As sure as most Americans are wondering what lies ahead for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and the next four years under President-elect Trump, they’re also facing a grim anniversary! Yes, you know this one, dateline Dallas, gunfire erupts at the Texas School Book Depository and America’s 35th President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, is dead.
As it was 61 years ago in 1963, the day that changed America forever, is again a Friday. America mourns, America is angry and yet while it all seems impossible at the time, we are all aware that life must go on. And with that, the nation learns that Dallas police collar a loner, 24-year old Lee Harvey Oswald. We were told he was charged with multiple crimes including firing a high-powered rifle at President Kennedy and killing the Commander-In-Chief while wounding Texas Governor John Connelly who was riding in the same top-down limousine through downtown Dallas.
Breaking the unthinkable news first on network radio was ABC’s Don Gardiner. While over on ABC-TV, a daytime re-run of “Father Knows Best” was interrupted by the voice of ABC News Correspondent Ed Silverman. Both remained on the air for several hours inter-acting with fellow reporters in the field, in an effort to assemble as much information as possible on this story that shocked the world!
As if what happened were not enough of an emotional jolt, a day after the gunfire in Dallas, suspect Oswald was being escorted from the City to the County lock-up by deputies when he was approached by Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby who opened fire, mortally wounding Oswald. Among the numerous reporters standing in the hall witnessing this shocking scene first-hand was WNEW’s Ike Pappas who promptly remarked, “Holy mackerel!” This was also something seen by millions watching the transfer on television, and assured that the American people would never get to hear Oswald tell his story. There would be a trial for Ruby, proceedings covered by Ed Silverman in Dallas, where he grew up. Ruby was convicted and sentenced to death for the Oswald murder. But the verdict and sentence were overturned on appeal and before he would stand trial a second time Ruby died in prison of cancer in January, 1967. Mr. Kennedy was succeeded in office by Vice President Lyndon Johnson as Secret Service security was substantially beefed-up.
So much had happened in such a short period of time and one thing was obvious, America’s age of innocence was history!
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Article contributed by Bob Gibson
JFK Presidential Library & Museum
https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/november-22-1963-death-of-the-president
Postedit: A note from the now late Carolyn Tanton Giatras to Bill Diehl, in 2018.
I remember exactly where I was on November 22, I was in the kitchen of my home in Ringwood, N.J. when I heard the news on the radio. It was a very sad day!
I never met Ike Pappas but because we both worked at WNEW we had a connection and exchanged emails for several years until his death in 2008 at 75. I recall asking him about that day in Dallas when Lee Harvey Oswald was shot. “My biggest concern,” he said “was my tape recorder running on record? Thankfully it was.”