Category Archives: JFK

1963, Articles, Assassination, educational, History, JFK, Kennedy Assassination, Uncategorized

Let Us Not Forget

November 22, 2020 Jfkennedy1963 1 Comment

Although my life has been busy over this past year and I have not posted as much like I have in years past, I always want to make sure that this day is remembered. I especially want it to be remembered because this country is going through a division not seen since the 60’s. The date November 22^nd,1963 is embedded in the minds of the older generation much like 9/11 is embedded into my generation. These dates have significant meanings and altered the course of history. I used to write on this site to talk about the assassination and who could have been involved in the assassination, and over time I come to learn that the most important part is remembering what was lost that day. Although, I still want to learn the truth about what happened and who was involved, there is a time and place for that, and this day is neither of those. I save this day on my site for remembrance, reflection and a sense of hope this country had with its leaders.

I speak of hope because that is what John Fitzgerald Kennedy wanted to ensure would be his legacy when his time as president came to an end. A man that was focused on his image from early on in his political career and would be continued by his widow even after his death. The image of hope was talked about in most of his major speeches and he gave the American people the sense that we could do anything. As I was going for my graduate degree in American History, I was taught to be objective, read the facts and write about what I read. My opinion in the manner did not matter for what I was writing about but instead was directly about what I had just read. So, although my political opinion may be different then you, I am still able to listen to you and understand where you come from because I hear you and I listen. Being an avid reader of history, JFK had this same sense of objective behavior and could listen. His book Profiles in Courage was about those who stood up and had the courage to stand up for what they believed, even if it meant it went against their own party. JFK once said, “Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future”.

This country is just as divided now as it was in the 1960’s and the nation has been looking for leaders on both sides that can bring everyone together. As JFK said himself following his acceptance of the Democratic nomination. “But I think the American people expect more from us than cries of indignation and attack”. It makes me wonder had JFK been around during the time we live in now, how he would be perceived and how he would react to the current times. Some may argue that although a Democrat and a liberal, he would be perceived as a conservative in today’s world. JFK was a liberal who listened to the other side and was not afraid to go against his own party at times, which could give the inclination that he was conservative. This is an example of someone who understood his place in history at the time. Someone that understood history and how history is written, as he had his own historian Arthur Schlesinger in his administration as a special assistant. Having someone like this in the administration was not by accident, JFK wanted to see how history would see him in later years. He gave a speech in August 1960 in which he said, “We celebrate the past to awaken the future”. A leader that understood the past, and knew that by understanding the past, we could not make some of the same mistakes in a path going forward. That to me is what makes JFK connect to so many people in the years following his death with both Democrats and Republicans. His ability to show that although you may not be on the same side of his, he would listen to you and make you feel like he was and that this country was full of hope. This is what makes JFK connect to so many people in the years following his death with both Democrats and Republicans. They see leadership, they see understanding, they see hope, they see what was lost on this day 57 years ago.

1963, Articles, Assassination, educational, History, JFK, Uncategorized

The Day JFK Left Us

November 22, 2019 Jfkennedy1963 1 Comment

Sometimes we think we know how things will turn out for us in our life and how our futures will pan out. Growing up we are always asked what we want to do and some of us know exactly what we want, some struggle with that even as they get older, while others sometimes has fate and destiny play a part in their futures. For John Kennedy, becoming President of the United States was not his first option, but it ended up becoming his destiny. This was a man who had become our first television president and one who would be embedded in the minds and hearts of millions of Americans for years to come. Sometimes destiny and fate have a way of leading us down a path that we sometimes don’t necessary want to follow, but we know deep down that this is where we need to be. That day in Dallas 56 years ago today may have ended the hope and dreams that Americans had for the country with JFK as its leader, but it has not ended what he still means to this country.

I speak of this day every year, and as my own life takes twists and turns I find myself back behind the computer this time of year reflecting of this man. I was born many years after his death, but through family members his memory was kept alive. I was a struggling 4^th grader with no interest in school and reading until I was shown newspapers and articles about JFK. At that moment a spark went off that lead me to win reading awards and eventually took me down a path to get my master’s degree in History. It was not just about the assassination that sparked my interest in him, but it was also how so many people admired him and looked to him as a symbol of hope for this country. That’s the legacy of JFK and if one word could ever describe his presidency it would be, Hope.

