
I do not remember. I was too young. But I do have two memories.
I remember being very young and sitting in front of the television on the day of his funeral. I remember I kept switching the channel back and forth, we only had three channels, and I was looking for my kid shows and I couldn’t understand why all three channels were showing the same thing, which, as I recall, mostly consisted of an empty street.
Also, that Summer, the Summer of 1964, my family went to the beach. We met two men there having a bit of a cookout with a fire. It turned out they were Secret Service agents on vacation. As I recall, and remember I was only five, one of them had nothing to do with Dallas, but the other man was assigned to protect Jackie. I sort of remember him explaining that his job was to cover Jackie and ignore the President. Just ensured that everyone got covered.
I’ve tried to find out what happened to that guy. But I’ve never succeeded in finding his name online.
I figured it was a tunnel.
Sitting in English class at school. Principal announced over the loudspeakers that the President has been shot, and details were upcoming. We were all stunned, the teacher was crying quietly, though she quickly regained her composure. Probably another 20 minutes or so, and then came the announcement that the President was dead. We were released from the remainder of the day shortly after that.
The assassination of JFK touched absolutely everyone.
10th grade Latin class.
Father Collopy had been a WW2 chaplain with Patton.
A grizzled vet with a heart of gold.
He couldn’t make it through the 55 minute class without a cigarette, so he’d teach for about 30 mins, then duck out and come back for the end of the period.
He came running into class and I can still remember the quote “Hey you guys, I just heard President Kennedy was shot by a sniper”
I was on the playground in the first grade
I was in third grade, attending a Catholic school.
We were attending a morning class. A nun came to the door and knocked on the glass window; our (lay) teacher looked at her, and went over to the door when the nun beckoned her to come out in the hall.
She opened the door and went out, but left the door open. I heard a sort of commotion, and I think I heard one of them sobbing for just a second or two.
Then our teacher came back in the room.
I have no memory of the rest of that day. We may have been dismissed early; I’m not sure. When I got home, my mom was quite upset. I kept hearing the word “assassination,” which I had never heard before in my life.
I wasn’t really sure who John Kennedy was. I had heard his name many times, but I didn’t really understand what his role was in the country. I certainly didn’t understand why my parents were so upset and so anxious.
The next day, when Lee Harvey Oswald was killed, I asked my father what had happened, and he said “they shot the man who shot the man.”
On board the USS Taluga in the Tonkin Gulf.
Sixth grade class, the principal’s secretary comes in and whispers something to the teacher - a radio is set up and the news is turned on. Some of the kids started to cry and the dried up old chain smoking hag we had for a teacher told them to knock it off and maintain their composure. It was weird.
All of is my second grade class were trying to understand why all the Nuns were crying, all they told us was to put our heads on desks and be quiet, and that’s what we did cause you don’t mess with Nuns!
I was in sophomore English. It was announced over the intercom. Then we all said the rosary.
I was barely two months old and smilin...
I was 14 months old...probably not much going on that day.
I was 6 and too young to know who JFK was or anything about him. I do have vague recollections of the funeral days later on tv.
I’ll never forget...Was in my garage waxing my ‘59 Ranchero listening to country music on the radio.
They broke in and said the president had been shot, was a republican but it was a real shock.
I was home with the flu when that happened. I remember the original “We Interrupt this Program.” I was only 9 years old. Nine years later, to the day, I was raising my right hand and taking the oath to join the Air Force.