Like most Baby Boomers, John Records Landecker has vivid memories of the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated, 50 years ago today. Here is how he described that day in his book "Records Truly Is My Middle Name"...
NOVEMBER 22, 1963
I remember exactly where I was on November 22, 1963. This is a milestone in the memory of all Baby Boomers. There are only a few select moments in life that you can remember with such vivid clarity, and I can tell you every detail about where I was. I was at University High School in Hope Chipman’s geometry class.
Just to give you an idea of what Miss Chipman was like, I need to set the stage. Rock and roll was starting to become an important part of our lives, and it was more than just music — it was an attitude. It was a fashion. It was a way to dress; and the girls were wearing things like mini-skirts, and go-go boots. If a female student was up at the blackboard to do a geometry problem, and Miss Chipman felt that the hemline was a tad too high, she was not above quietly reaching up with her hand and tugging the hemline down in front of the entire class. I’m sure everyone in that era had a Miss Chipman. She was a spinster, if you will.
We also had a lot of student teachers because we were on the campus of the University of Michigan — they were like teacher-interns — and on this particular day, our student teacher saw what was happening on the television in the library. She came running into the classroom in tears, and breathlessly announced to the whole class: “President Kennedy is dead!”
The classroom was totally silent for a moment as we processed the news. After a long pause, Miss Chipman turned to us and said: “I think he would have wanted us to finish the class.”
"Records Truly Is My Middle Name", a finalist for the Chicago Writer's Association 2013 Book of the Year, is available here at Eckhartz Press. The CD companion piece, "Records Truly Is My Middle Name (The Soundtrack)" can be pre-ordered here. It's a perfect stocking stuffer present for the JRL fan in your family.
