Over the weekend we asked readers to submit their memories of President John F. Kennedy. Here are the responses:
I was a sophomore playing for Coach Don Haskins; it was Coach's second year at the school.
While the country canceled athletic and similar events to mourn the loss, we, that is the team, loaded up in cars and drove north to Lubbock, maybe Albuquerque, I have long since forgotten where, to scrimmage with Texas Tech.
Some might think what that day was disrespectful. Coach didn't! And although we youngsters may have wondered about Coach's sense of priorities -- with hindsight, the Bear knew best. Get to work --keep focused on what have control over -- and honor this President by moving forward with life and its responsibilities.
I suspect President Kennedy might have been proud of the Bear; because with that kind of focus and dedication, for 2 1/2 years later the Bear and his 1966 team changed the face of college sports forever, winning the national championship in College Park, Maryland, starting 5 blacks, playing 7 in its win over the legendary Coach Adolph Rupp and his Kentucky Wildcats on March 19, 1966.
Steven B. Tredennick
I was 12 years old when I got to see President Kennedy on Montana. I was returning from swimming at Memorial Park when a saw a big crowd and asked what was going on. I was told that President Kennedy was about to pass in his motorcade. I started working my way to the front and will never forget the day I saw our President waving at all the crowd, I felt as though he was just waving at me. I was standing there in my bathing suit with a towel wrapped around me. I will treasure that memory forever.
Elsa P. Marquez
I was only four years old at the time, but I do remember watching the motorcade on television. It was live and I remember seeing Kennedy get shot and all of the commotion that the announcers were making.
My grandmother Imelda was in the kitchen cooking. She asked me what was going on and I told her that the President had been shot. That memory still is and always will be on my mind. The assassination and my grandmother crying I will never forget. We all loved him because of his age and the fact that he was Catholic.
Fred Camarillo
I was sophomore at Ysleta High School, sitting in Ms. Stewart's biology class, when the intercom announced the death of President Kennedy. I can recall the moment as if it was yesterday. Young eyes searched others in the classroom as if to gauge what we should be feeling. No experience had prepared us for this reality. Adolescence gave way to the adult world and innocence was lost.
Peggy Nelson
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