An Empowered Spirit Blog Post

Where Were You That Day? On Halloween My Brother And I Dressed As President And Mrs. Kennedy. Three Weeks Later Camelot Was Over

By Cathy Chester on November 22, 2013

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, I’ve written this short post as part of a blog hop for Midlife Boulevard.  My fellow bloggers and I are sharing our memories, thoughts and observations about this tragic day.  The links to their blogs will be made available here later today. 

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~John F. Kennedy

Kennedy Masks

Photo Credit: halloweniana.blogspot.com

Halloween, 1963.  I was four years old and my brother was 6.  We purchased our Halloween costumes at our local J.J. Newberry’s, and anxiously anticipated trick-or-treating together.  Our mother decided to allow us to go door-to-door without her. Our Mayberryesque neighborhood was a friendly one where we knew all of our neighbors.  Most of our friends lived on our street; front doors remained unlocked.

It was going to be a magical Halloween. 

We loved the costumes we picked out because we knew who we wanted to be: President John F. Kennedy and The First Lady.

Looking back, I realize what a magical time that particular Halloween was.  Camelot was alive and well in my hometown.

David and Me in Jersey CityBut on November 22, 1963, Camelot came to an abrupt end.  Those of us in Mayberry felt horrified, shocked and saddened along with the rest of the world.

I don’t clearly remember the day of the assassination, but I do remember bits and pieces of the day of the funeral.  My mother cried, my father barely spoke, and our television was on all day.

That lone, chilling sound of the drum -  the one Mrs. Kennedy insisted on along with the riderless horse - was reminiscent of President Lincoln’s funeral. That sad sound remains clear in my memory.

The flag draped coffin, the empty look of grief and sadness on Mrs. Kennedy’s face, the fatherless little boy bravely saluting.  I'm unsure whether I remember seeing these images live on our black and white TV, or if I know them from the innumerable times we've all seen them over the last 50 years..

The shadow of November 22 looms dark in my memory.  I will never again watch the images Zapruder caught on film.

To this day, if I hear the sound of a lone drum beating, I'm reminded of that disturbingly quiet day in our house, and the tragedy behind it.

I'm also reminded what happened a few days later.  While my 10 year old brother watched TV, he suddenly screamed out loud, in shock, after witnessing a madman step through the crowd to shoot and kill the man who presumably killed President Kennedy.

The world was going mad.  Our beloved President was gone forever, and a nation was grieving.

Our Halloween costumes lay in the trash, discarded by sadness and tragedy. But they will never been forgotten.

This little girl continues to pray for peace by putting an end to violence, and bids goodbye, again, to a president we loved dearly and whose life was tragically cut short.

Rest in peace, Mr. President.

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Author

Cathy Chester

Comments

  1. Your post gave me chills, Cathy. I can't imagine how you processed this awful event, given that you and your brother had dressed up as President and Mrs. Kennedy just weeks before. Many of your memories resonate with me. It was a terrible time. Thank you for sharing your poignant story.

  2. Cathy, I'm the same age and don't anything other than the funeral procession and how upset it made all the adults.

    It truly seems like we lost our innocence which was compounded with the murders of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy.

  3. Lovely post, Cathy.I've been reading and watching things all day (nearly all week) and it's amazing how moved people get even 50 years later just talking about JFK and Jackie.

  4. Very distinct memories. (I have none; I was too young.) Your poor brother witnessing the shooting of Oswald. And I wonder if he felt a little more vulnerable himself having just dressed up as JFK. It must have been extremely unsettling for everyone to have their sense of stability challenged. Thank you for sharing the beautiful picture of you and your brother. Just beautiful!

  5. I hadn't ever really attuned to the drumbeat, but I can certainly hear it now in my head,now that you mention it. I'm sure I will notice it in news lips in the future.

    Such a loss of innocence for that boy and girl, for Mayberry, for us all.

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