If you have read any history books or at least somewhat paid attention in history class, you know about some of the details of what happened on this day. This is not a day to spread conspiracy theories or express your thoughts if there was one person that killed him, but instead it is a day to remember what was lost. Hope. I try to imagine what it would be like if JFK would have lived and what he would think of the world we live in today. We can’t change history but imagine JFK having to deal with what both political parties are going through now. This was a man who when he won the election, had a meeting with his political opponent in the week after the election to ensure the American public that we are unified as a country. This was the kind of President he would become and the kind of President that the country still looks for and wants in its candidates. It is highly unlikely that we will ever see another candidate that will possess those same attributes that he had and who connected with so many even though he came from great wealth.

On this day we remember what was lost, what could have been, and how it has shaped our country in the 56 years since it happened. As the years go on, many from that time in history are not with us anymore and it is up to us to carry on and remember history. We remember history the way it should be, which is objective and showing facts. The one fact that will always stand out for me is that JFK showed us how a leader should be and the hope that a leader can provide. No matter what your destiny becomes in your life you have a chance to lead others at times whether it is at work or at home and it is up to you to how you want to lead them. The famous quote from his Inaugural address says it all, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. That quote has so much meaning for so many people and it has inspired others from that time and it still inspires people today. You could replace the word country and also put, “family”, “work”, and “friends”, anything that implies to your life that could mean a difference. It’s about what you can do, and how you can control your own destiny and how others see you. That’s the inspiration that JFK left for us and what we will continue to carry on for many years to come.

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Articles, Assassination, JFK, RFK, Uncategorized

Explaining History to the New Generation

August 31, 2019 Jfkennedy1963 Leave a comment

I have been to Arlington National Cemetery 4 times in my lifetime and each time I still get the chills walking into that place. The history and the magnitude of that place is hard to put into words and if you have never been, I would suggest making at least one trip there. Unlike the other times I have been to Arlington in which I would been in a rush to get to the next stops on our Washington D.C tour, this time I was able to spend all the time I wanted. I spent about three hours on one of the days there and I was able to take it all in. As I walked to the eternal flame to pay my respects to both President and Mrs. Kennedy, I was in stiff competition with all of these student groups that were there as well. I stood back and waited for my turn as the large groups would move on down the line of Kennedy brothers that are buried nearby. As you get closer to the flame you can start to feel the magnitude of what could have been and the many “what ifs” that are buried at that site. I took my time, said a prayer and just kept thinking about my own potential and if I was doing enough, not just for my country but for my family as well. President Kennedy inspired me when I was a struggling 9 year old who had zero interest in learning how to read or had any thought that one day I would be holding a Master’s degree in history because of him. Now here I was standing by his grave site and I just wanted to breakdown.

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As you walk the pathway that connects the Kennedy brothers at Arlington, you will see that Bobby is buried not far away from his brother Jack. It was at Bobby’s grave site that I would really fall deep into this zone that is hard to describe. His grave site is marked by a single cross, a headstone and nothing more. There is a wall across from his grave site that includes the speech he delivered after the death of Martin Luther King Jr. There was another wall nearby that I was able to sit on and think, sometimes taking notes, but mostly I was there to reflect. I sat on this ledge for 2 hours, watching group after group head up to the eternal flame only to walk right past Bobby on their way to another of the cemetery’s monuments. Sometimes the groups would stop and pay respects to Bobby and others did not. Some of the guides would tell these students a quick story about who was buried there, but nothing of any substance that would tell them that someone special was buried there. I even heard a guide confuse stories of Teddy and Bobby, one of which said that Bobby was the one who was at Chappaquiddick in 1969. My fiancé had to keep me from opening my mouth to correct him and tried to tell me to let it go. That’s just not me. So when they got to Teddy’s grave which is just a few steps away from Bobby’s, I had to make the correction to the guide.

