― Belle Malory
The date is November 22, 1963. I have the day off and am going to meet Dick at Shakey's Pizza. He is getting a haircut and then we are going shopping for a wedding suit for him. Most people we knew didn't do the tux for guys routine at weddings...just a nice, dark suit! I have just come downstairs at my rooming house...In the common living room just off the entry way is a television set around which are gathered many of my fellow roomers.
"John F. Kennedy has been shot in Dallas, Texas. We are now at Parkland Hospital where doctors are working feverishly to save his life." I join them in utter shock! Then Walter Cronkite comes on the news and, with tears in his eyes, announces that John F. Kennedy has died! The death had been announced at 1:00PM Dallas time; it is only eleven in Reno. Still in shock, I drive to Shakey's to meet Dick. He and his boss are the only ones there. There is no television there...this is before the days of Sports Bars. They did not know the latest news.
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We did at some point get a suit...I had gotten my wedding dress the summer before and it was just waiting at home for me. We were young and just starting our lives together so, although I will never forget the shock of the assassination, our concerns were how was this going to affect our lives personally, Dick being in the service...Vietnam was barely in the news yet. And this was before instant news from social media so it was not in your face all the time as now. We didn't even have 24 hour television yet....and only a handful of stations...no CNN or MSNBC, etc.
Dick had put in for a two-week leave to be home for Christmas and to get married. We were a little nervous about whether that would happen or not. And of course my mom was worried to death about me...her baby 2000 miles from home and the world in a total upheaval.
Dick had put in for a two-week leave to be home for Christmas and to get married. We were a little nervous about whether that would happen or not. And of course my mom was worried to death about me...her baby 2000 miles from home and the world in a total upheaval.
Days like this we all remember. I was a high school freshman. My 5th period teacher announced it to the class but we all thought he was joking because he hated Kennedy and was always going on about him. In 6th period, were all in our seats and the teacher, Colonel Hysong - retired from the military, came in and set at his desk without saying a word. Us students were scared to death. Eventually we were dismissed from class early through the loud speaker.
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