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JOHN F . KENNEDY--10 YEARS LATER:
A PERSONAL EVALUATION
****
LORRAINE N. OSTERGREN
A f ourteen-yeflr o ld h igh s chool f reshmE"n h 8.rdly e xpects t o
h 8ve E 1nything unuSUE".l o r d isruptive o ccur E"t E1n u l t rfl.-conserv8.tive
s chool s uch
~S
E e.ch dEW i s
simil~. r
P ort18nd S r. H igh S chool i n
t o e very o ther
d~ . y;
Mond~y
t hrough F ridflY d uring t he s chool
b ell.
B ut t his s tUdent w ould
h~.ve
Portl~nd,
C onnecticut.
t he o nly t hing w orth n oting
ye~r
th~nkfully
i s t he 2 :30
w elcomed
dismiss~l
th~ . t
SEl·me-
ness, e ven d ullness, he.d s he k nown e.heEl.d o f t ime whe.t N ovember 2 2
h eld i n s tore.
S itting i n 8.n El.rt c less, s truggling w ith 8. p roject
t he.t s howed z ero 8.bili t y, I h8.d n o i de8 t h8.t t he i ndustriE".l E" .rts
c 18.ss n ext d oor h8.d j ust f inished r epfliring 8· d usty o ld r 8.dio. And
I h 8 .d l ess o f 8·n ideE" thE"t t he f irst w ords t he b oys 8.nd t heir
t e8.cher w ould heC'.r w ould b e t he j umbled, f rflntic w ords o f
m8·n
s~wing
fl.
nE'WS-
s omething [I.bout t hl? P resident b eing s hot.
B ut t hose t hings
h~ppened.
T he
industri~l ~rts-te~cher
r e-
ported t he n ews t o my a rt c le.ss, l eft t he r oom, t hen r eturned t o
s ignEl.l El. t humbs-down v erdict: t he P resident hEld s ustEdned e b ullet
t o t he brEl.in; t here e xisted l i t tle CEl·use f or h ope.
t hinking t he.t
m~ybe
e verybody W8.S w rong.
I r emember
Meybe K ennedy h ed o nly
b een s lightly w ounded, s hot i n t he s houlder perhE1.ps.
A fter 8 11,
t hF.lt's t he we.y i t wC's o n t elevision--the h ero o ften s hot, b ut n ever
Wh8t h8.ppenE'd n ext i s s till (somewh~t s urprisingly) t oo
s eriously.
person~l
b~long
C'nd p C'inful t o i nclude i n
t o me p erson811y,
t o E'x8mine
0
~nd
~
c ollege
ess~y.
T hose e vents
I w ill n ot reveE1.1 t hem f or s tr8ngers
FE:' r hC'ps i t i s s till t oo s oon f or t h8.t.
S uffice i t t o
S8Y thC'.t I c ould n ot h 8ve f elt m ore g rieved f ind i nconso18.ble t hC'n
i f my b est f riend hC'd d ied.
W orse s till W8·S t he o verpowering n eed
�- 11
t o s tE'y 11 chE'.ined" t o t he t(:' l evision i n t he dE'·Ys thE'.t f ollowed. ThE'
f unere -l s ervices w ere i ncredibly p E'.inful t o W E'tch, y et I l i t erE'lly
c ould n ot t urn E'Wf'y f rom t hem.
Why t hE'.t WE'S s o i s
E'
s till u nE'n-
swered q uestion.
T en yE'E'rs I f'ter I f ind i t i s p ossible t o f cel l ess s ubjective
E' b out K ennedy .s£. £. p re s id e nt.
f inds c ontrE'dictions.
m uch d E'nger.
T he BE'.y
0
EVE'.luE'ting h is E '.dministrr.tion, o ne
H is . edministr(.ltion b rought m uch p romise E'.nd
H is 8.dministr!:"tion b rought p oli t iCE'l s kill (.l.nd f(.l i lure
f P igs, t he K ennedy/ Khruschev V ienn8. c onference, find t he
CubE'n m issle c risis f ire c ited flS K ennedy's m fljor d ownfE'lls, I ,vi&ill
l e[lvE' i t t o t he h istorif'ns E'nd p oliticE'l s cientists t o w restle w ith
t hfl.t p roblem.
