I realize many of you weren't around 59 years ago when JFK was assassinated. Just curious to hear from the Boomers where they were and their age on that day.

I was a first grader at Sandy Hook Elementary in Sandy Hook, CT. I remember my first grade teacher was sad that afternoon, but she said nothing to us. It wasn't till we were lined up to take the bus home that we heard that Kennedy was dead.

Growing up in Connecticut, and being Catholic, Kennedy was a saint in our home. What a terrible weekend. My mother cried for days.

To this day, I still remember all of us watching that old black and white TV on the Sunday when Oswald was transferred. 6 1/2 years old, and I saw Oswald getting shot on live TV.

Crazy how time flies.

Unalive.

I was 1 1/2 years old, so I don't remember.

But older brothers and sisters in Catholic school in Dallas went to sanctuary and prayed. When his death was announced, all the kids were sent home. Said nuns were all bawling their eyes out.

I was a two year old knucklehead, probably at home with my Mom and siblings. Dad at work in Dallas. I can only imagine how my Mom was taking this, being at home with three kiddos under the age of five.

Also, my father and Lee Harvey Oswald were very similar in age, size and features. My Dad's office couldn't have been more than five miles from the shooting.

I was 13 and home because my mom let me take the off from school as it's my birthday. Saw the news when they put it on the tv.

ToddyHill said:

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I realize many of you weren't around 59 years ago when JFK was assassinated. Just curious to hear from the Boomers where they were and their age on that day.

I was a first grader at Sandy Hook Elementary in Sandy Hook, CT. I remember my first grade teacher was sad that afternoon, but she said nothing to us. It wasn't till we were lined up to take the bus home that we heard that Kennedy was dead.

Growing up in Connecticut, and being Catholic, Kennedy was a saint in our home. What a terrible weekend. My mother cried for days.

To this day, I still remember all of us watching that old black and white TV on the Sunday when Oswald was transferred. 6 1/2 years old, and I saw Oswald getting shot on live TV.

Crazy how time flies.

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Oswald was shot on live tv?!

Yep. I believe it was the first live shooting of someone ever aired.

Madagascar said:

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Oswald was shot on live tv?!

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Yes

I was at school.

Not an itch in my dad's pants although my parents were married.

My only statement about this date is how my American History teacher in 8th grade, in 1981, said she was reminded of this day when Reagan was shot. On this day in '63 and when Reagan was shot, a student aid had come down the halls of Lake Jackson Intermediate School opening doors to announce that news to the teachers. Weird way of doing something like that, but that was the story she relayed to my class when that kid came in with the Reagan news.

I was in kindergarten, so probably taking a nap

I was 4 days old. Mom said I was sleeping so I've been cleared of any suspicions or investigation. Plus I was still too young to travel all the way to Dallas from SA and wasn't strong enough to hold a rifle until March 1964.

I was unborn, but I asked my parents about the day. They were driving with my Dad's father. In those days, he thought that having the radio playing was way too dangerous, so they didn't find out about the shooting until they arrived at their home. Imaging what he would think now seeing people texting and talking on the phone while driving.

I did spend a month working with Dr. Robert McClelland, who helped trach JFK, he operated on Lee Harvey Oswald, and he helped do a liver resection on Zapruder (the guy whose film was taken on that ill fated day) years later. He said that JFK was dead when he arrived, his brains were falling out of the back of his head, the Secret Service was right there and Jackie was right outside the room. He obviously had no idea how many conspiracy theories would arise from the shooting, but the Secret Service escorted them out of the room as soon as he was declared dead and put them in a room and told them to write down everything they saw and did.

Elementary school. Got out early. Sister was in high school. She was devastated. Parents were no fans of Kennedy but were concerned of what might happen next.

My dad was 3 my mom was....2?

Madagascar said:

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Oswald was shot on live tv?!

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Yes.

The Dallas PD was overly sensitive to how the city was being portrayed, so they let the media have full run over police headquarters (I think it was the old city hall). So, when Oswald's transfer from the city jail to the county jail was scheduled to take place, a large crowd of media was allowed to gather around the cars down in the basement that were to be used for the transfer. Jack Ruby had been walking the halls with the press on Friday and Saturday, claiming to be an interpreter for the Israeli media whenever anyone asked what he was doing there (and he was well known to the cops). On Sunday, Ruby had just wired some money at the Western Union office across street when he noticed the activity around the ramp leading down to the basement. So he walked down to where the media was waiting, and when Oswald came out with that obnoxious smirk on his face, Ruby pulled his gun and shot Oswald while the cameras were rolling. NBC probably had the best angle on this, reporter Tom Petit being almost caught in the middle.

