The death of President John F. Kennedy 40 years ago.

The Daily Oklahoman ^ | 11/16/03 | David Zizzo

[Doctor Don]

A front page article in the Sunday Oklahoman recounts events and people around the death of JFK 40 years ago. My name is mentioned in the article which details some of the events that I as a young surgical resident at Parkland Hospital witnessed that day in 1963. I am the one who kept the rose. The online article at www.dailyoklahoman.com requires an email address and password to access. In the initial page click on the blue lettered "assassination of John F. Kennedy" to see the larger article. After today, Sunday the 16th, the article may be found in the archives. Thanks for your time!

[eno_]

Why can't you post the full article? Is this a Post/LAT paper?

[anncoulteriscool]

They had some show one the history channel about the Kennedy presidency. It was tough to watch since they had a bunch of dopey northeastern college students there and Phil Donahue was the host.

[dts32041]

Ah the second member of the Punk Group "Dead Kennedys".

What would have happened if he lived, the great society would not have happened, civil rights act of 64 for not have past, we would have not mad it to the moon, and Viet Nam would probably have lasted longer.

[veronica]

Absolutely one of the worst days in the history of country. There is no way to measure what we lost that day.

The Death of a President by William Manchester is the best book I have read about that black day. Riveting, heartbreaking.

[veronica]

My name is mentioned in the article which details some of the events that I as a young surgical resident at Parkland Hospital witnessed that day in 1963.

Wow. I'll read it.

[NautiNurse]

A bloodstained rose speaks of the tragic events of Nov. 22, 1963. Dr. Donald Gilliland shows a rose believed to have been discarded by the first lady. Photo by Steve Sisney

[kenth]

Having been born years after the event, I guess I'll never understand the near saintliness attributed to this man.

[boothead]

Yeah! And we wouldn't have had to put up with Lyndon J. and his famous words. "God Almighty couldn't get a bill passed in Congress unless it went thru me." Probably has second thoughts now.

[Clara Lou]

A) He had a GREAT PR machine, with old Joe Kennedy behind it.
B) He had a beautiful young wife who was a good woman, and it showed.
C) Profiles in Courage (more PR) and heroism in WWII
D) The nation prayed,then wept, at the death of one of his babies. The nation rejoiced when John, Jr., survived.
That's why he approaches (undeservedly) sainthood.

[dts32041]

I don't either nor the near deification of the whole boozing whoring murdering klan.

[Helms]

Kennedys Ghost is brought up every year-not Reagan.

[Maria S]

"Having been born years after the event, I guess I'll never understand the near saintliness attributed to this man."


1963 seems like a million years ago AND yesterday! In the Texas Panhandle, JFK was NOT liked...but certainly, we did not rejoice at his death! It was the most remarkable thing that we, the baby boomers, had ever seen. FDR's death and Pearl Harbor were our parents black days; JFK's assassination was ours. Personally, it was unbelievable to me that a president could be killed! That sort of thing just did NOT happen! The way that Jacqueline Kennedy conducted herself afterward was almost as remarkable...She was only 34 I think, and exhibited a class that remained in our minds for years.

The moments involving her children were the most wrenching for a lot of us: Caroline's tiny gloved hand sneaking underneath the flag on her daddy's coffin in the rotunda, and John's baby salute to his daddy.

And seeing Oswald being shot and killed on national TV! All movies (drive-ins and theaters) were cancelled for the weekend, along with local football games. Life came to a standstill that long weekend, and NOBODY left their television set...in black and white, of course.

Just a few still vivid memories of an older person; you younger posters will hopefully have the same vivid memories of how you felt and what you saw on 9/11/01. As far as JFK's legacy, he was not in office long enough to have earned the status that he now holds.

[Consort]

Lingering Camelot Syndrome (LCS). It will last untill all the '60s Leftists are dead and buried.

[ShadowDancer]

I have to agree with you.

[RightWhale]

JFK was NOT liked

Forget that. It was Camelot.

[karen999]

Maria, you are right. Politically, today, I can not STAND the Kennedys as a group. JFK, however, was no where near like the pompous dirtbag Teddy is. It's true that all that "camelot" was a bunch of manufactured BS. HOWEVER, it should be borne in mind that Kennedy certainly didn't SEEK that.... He was a very complex man and in the balance his presidency comes out as some good/some bad. Pretty average, overall. Jackie Kennedy, WAS deservedly a paragon of dignity and grace under stress. And no matter what you thought of JFK's politics (his personal womanizing was hidden by the press then) he DID have quite a mercurical sense of humor and the man did not take him self too seriously. And though he shouldn't have served in the military he pulled strings to get in. You have to give him credit for that.

When people talk about those times wistfully, they are also mourning to some extent the loss of innocence of those times...and the simple pleasures. There were few anti-American freaks parading around calling themselves "patriotic" because they were burning flags. Often times people didn't lock their doors...kids of 9 or so went trick or treating without mommy and daddy hovering over their every move...kids didn't have their pictures on milk cartons, if you wanted to bring a handgun on an airplane no one freaked out, the urban riots hadn't happened yet, marijuana wasn't being smoked by kids in YOUR neighborhood, the teacher didn't have to fear some 12 year old pulling a knife on him/her and 2nd graders didn't tell a teacher to go "F" themselves. Security tags in stores weren't on everything, and you didn't have teen aged girls regularly trying to dress like sluts. Families did try and stay together and make a go of it, not just "trade out" "trade up" when the first unpleasant thing happened. We hadn't started legally murdering the unborn. True, those times were not "perfect" by any means (there was a lot of racial injustice at the time) but they were a LOT more simpler, wholesome, and less materialistic than they are now.

I was young when the assassination happened, but I remember that weekend like it was yesterday. Materially, we are better off now...but back then as a nation we were better off spiritually on the whole. There was a whole sea change after the JFK assassination that marked the end of an era. Yes, a lot of the things that came to pass would have had Kennedy been killed or not, but it is a definite demarcation.

[RightWhale]

they are also mourning to some extent the loss of innocence of those times

The effect was exactly that. WTC911 was a hit on our innocence, but we got over that. Dallas is something we'll never get over. For a while we had culture, style, grace, old Europe style. While we have style and grace now and then, cowboy style, culture is not American. But we had it for 3 years.

[TheExploited]

I was 7 years old when it happened. I remember the day so vividly. It is probably one of the most memorable days of my childhood. We were in a small reading group in the back of the room. Mrs. Scott (our second grade teacher who loved to take us on field trips) kept going in and out of the the room. Our classroom was right across the hall from "the Office" where they had a television. Finally, she came in crying and said that the President had died. All the teachers were crying. It was really a sad day.

It was all over the television for the next few days. My little brother was all upset there were no cartoons.

The Jack Kennedy Presidency was probably much hype and PR. Whatever value he provided to this country has been offset by impact of his worthless alcoholic brother and other family members. Only Jackie, JFK, Jr and Caroline have any class. The Shriver clan may have hope as well.

[hoosiermama]

I was a senior in high school, helping out in the school office. While our office staff sat in shock listening to the radio, the principal sent me around to the classrooms to discretely tell the teachers and ask if they wanted the intercome turned on in their room. (He didn't want to interupt any testing.) Parents started arriving soon to pick up their children.

My father taped the radio broadcast. We still have it, after listening to it repeatedly both agree there was something not told to the public.