Most people I work with weren't even born in 1963, so increasingly I find myself marginalized in remembering the awfulness of his death, the enormous pain we all felt, even as kids.
The only other event that ever caused me such grief borne for death, outside of a family member, was 9/11.
In his short term of office, he started the Peace Corps, set the moon as our national space race goal, set in motion civil rights reforms, lowered taxes. He was also human, reputedly had affairs with Marilyn Monroe, but his humanity also revealed itself with his courage in the South Pacific in World War II. He wrote books on the subject of courage and moral conviction.
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I was too young to remember him at all, so everything I have is from television or history books. I have read some of his stuff too. Profiles in Courage is a good book. If only our current President had been as serious a scholar as JFK. Just look at the difference of their inaugural speeches.
ReplyDeleteI was a big fan of the space program and the mission to the moon, and we have this man to thank for helping to inspire such efforts.
Rest in Peace!
(CS Lewis and Aldous Huxley both died on this same day, their passing didn't get much notice, understandably)
With his anti communist stand, tax cuts, modernizing the military, and programs for the poor that help them rise up out of poverty, he was to the right of both parties at the time. Reagan just finished what he started,
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