Oral+History-+Questions+and+Answers

Aelin Hill and Caroline Carrothers Oral History: JFK Assassination

Grandma: “I was at work a teller at the saving department at M&I Bank and one of the customers came in and told me that he had died. I was very scared and said, “ What will we do now.”
 * Where were you when you found out that JFK had been assassinated?**

Grandpa: “ I was at the Millwaukee Athletic club on the 8th floor room G. at a meeting sponsored by putnum mutual funds.”

Grandma: “They were all going through the same emotions. Disbelief, shock and they thought that it was a cruel joke. Many cried and we had a scared, numb felling. We thought that it must be a mistake. Reality hit when we got home and found out that everything from the news was true.”
 * How did others react around you when they learned that JFK had been assassinated?**

Grandpa: “My friend Armond was on the phone and he announced the news that JFK had been assassinated. Everyone was very supprised and worried, so they went back to work in their offices. A couple people were close to crying. It was a big shock.”

Grandma: “I was at work at M&I Bank.”
 * What were you doing when you found out that JFK had been assassinated?**

Grandpa: “I was in a meeting and my friend Armond told us of JFK’s death.”

Grandma: “I was with my co-workers and customers that were in the bank at the time.”
 * Who were you with?**

Grandpa: “I was with Jenny Earst, Armond Kamesar and others that were in the meeting.”

Grandma: “A lot of the info came much later. We mostly just stayed close to the TV and waited. Some did not like Kennedy and thought it was good, but were still stunned that he had died, but were upset that he was assassinated. Emotions were all over the place. I think the one thing that was the continuity of life is when Johnson was sworn into presidency because we did not know a time when a president was killed in office at the time. All kinds of rumors were going on and there came to be a lot of questioning. It brought a lot of concerns that Cubans or Russians had come in and we all wondered if this would lead to war. There was about every human emotion possible involved in this. There were a lot of emotions and drama involved when they found the murderer. There was relief that came over America when they found out who murdered Kennedy.”
 * How did the nation react to JFK’s death?**

Grandpa: “We lived in the inner city and all I remembered was the people watching TV and learning that Kennedy died. His wife Jackie and all of the other people in his company got on an airplane and then on the plane they swore in the president. The whole nation was in murning before the funeral. The nation was searching for Kennedy’s assassin, Oswald. It was right downtown and right on the freeway where JFK was traveling and Oswald had been in the marine core of the army and assassinated him. It has been 48 years and no one knows why Oswald killed JFK. The nation felt sadness and tears. Mrs. Kennedy and the family were very sad. It was one of those events in your life that you will always remember. It is one of those things that you know where you were and who you were with at the moment.”

Grandma: “I didn’t know because I was 21 years old and I did not have a lot of life experience. I didn’t understand how smoothly the government keeps going after a terrible disaster. We didn’t know as much about government than you do know. I didn’t know what we were supposed to do.”
 * What did you think was going to happen to the nation due to JFK’s death?**

Grandpa: “My first thought was that is someone going to shoot all of the congressmen? We thought that maybe it was some cruel plot from another country that was planning to take over the nation. Everyone was scared and nervous. It was a big panic and every one was worried that the Russians were plotting something. It was a very sad time and a very scary time. There were lots of other things going on at the time, the Vietnam war, the assassination of the president, and the civil rights movement.”

Grandma: “I don’t quite remember. I just remember that we stood around and held onto each other. We gave each other hugs.”
 * What did you do after you learned that JFK had been killed?**

Grandpa: “I went back to the office and listened to the news reports. I talked to your grandma about it and we went home. It was a really bad time. I don’t think that anybody felt like eating or doing anything because it was like loosing a family member. Even those that opposed his ideas were upset about his death.”