Forty-four years ago today

[ne1410s]

I was sitting in the high school cafeteria,with all the other seniors, taking some kind of statewide test. A student helper from the principal's office came running in and yelled that the President had been shot. There was stunned silence. We went back to taking the test because we were told to.

[hermillion]

Wow - 44 years! I was in 5th grade in California. It was shortly before lunch, and the principal came it to tell my teacher to turn on the radio - the President had just been shot. Not many kids ate the enchilladas served in the cafeteria that day. I remember riding the bus home that afternoon and just staring at the TV until bedtime.

[wbtravis007]

I was in fifth grade, too. We didn't have any speakers in the rooms or anything, which is why I don't remember any announcement, I guess. So, my "remember where you were" moment was when I was taking my bike out of the bike compound to go home early, and seeing Mrs. Harper -- a third-grade teacher -- crying her eyes out, outside, by the bike compound, like she was trying to hide it from everyone.

I don't remember anyone else being there at the time.

I'm pretty sure that the people at the school had no objection to letting me take my bike and go home, and have no reason to think that the same policy didn't apply to everyone else as well.

Different times. That's for sure.

I guess just about everybody watched the coverage. I still remember a good bit of it.

I know more about JFK and LBJ than I do about any of the others since. (I do know more than my fair share about Carter, too, though.)

I'm glad that we had them when we did, and wish that we had them now.

[earendel]

I was sitting in the high school cafeteria,with all the other seniors, taking some kind of statewide test. A student helper from the principal's office came running in and yelled that the President had been shot. There was stunned silence. We went back to taking the test because we were told to.

I was in the 6th grade. There was an announcement made over the PA system and I remember my teacher, Mrs. Thompson, with a horrified look on her face as she slumped into her chair.