JFK 50 years ago

I was in my final semester at Queens College in NYC. I decided to cut my afternoon classes and head for the Big A to play some ponies. I actually heard the news of his death from Fred Cappossella, the track announcer. Jay Hovdey, in a recent DRF article, reported that the final TWO races were cancelled that day, but my recollection as one of the 24,000 in attendance (pre-OTB; people actually went to the track) is that racing was cancelled after about the 3rd or 4th race. Anyway, I headed home, and went to my part-time job at the Boys Club of Queens in Astoria that evening (I was the librarian, believe it or not). I usually didn't allow the tv set to be on except for special occasions or sports events, but that Friday night I sat glued to the tv set with all the kids, witnessing history. I remember it like yesterday (although my wife insists I can't remember yesterday, and she's absolutely right.)

[bigrun]

Originally Posted by Ocala Mike

I was in my final semester at Queens College in NYC. I decided to cut my afternoon classes and head for the Big A to play some ponies. I actually heard the news of his death from Fred Cappossella, the track announcer. Jay Hovdey, in a recent DRF article, reported that the final TWO races were cancelled that day, but my recollection as one of the 24,000 in attendance (pre-OTB; people actually went to the track) is that racing was cancelled after about the 3rd or 4th race. Anyway, I headed home, and went to my part-time job at the Boys Club of Queens in Astoria that evening (I was the librarian, believe it or not). I usually didn't allow the tv set to be on except for special occasions or sports events, but that Friday night I sat glued to the tv set with all the kids, witnessing history. I remember it like yesterday (although my wife insists I can't remember yesterday, and she's absolutely right.)

I have that problem with names of many people i've know forever..

Do you remember the Cuban missle crisis?..I remember Kennedy on tv talking about the situation and saying 'we are taking these initial steps' and basically telling the Russians to GTFO of Cuba..a very good tv movie about that time in history was The Missiles of October (1974)..William Devane play JFK and Martin Sheen was Bobby...netflix has it...

Oddly enough, I don't recall being terribly alarmed by the Cuban thing in Oct., 1962. I think I was all wound up at that time with having to change my major at college because I was doing suck in organic chemistry. Nobody wanted to flunk out in those days, because you'd lose your draft deferment, so I switched to English Lit., which anybody can pass without "studying," I do recall seeing a lot of Knick and Ranger games at the Garden that winter, and playing a little pond ice hockey myself.