This got me thinking some more about what I could be doing. Yes, teaching has always been something that I have wanted to do, but would that be enough? Seeing group after group walk past Bobby, just made me think more about it. This was a man that could have had the most potential to change things we know today. Things that Bobby stood for, are still some of the same things we struggle with today. At least the tour guides taking these students could have mentioned the potential, the passion and the desire he had to make this a better world. I heard them at the eternal flame, I heard the long talks they gave these students for JFK, but it could have been said about RFK as well. We long for leaders that inspire us, make us want to be more than what we are. I truly believe that RFK saw the potential in people and that is what would have made him an unforgettable president had he lived and won. We just will never know like many things when it comes to the Kennedy’s as their potential was cut way too short in life.

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1963, Articles, Assassination, History, JFK, Kennedy Assassination, Uncategorized

A Brief Shining Moment

November 21, 2018 Jfkennedy1963 1 Comment

It was about this time 30 years ago that my grandmother pointed me towards a path that I did not dream I would still be interested in. Underneath my bed had sat a big metal tin, full of papers, magazines and newspapers that she had kept in this tin since 1963. At first glance I did not realize what I was looking at, especially an 8 year old boy who had a reading problem and had zero interest in getting better at. I remember clearly asking her who this person was, and she said “that was the most beloved President we will ever see”. This tin was full of memories of President John F. Kennedy and this tin was full of, Life Magazines, different pictures, and newspaper clippings that she personally wrote on. On the side of the New York Daily News, she wrote “Our immortal President, for he will be missed by all of us now and forever”. From that moment on, I could not get enough of what this man had meant not just to my grandmother, but for this country and the world. For each birthday my family did not buy me many toys (well some), they bought John F. Kennedy books, memorabilia and anything that that was associated with the 35^th President of the United States.

That journey still continues to this day, and I find myself as an adult having to hold back from buying books, memorabilia and anything I can get my hands on. Why is this so? How could a man that died 17 years before I was born mean so much to me and why do I continue to research his death and his life? The answer is simple, we have been searching for hope, and we have been searching for someone that can bring us those kinds of visions and ideas that he had for this country. Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, we are in search of someone with that kind of hope for all of us. Even though many stories have come forth that will try and tarnish the image of JFK, it is the youth, the hope, the belief in all of us that he brought to the United States of America that will never be tarnished. JFK was not a perfect person, but he was perfect for us and our country. History has shown the many events that happened in the aftermath of his death and we wonder how different this world would have been had JFK lived.

This was a time in America where the innocence was still there and would remain there following his assassination. We are unable to go back in time to stop those that ended his life, but we are able to carry on what he believed and try making a mark on this world. I truly believe and have for years now, that I need to do something that will help keep his memory alive. I don’t have the ambition or know how, to be a politician, so I can’t make those visions he saw come to life. Their might be someone that reads this blog or the many other books out there and use that as a personal ambition to do more. Keeping the memory of JFK alive and well for those that might not have as much knowledge as some of us in the research community, should be the goal of those that study JFK. His assassination is still researched daily by many (me included), and we should continue to try and uncover the truth while trying to maintain his legacy along the way. This is a day of remembrance, this is a day to look forward, this is a day for us, to see not what our country can do for us, but what we can do for our country.

Below you will see images that I have found of his resting place and the many visitors that still visit his grave each day. The numbers may not be as large as they were in 1963, but in 2018 there are still many who visit Arlington National Cemetery. They pay respect to a man that had meant so much for so many. In one of the images you see JFK’s grandson looking down at his grandfather’s grave, and you can’t help but wonder what he is thinking at that moment. A new generation of Americans must be reminded of what was lost on that day in Dallas and the impact that it has had on the world we live in today.