C 8me
F or me i t i s e nough t o r E'E'lize thE'.t t he U nited S tetef
m iserfl.bly f 'nd t errifyingly c lose t o n uclefl.r WE're
( I Cf'n r e-
member my j unior-high s chool s cience t ef'cher s flying t hE't 1:'11 w ould
d ie s oon [ It t he h rnds o f t he R ussiE'ns E'nd K ennedy.)
K ennedyVs A sicn p olicy.
T hen t here i s
R egE'rdless o f h ow h istoriE'ns [ lnd p olitic(.ll
s cientists e Vfllurte i t, o ne m ust r emember t hf't K ennedy e xpressed
t he s trong b elief t hfl.t t o w i t hdrf'w U . S . f orces f rom A sie. w ould c onstitute
fI
g rnve m istE'ke.
A nd r eg[lrdless o f s peculntion
[ IS
t o w het
K ennedy w ould h eve d.one r eg[1rding V ietnf'm h rd h e l ived, o ne m ust
[ 1cknowledge t hf't K ennedyVs p olicy w idened t he U .S. r ole i n V ietnE'.m.
I t i s, t hen, p .lmost s imple t o c riticize K ennedyVs p oliticp.l
weE'I.knesses.
S imple u ntil o ne r emembers t hElt w ith f our w ords o ne
mEl.n e nde8red h imself t o t hous8nds 8 nd t re,nsmi t ted r eel h ope t o e.
s tricken n 8.tion.
When K ennedy t old e. W est B erlin c rowd " I El·m E'
B erliner", I b elieve m8.ny A meric8.ns f elt e .lmost ElS t ouched e nd
h opeful ElS t he B erliners who c heered h im.
A nd o ne m ust r emember
t oo t h8.t K hruschev, t het E 8sterll d ictEltor who n ever c ould c onvincingly f ill t he t yr8.nt v s r ole, e ventu8.l1y CEl,me t o r espect t he y ounG
U" S~ P resident.
�- 12
M ost c 1efl,r i s t he fEl .ct t hfl.t t he l ine b etween o bjectivity 8.nd
s ubjectivity r emElins v ery nfl.rrow w hen r ethinking K ennedy's i nfluence.
t o me?
Why w es h e s o s peci8.1 t o s o m 8ny?
When K ennedy c f'mp8igned f or t he p residency, I w es 8·n e leven-
ye8 r o ld s ixth-gr8.der.
book.
Why w es h e s o s pecif',l
A c 18.ss p ro j e c t r equired 8 cft.ndide t e s s cr8.p-
W ell, m 8ybe b ecftuse t he K ennedy/Nixon c E'mp8ign W8S t he f irst
o f w hich I w es t ruly f twere, I t nckled t hft.t p roject w ith t otf'l j oy
8.nd e nthusif'sm.
MEl.ybe b e C f'use I WEts f'·n e l even-ye8 r o ld g irl who
8 p pre c if' t ed f' hF.'ndsome ff' c E?, K ennedy's p icture s e c tion f f'r o utweighed N ixon's.
A nd m eybe t he f E'ct t h8t I W8S C Eltholic 8 nd, e ven
f 't t hf:'t y oung [ 'ge, s trongly f'W['Ire o f e nti-C['I.tholic p rejudice i n my
WASP h ometown f' .lso i nfluenced my f eelings.
B ut t hf'.t WEl·S t hirteen y eers f tgo; t he p ss['l.ssinf'tion, 1 0 Y E'ers
[ "go.
Now c omes t he t ime t o f isk, how w ould I r ee.ct t o K ennedy t odf'·Y?
P lf'ying h ypotheticE'l q uestion ['Ind [ 'Inswer g f'mes i s h ['lrmless e nough;
l et me i ndulge m yself h ere.
I f K ennedy WflS t o b e f'. 1 976 p residen-
tie.l cE'.ndid8.te, w ould I v ote f or h im?
i s s imple:
I hf'.ve c hf'nged.
l onger C ntholic.
P robE'bly n ot.
I 8m 2 4 n ow, n ot e leven.
