The day that John F. Kennedy died, I was sitting in a 7th grade classroom, shared with 8th graders, in a small, country school where the principal also served as teacher for the two advanced grades. On November 22, 1963, he dragged a television into the room, telling us that the president had been shot. None of us had to wait very long before the television announcer reported that the president had just expired. It was a time of high anxiety and uncertainty for the nation and a scramble to get the vice-president (Lyndon Johnson) sworn into office.
Kennedy, the first Irish, Catholic president and the first to have ever won a Pulitzer prize, was admired. I remember reading his book, PT 109, and writing a book report for which I received an “A.” The country was ready for a youthful president and one with new ideas; someone who would make informed decisions. He served less than two years, and his death at the hands of Lee Harvey Oswald, a man with ties to Russia, never resulted in a trial. Oswald was gunned down two days after the shooting by Jack Ruby. Conspiracy theories were abundant, and a commission was put together to gather more evidence, some of which is still in dispute, today.
Everyone’s thoughts turned to Jacqueline Kennedy and her two small children. The women of the country looked to “Jackie” as a trendsetter in fashion, and suddenly, pill box hats became popular, as well as her trademark hairdo. The funeral events were sad, indeed, and produced poignant images such as little John Jr.’s salute, and images of the eternal flame. My mother gave me a collectible book with many photos, The Torch is Passed, that commemorates Kennedy’s passing, stolen when I lived in Arizona.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, more than 1.5 million letters were sent to Jackie to console her and to tell her how much her husband meant to America. Due to the high volume of mail she received, not all of the letters could be saved. Those that were retained have been in a Boston repository for decades now.
A new book by UNH professor, Ellen Fitzpatrick, Letters to Jackie: Condolences from a Grieving Nation, has just been published by HarperCollins. The 250 letters clearly show the state of mind of those who grieved with Mrs. Kennedy. The professor had to track down all of the letter-writers for permission to publish their letters, a major feat in itself, after the passage of so much time. Only one person refused. This book sounds most promising and one I would enjoy reading.
Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications