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1963, Articles, Assassination, Book Reviews, Conspiracy, JFK, Kennedy Assassination, Uncategorized

History Has a Way of Repeating Itself

November 8, 2018 Jfkennedy1963 Leave a comment

If you looked up the definition of “Destiny” in the dictionary, you will read that it says; “the events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future”. President John F. Kennedy had a destiny predetermined in terms of his life and death. He had been groomed to become President of the United States following the death of his older brother Joe Jr. In terms of his death being pre-determined, many will argue about the circumstances surrounding his assassination and who was at fault and the many questions that still linger on today. However, I am a big believer in that history will repeat itself if we are not aware of what has happened in the past, and for those of us who love history know that it tends to repeat itself more times than none. While going through my typical weekly Ebay hunting for JFK memorabilia, I found a book that intrigued me, the title of the book “American Presidents and Destiny”. At first glance and without even reading the description, I knew this would be a book that I would be intrigued to purchase.

If you follow the history of the American Presidency you will find out a strange trend that had happened to Presidents starting with President William Harrison elected in 1840. President Harrison died in office as would Lincoln who was elected in 1860, Garfield elected in 1880, McKinley elected in 1900, Harding elected in 1920, Roosevelt elected in 1940, and of course President Kennedy elected in 1960. Every 20 years from 1840 until 1960 the President of the United States died in office. Now back to the book I was talking about that I found on Ebay. This book written in 1960 and published in September of that year asked the question on the front page if the next president will die in office. Once inside the book, it gives you the same information about the previous presidents who died in office, with 1960 left blank (the previous owner of the book wrote down Kennedy in those blank spots). Once I received the book in the mail, I started to comb through the various pages and finding different quotes that show how the author felt about history repeating itself. For instance, one quote in the book, “If this cycle of the presidents continues then the president elected in 1960 will die sometime between 1961 and 1969”. The author of the book did not seem to be a big Kennedy fan and in one section of the book, there is a question and answer section in which the author is asked if JFK would make a good president, despite him being of Catholic religion. The author answered this question by saying, “It is perhaps one of the most fateful developments in American history. It should be the matter of the deepest concern to all U.S citizens”. To the author, if JFK was elected President of the United States, then destiny would take over and history would repeat itself.

I know this is not the typical assassination type material that I have posted in the past, but it is instead of some unique things you can find, whether it is on Ebay, t a thrift store, or at a local flea market. Items like this are unique and show the type of resistance JFK had in trying to get elected president and also shows a predetermined destiny. While hunting for new items to add to my collection I am starting to look more at things that came out before his assassination and see how people felt about JFK, whether it be good or bad. In some future posts, I will be showing you and reviewing some books that I have recently found that show these types of situations. If you have found something unique and would like to share, feel free to comment on the post or reach out to me and I will share on my page.

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1963, Articles, History, JFK, Kennedy Assassination

Remembering the day JFK left us..

November 22, 2016 Jfkennedy1963 3 Comments

The day is stuck fresh in the mind of those that had to live through it, and it has become fresh in the mind that visit Dealey Plaza even today. The day, November 22^nd, 1963 has had much meaning for those that were alive during the year 1963, and for those not quite old enough to have been around for this event. If you have never been to this spot, it is not as big as it might look on television, and it is a very high traffic area. On my recent visit to Dallas, I took my own children to visit this historic place. My children were ready to learn about everything that I have been studying since I was 8 years old. As we approached the plaza, there was hundreds of people who were taking pictures of the old Texas School Book Depository, pictures of the grassy knoll and selfies in front of just about anything they thought had meaning. As I was standing there explaining things to my children, I could not help but look out in the distance and find, families having picnics, people playing football, and others who seemed liked they were just dragged there by their significant other. Were these people disrespecting the site I thought? Were they not appreciating the history that was right in front of their face? Regardless, they were there, and with that, the history and the mystery surrounding the Kennedy assassination will live on.

I have been to Washington D.C a few times, and each time I have walked past Ford’s Theater where Lincoln was killed. The book store across the street, and the adjoining building in which Lincoln lost his life, were right there in front of me to visit. My interest in history started with JFK, and here I was in front of where Lincoln was shot, much like I was, when I was in Dealey Plaza. Not many people were in the book store, and from the times that I was there, the visitor entrance for the theater was never crowded. Sure, people have paid money to go inside of the theater to see the spot of his assassination, but it was not like Dealey Plaza. Had time let people forget about this special place? Were they not interested in this spot some 100 years after his assassination? These questions were in my head at that time when I visited Dallas, I wondered when people would stop caring. Here we are 53 years later, and on any given day, you will find people taking pictures, going to the museum, and standing in the spot where history changed. But when will that change, just as people not visiting Ford’s Theater as much

The Saturday I visited Dealey Plaza, the place was full of families, individuals, and others who were in town for a football game the next day. Regardless of why they were in Dallas, they were there. My fear is that this next generation may not have the same feeling that my generation, and the ones before me have had about the Kennedy assassination. I firmly believe that I have taught my kids enough about history, and how it must never be forgotten. It is with history that we are to learn from our mistakes, and can create a better life, from what has happened in the past. Do the kids playing football, or the ones having a picnic, not care about the spot where they are, and will their kids stop passing the history down? We must never forget the events in history that changed our world, and the Kennedy assassination was one of those events.

The difference between the two places in history is that with Dealey Plaza, it is there in the open for anyone to visit for free. It is a major part of Dallas, and the entrance and exit away from downtown. The painted white “X” on the spot where the fatal shot took place, is a constant reminder for those that drive over it each day. You can feel a sense of history from that spot, as you cross the very same area in which the 35^th President of the United States lost his life. The assassination will live on for many years and for many generations to come, and how people remember both the event, and the man whose life was cut short that day will live on through them. Whether they are there for that picnic, football game, or even that group selfie, they know that history forever changed at that spot and on this day 53 years ago. If you were alive during this time, tell us what you were doing at the time of the president’s assassination, and if you were not alive at this time, tell us why you think people will always remember this day.

1963, Articles, Assassination, Conspiracy, educational, History, JFK, Kennedy Assassination, Lee Harvey Oswald, Uncategorized, Witnesses

Access to the Texas School Book Depository

November 17, 2016 Jfkennedy1963 1 Comment

Three years ago I found something in a police statement that has overtaken my mind and my time. This police statement was not meant to be of much, as it was the police statement of Texas School Book Depository Superintendent Roy Truly. The statement was to put more guilt onto alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald and ended up having something in it, that I have been researching ever since. Within the statement, Mr. Truly mentions that the Texas School Book Depository had a janitor service that worked overnight within the building. These individuals had keys to the building, and had access to it, in the early morning hours of Friday, November 22nd, 1963. My original post about this company was in the early stages of my research, and within this article, you are going to read about everything that I have found over the past 2 years. Graduate school took me away from the research, but now I am back into it, and finding more out about this company.

So who was Acme Building Maintenance Company, and why did the Warren Commission not look into this company any further? Let’s start at the beginning and review who owned the company and how it became in what could have been, a key part of the set up in the assassination. The company was founded in 1920 by a man named Frank C. Jones. As high rise buildings were popping up inside the city of Dallas, Mr. Jones sought to take advantage of the vast amount of cleaning that these new buildings would need. The company grew at a fast rate and by the 1940’s and 1950’s, they were cleaning over 2 million square feet of office space within the city of Dallas. With an office set up on 1901 Laws Street in Dallas, the company was in a central location to all of its primary customers. The success of the company enabled Mr. Jones to become one of Dallas’s elite businessmen, and with articles featured in the Dallas Morning News during this time, he was able to have great financial success. With this success, Mr. Jones joined the Dallas Citizens Council, a group of powerful Dallas business owners who in later years would set up the luncheon at the Trade Mart for President Kennedy upon his arrival in Dallas. In 1954, an article in the Dallas Morning News had the caption “Acme Building Maintenance, Dallas’ Industrial Janitor”.

With over 125 employees working under him, and major businesses such as the Baker Hotel, The Dallas Morning News, Southwestern Bell, The Dallas Times Herald, and Dallas Medical and Surgical Hospital, all used the services of Acme Building Maintenance. Although the company was growing, the company was trying to stay local with its business, and it board of directors included such names as, Milt Thomas, Paul Clark, Robert Whitener, and even Mr. Jones’ wife, Eva Jones. The company would get one particular business that would change the course of not only the country’s history, but also this small company as well. In May 1963, Acme became contracted with the Texas School Book Depository. In the months before this contract was taken, another man would join the ranks of the board at Acme, and his name was William Travis. William Travis was also on the board of directors at Republic National Bank of Dallas at this time as well. This new director would play a key part in the eventual downfall of Acme in the coming months, and would later look to take control of the company away from Frank Jones.