T he r eft,son
I 'm n o
I 'm E 'ctive i n t he w omen's r ights m ovement.
W orking f or [In o rgElnizetion s uch [ 's Z ero P opul['tion G rowth o r
P lf',nned P £'lrenthood i s ['In i ncrel:"'singly e ttrE'ctive p ossibili t y. T his
l e.st p oint mf'y n ot f 'ppe8.r r elevent b ut K ennedy w es C ['Itholic, 8.
d evout C etholic.
I w ould hf.'ve t o 8 .sk m yself: How w ould h e r enct
t o nE'.tionwide f' .bortion lE'w l iberE'liz[l.tion?
s uch l egislE'.tion?
W ould h e h elp h inder
T his mpy b e El. s mEl.ll, e ven i nsignificf'nt p oint
t o s ome; i t i s Eln e xtremely v itnl p oint t o me.
A p residentiEll
v ersion o f T hom['s M eskill w ould b e i ntoler['ble c onsidering my
f eelings r eg['rding [ 'bortion Elnd w omen's r ights.
I w ould h f've t o
['Isk m yself t he q uestion E 'bove ['.nd b ['se e. v oting d ecision o n my own
e nswers.
F inEllly, I t ve c hr'nged i n t hElt I n o l onger E'e.sily p recticE'
�- 13
t he k ind
0
f h ero-worship thE'.t I u ndoubtedly f elt E"S E'·n c:'levG'n-yeE".r
o ld •
.Th[1t I w ould,.not v ote f or K ennedy todE"Y o nly r eflects my own
s ubj€:Ctivi t y; i t i n n o WE'y r eflects E'. d isrespect f or K ennedy t he
mE',n ... :.: When. K ennedy
s hot·,' I g rieved m E'inly b ec[1use
W8.S
E 'ppeE'.ling
E'.n
. p;-nd hO 'p e'- inspiring m[1.n hE'd b een b rutE'.lly'murdered, n ot s o m uch
becE'.us-e-· t he U nited S t[i t e s h8.,d . l ost p' p re s ident..
( Be s ide s , [ '11
A mericE"n c hildren [ 't t hE't t ime k new 'E'.ssE':ssinE'tions o nly h E'ppened
i n f ore-.ign c ountries o r s o 'mE'ny yeE'.rs [ 'go .in A mericE'.• )
W E"tching
d ocumentE'ries o n K ennedy b rings ' bElck ·the ' horror E'.nd o ften ' t he' · te ·E 'rs.
B ut m ore · E'PPE"·rent ' now i s t he s tprk r e[l.lizE'tion t hR.t K ennedy n ever
hE'd '[1.' c hrrnce t o p rove h imself cf'lpE'ble , o f .presidentifl.l ·-reS'ponsi- - ,- ,
b ilities; h e ·
WfI·S
s enselessly d enied t h[lt c hE'nce.
t o .glo:rify K ennedy [\.s
f'
r 6'E1.ction t o
f.\
I t· i s .illogicE'l
b rut[ll E'ss.[l.ssin£'tion;- i ·t ... i s
e qu[I.lly c 8.110us t o . c ondemn h im, k nowing h e c E'nnot o ffer' f I: d e f ense.
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Vol. 01, num. 2, Clio - 1974
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Western Connecticut State University. Department of History
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1974-05-01
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Creator
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Ostergren, Lorraine N.
Title
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Jon F. Kennedy: 10 Years Later, a Personal Evaluation
Description
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A fourteen-year old high school freshman hardly expects to have anything unusual or disruptive occur at an ultra-conservative school such as Port1and Sr. High School in Portland, Connecticut. Each day is similar to every other day; the only thing worth noting Monday through FridflY during the school year is the 2:30 dismissal bell. But this student would have thankfully welcomed that Sameness, even dullness, had she known ahead of time what November 22 held in store. Sitting in in art cless, struggling with a project that showed zero ability, I had no idea that the industrial arts c1ass next door had just finished repaliring a dusty old radio. And I had less of an idea that the first words the boys and their teacher would hear would be the jumbled, frantic words of a newsman saying something about the President being shot.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-05-01
Publisher
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Western Connecticut State College