Hamiltonians remember the day JFK died
Friday is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy
Where were you when you found out that JFK had been killed?
It’s a question many people over 55 will no doubt hear on Friday, the 50th anniversary of the assassination of the John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States.
Though he governed in America, Kennedy’s influence — as a policymaker, a celebrity icon and a symbol of change — was felt far beyond his country’s borders. Not surprisingly, his assassination — when he was gunned down by a sniper’s bullets during a motorcade in Dallas, Texas — sent proverbial shockwaves around the world.
Reporter Cory Ruf asked several Hamiltonians where they were on Nov. 22, 1963 when they heard that JFK had been shot.
Robert Keleti, now a downtown Hamilton jeweller, heard about the tragedy from teachers at school, as did theatre director Willard Boudreau. Retired teacher Patricia Brown heard the news while she was baking a cake for her father, who was celebrating his birthday. And the black and white TV coverage of the president's death brought then-seven-year-old Maria Pearson, now a Stoney Creek city councillor, to tears.
To hear their accounts of that day, click on audio button in the top left-hand corner of the page.