This was before my time, but I watched all WFAA's tapes of their coverage when they replayed them '82. You can find these videos, and others showing live coverage, on YouTube. If you are looking for something to binge watch, it's worth checking out. The technology was so minimal, and the footage is so raw that it really takes you back. Seeing WFAA's lead anchor Jay Watson out of breath (he was overweight) from running a couple of blocks from Dealy Plaza to the WFAA studios, with Jerry Haynes (Mr. Peppermint) in tow, as he breaks the news and provides eyewitness accounts is stunning to watch. They talk to the lead camera operator (Jerry Shipp -- I believe his grandson interned at Texags) about how long it will take to get film developed and the like. If I recall correctly, they even developed Abraham Zapruder's film (and took some risk in doing so).

!3 years old, in the 8th grade at Gillett Elementary playing scrub fast pitch softball when the principal came out and told us

I was 4 1/2. My mother left me watching tv while she took a nap. Told me to not wake her up unless it was "important". I saw it on tv and went in and woke her up asking if it was "important".

Madagascar said:

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Oswald was shot on live tv?!

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Thanks for the education all. Was definitely not alive at the time. I've seen the pictures and figured there were press but did not realize it happened in everyone's living room simultaneously.

I was a twinkle in my Dad's eye

Learning to walk.

I do remember Robert Kennedy assassination. They had us stand in the school cafeteria for a moment of silence. Then however many days later they interrupted the "Popeye & Friends" cartoon show I watched before going to school to show the funeral on live TV. I remember thinking that no one was important enough to interrupt my cartoons which is a position that I still hold to this day.

Wasn't alive but I remember growing up every teacher would talk about it. Being a kid after a while I got really tired of it as these Boomer teachers would go on and on about how incredible JFK was. Finally when I was in 6th grade I think I had another teacher go on about him and I raised my hand and said, "My parents didn't like JFK, they voted for Nixon". Biggest staredown I've ever had from a teacher. It was a smartass thing to say and I certainly wouldn't do so now but damn I got tired of the sainthood of JFK and hearing diatribes about "Where were you when JFK was shot?" My Grandparents didn't talk about "Where were you when you heard about Pearl Harbor?" like it was the defining moment of their lives the way Boomer teachers droned on about JFK. Sounds terrible but it just wore me out and I stopped caring about hearing about their "trauma".

My perspective on him now is a lot more mixed. He did a lot of great things and a lot of really bad ones, probably the worst being allowing unionization of Federal Employees that put a cancer in our bureaucracy that is the root of so many problems. As for the assassination it's pretty clear to me that there was more going on and we may never know the truth. Jack Ruby killing Oswald and then never talking probably made that the case. I certainly don't buy that Oswald acted alone. The only question is who was really behind it but now all those people are dead and we will never know unless something comes out but I doubt it.

I wasn't alive, but my older sister was 10 months old

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As for the assassination it's pretty clear to me that there was more going on and we may never know the truth. Jack Ruby killing Oswald and then never talking probably made that the case. I certainly don't buy that Oswald acted alone. The only question is who was really behind it but now all those people are dead and we will never know unless something comes out but I doubt it.

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Two to three generations have passed on since then. What we know or think we know is all we will ever have.

I was at Parkland Hospital having hernia surgery. My mom didn't understand what all the commotion was about. True story.

I was in my 6th grade classroom. We heard the news from our teacher and were sent home shortly thereafter.

Just a young pup, I had no idea of the gravity of the event.

Another sad day in our history, to be sure.

LMCane said:

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10 years old when Reagan was nearly assasinated, that is the one memory I have in walking back home from elementary school not really understanding what a President was

was a teenager when Challenger blowing up, Falklands war in 1982 breaking news, Israel defeating PLO in Lebanon 1982, Star Wars, Achille Lauro 1985, Iran-Contra hearings on tv

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I was 4 going on 5. Had been to kindergarten that morning and was watching TV while Mom was fixing my lunch. It was her birthday that day and we were all looking forward to going out to dinner that night. (A rarity and special occasion back then.)

A soap opera, As the World Turns (CBS) was on.TV when it was interrupted and Walter Cronkite suddenly appeared suddenly appeared saying the President had been shot. Parents were big Kennedy fans. We listened to The First Family comedy album by Vaughn Meader often.

I didn't understand at first but when Mom came flying out of the kitchen to watch the TV, she started crying so I knew then it was very bad.

The whole country seemed to stop and freeze. No going out to diner that night as all of the restaurants were closed. Mom had not gone to the grocery store so we had weinies and beans for dinner that night.

We were glued to the TV (a brand new Zenith color TV!) for the next several days.Most regular programming was suspended and it was non-stop news coverage. Saw Air Force One land at Andrews, the coffin being lowered out of the plane, while Jackie was standing there trying to figure out how to get down from the plane until the SS helped her down. Saw Oswald shot on live TV. Lying in state as people were lined up for hours and hours to walk by, silently sobbing. Watched the funeral procession hearing the clop, clop of the horses pulling the cortege, with Jackie and the kids walking behind it, followed by leaders of many countries behind her.

Tragic times.

I was still a twinkle in my father's eyes. Born 9 and a half months later.

I was still hanging!