[sunairco]

My wife spoke with her sister a few days ago. She's been raising her grand daughters since they were toddlers, but she's in her early 50's. Few months ago, the youngest, still in high school was supposed to interview someone who remembered the day JFK was Shot. So that fell on us, both in our 60's. I told my SIL that she probably didn't want to hear my recollection as it didn't reflect the current sentiment. My wife's recall was pretty tame. They announced it in a special assembly in her school, let out classes early and didn't attend classes the following Monday. Her church had a special service that Wednesday prayer meeting/supper and again that following Monday. Attendance during the week at school was voluntary, but no formal classes. That seems to be the usual story.

Not here in Miami. I was in 4th grade and it wasn't even mentioned. And I attended a private, church run school that the school day ended at 3:15pm. Unusual thing that day was I didn't take the school bus and my dad picked me up. I don't remember the reason. My teacher then was also the same as my Kindergarten teacher. She used to take a girl home that was in the 7th grade that lived near her that attended a nearby public school. I remember Nancy telling us about it and the teacher pulled the chain on the intercom to the office and asked if they knew about it. The secretary said they did. I just remember her mentioning it was awful.

My dad picked me up and here's where it turns into a different narrative. He heard it at work and when I told him what I heard, he just remarked that, "they got the SOB". He was glad. Turns out that was pretty much the sentiment around. Our neighborhood was turning Cuban from the refugee influx and they were pretty happy to hear it too as were the old guard southerners like my Dad. Neither had much sympathy or love for him. Monday was another day although some kids were absent. The school I attended did nothing out of the ordinary, but public schools were closed the following two Mondays. Not much was said about it in school, at least in the elementary side. The following Monday, banks were not closed as I remember that my Grandfather was concerned about it, my dad went to work that week daily as usual as did my mom who was a nurse. My recollection was mostly evening news, not the national mourning my wife remembers.

Crazy thing was that my SIL told my wife that the kid's teacher mentioned that I probably didn't remember correctly. Hard to forget something like that, the Missile Crisis that locally was experienced like an approaching hurricane to my recall or RFK's assassination. Only time I remember my parents being concerned was when I was in HS and George Wallace was shot. He wasn't that popular with the Hispanics in our neighborhood, but was the favored son of the Southerners.

Sometimes alternate accounts aren't PC or convenient, but none the less valid recollections. This was FL and we were still considered to be "deep south" then. My wife was born and raised in Nashville,TN, also then deep south, yet treated differently.