The events surrounding the assassination have been well documented, and there is no mention of Acme Building Maintenance except in two police statements. The first was by Truly, and the second would be by the janitor of the TSBD, Eddie Piper. Following along with what Truly had mentioned in his own statement, Piper reiterated the fact that the employees at Acme had access to the building overnight. Yet again, no action was taken place to investigate this company. On November 8^th, 1963, a document pertaining to the housing of William Travis, stated that his home was in the stages of foreclosure. This chain of events would lead one to believe that Mr. Travis was in need of money, and he needed it fast. The home was not taken away from him, and in fact by 1964 you would not have known Mr. Travis was in any kind of money issues. By April 1964 in documents found, the Acme Building Maintenance Company changed hands and changed names. The new owners of the company included a man by the name of William Travis, the board member who came to the Acme company in 1963. In documents obtained, the new company would be named, Acme Building Maintenance of Dallas Inc. and with it, the new board consisted of two former Acme board of directors, Travis, and CFO Milton Thomas.

This new company would not keep that new Acme name for long. In June 1964, parts of the Acme company was again sold to an acquisition company called CT Corporation (ChemTech), and the Acme name was still as late as 1966. The remaining holdings of the former Acme company were gone, and what was known as Acme Building Maintenance, a strong Dallas based company with over 200 businesses as customers, was suddenly gone within a year. What came about in the aftermath of this sale, was the founding of a new businesses by William Travis, each of which would be named “Maintenance of”. There was Maintenance of Dallas, Maintenance of Fort Worth, Maintenance of San Antonio, and finally Maintenance of Houston. Each one of these companies has a president or CEO with the last name of Travis. William Travis himself is still listed as the Chairman of the Board of Maintenance of Houston. When reached for comment about this finding, the representatives at Maintenance of Houston said they would get back to me, so far, no contact has been made.

So where did the original owner Frank C. Jones end up? After the sale of his company, Mr. Jones went was not able to find the success he had with his first company, and by 1966 in documents obtained, he was forced to sell his original home since 1944. Mr. Jones, would go onto working at various companies over the next couple of decades, and would live off of pensions from these jobs. By the time of his death in 1991, Frank Jones was not a well-known man in Dallas anymore, and the company he had founded was broken up into many different companies by a former board member.

By the time the Warren Commission was pulling together witnesses, the Acme company had already been sold twice, and broken up into different companies. With that, the records of all employees went with these acquisitions. The only names that can be found are the original board of directors, and the board of directors from the new company. Was this done to keep the real killers identity a secret, was William Travis paid off and handed keys to would be assassins to set up a sniper’s perch? All of these theories are left to the unknown, but what we know, is that a company that should have been looked into more, clearly was not. If you try and find the name Acme Building Maintenance of Dallas, you will be unable to find them. Most likely, my website will come up. In various city directories they are briefly mentioned, but the State of Texas does not even have them as a business that existed in that state. Another Acme Building Maintenance Inc., existed in Austin, Texas, and they had to give permission to William Travis in order to use the name Acme Building Maintenance of Dallas Inc.

In 2013 on a visit to Dallas, I was visiting the reading room at the Sixth Floor Museum. While I was in there, the late curator of the museum Gary Mack happened to be in there at the same time. I was too afraid to talk to him about this company at the time, so I emailed him later that day in hopes that he would have some more information about them. In his response, he was not able to provide much except for the same police statements that I already had in which they were mentioned. At the end of his email, he told me to keep him informed of this company, as he found it intriguing. I kept digging, and will continue to dig into this company and those that were a part of it at the time. For they, may hold the key to some of the answers in the Kennedy assassination.

1963, Articles, Conspiracy, History, JFK, LBJ, Uncategorized

Time to Unite as a Nation

November 7, 2016 Jfkennedy1963 Leave a comment

As we are about to enter into an important day in American history, read this quote on how JFK viewed days in which the country was divided and how we needed to come together for our nation. We don’t let elections divide us as a nation, instead we should come together as the new leader of the free world takes their place inside of the White House.

