22 November 1963

[tinnitus]

I was 8 years old in 3rd grade, coming back into the building from playground recess. Jerry Carlson was heading back outside to spread the news: "Kennedy just got shot."

Many classrooms including mine had (what seemed to be) huge B&W televisions on wheeled metal stands. Teachers, mostly females then, huddled in groups of 2-4 in doorways along the hallway, most in tears.

Oswald was shot the next day (a Saturday) on TV. And I seem to recall we had the following Monday off from school as I was home to watch the somber funeral procession.

Of course I was too young to understand most/all the ramifications of world events. But by that age, I was at least familiar with various landmarks (in no particular order) including:
- Nixon/Kennedy debate on TV
- Cuban missile crisis
- A-bomb drills at school
- Sputnik
- X-15 supersonic flights
- Andy Griffith
- Mercury space program (with plans for Gemini and Apollo)
- WWI, WWII, Korea and something brewing in a place called Vietnam
- Wailing air raid siren tests in residential SW Portland Oregon

By far, the most fascinating development on my radar that year was some older girls in middle-school (7th and 8th grade) who were starting to look different. But they weren't on TV.

[Busdriver63]

Fifth grade, Williams School. Mrs. McCuskers class. Miss Coffey got on the pa and told us.. Never forgot it.

[JimC1702]

I was in 6th grade. They made an announcement over the PA and we were sent home.

[Everton FC]

The news coverage of this tragedy should be required viewing in high schools. For the historical significance, as well as the journalistic significance.