“For I can assure you that we love our country, not for what it was, though it has always been great — not for what it is, though of this we are deeply proud — but for what it someday can, and, through the efforts of us all, someday will be.” —

“Address at a Luncheon Meeting of the National Industrial Conference Board (33),” February 13, 1961, Public Papers of the Presidents: John F. Kennedy, 1961.

1963, Articles, Assassination, Conspiracy, History, JFK, Kennedy Assassination, Uncategorized

Never Let it Be Forgot

October 15, 2016 Jfkennedy1963 Leave a comment

With the passage of the John F. Kennedy Centennial Commission Act in July 2016, the memory of JFK’s life will be remembered throughout the country in 2017. With the 100^th anniversary of his birth being remembered by so many who were not alive during his presidency, shows the impact that JFK had on the United States. The memory of John F. Kennedy has not left the mind frame of the American people because of the countless amounts of books, movies, and documentaries about his life. Having been the first television president, JFK left his stamp on the country in which he sought a New Frontier for. It is the vision of the New Frontier, that has had the lasting impact of his life on so many Americans, and it was his death has continued the myth of “what could have been”.

During my two years of grad school, I had set up my thesis about the myth of JFK and how he controlled both image and myth about himself. It was after his death that others around him sought to carry on the legacy and thus Camelot was born. It was not born during the Kennedy years, as JFK would have preferred to be remembered more as a simple man. A man whose love of history was obvious, and he knew that the things he did in the office would be a reflection of his image in the years that followed. Having researched this assignment for a long period of time, the term Camelot became a symbol of the JFK years, and that came directly from his wife Jackie. It was Jackie that sent men such as Arthur Schlesinger Jr, and others to the Library of Congress to seek information about the funeral for President Abraham Lincoln. She wanted to replicate that funeral because she felt that her husband should be remembered as one of the greats.

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Over time the image of JFK has remained intact even though in the years since his death, many allegations of affairs and bad health tried to reshape the image into something different. The image that JFK had built for himself during his run for Congress and the image his wife created in the aftermath of his death has had a stronghold on the American people. Last month I was lucky enough to visit Washington D.C on a research visit. During the first day of the trip, I went to Arlington Cemetery to pay my respects and to also get a feel of the visitors to the site. I noticed many different types of people that went to the gravesite, some old, some young, some from other countries, but all, with a deep respect of the fallen president. If you have never made a trip, I would highly recommend it because you get a feel of “what could have been”. Along with Jackie on the decision to pick a site, was Robert Kennedy and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. The breathtaking view of Washington D.C from the burial site, shows a viewpoint in which JFK is always overlooking the city and nation he had a future for.

It was during this trip that I was able to go to the Library of Congress to research my topic and use the books and online resources that is available there. Having never been, I was intimidated by the fact that I would be sitting in such a historical place. Once inside, I requested books that I had found online, and before you knew it, I was sitting at a desk among other historians and researchers. I have been following the life and death of JFK since I was 8 years old, and not until that moment sitting in that seat, did I ever feel so close to him. History was all around me and I was able to find the things I was looking for within those walls. For any lover of history, going to the Library of Congress should be on the bucket list of things to do.

With my thesis complete, my main goal for going to graduate school was to be able to write a book that represented everything that I have learned about JFK. His death has overshadowed many of the things in his life, as he has been remembered more in death then in life. By next year, I hope to be able to turn my thesis into my first book, and showcase how he was able to go from a young Jack Kennedy, to John F. Kennedy, then to the persona of JFK. All of which was created by the man himself, and left to those close to him to pass on to a new generation of Americans seeking hope. We have not had a president since him who has captivated the imagination of the country, and whose ideas would still resonate today. If you have visited either Arlington Cemetery, or even the JFK Library in Boston, share your visit with others below. The memory of his life and his death resides in those who choose to continue to share it with others. In the coming months I will be going back to looking into the details surrounding his death, but I will also be showcasing on this site the image and myth that he created.