Our Portrait of John-John

by Wendy Weber

[On November 22, 1963] I was in Miss Rasmussen's 9th grade biology class, Mather High School, Chicago, Ill. She had been called to the door and then came in and told us [the news about the assassination of the president].  We were quite in shock and unbelieving.

This being my last class of the day, I walked the 1 1/2 miles home, as usual, hoping that when I arrived I would find it not to be true.  Unfortunately, that was not the case.

We were glued to the television all weekend and the following Monday there was no school and we watched the funeral in Washington, D.C.

>>Add your own thoughts and remembrances on our blog "JFK Memories."

My mother subsequently did an oil painting of John John from a photograph in his blue coat saluting. I display this portrait in my living room to this day - you can see it when you walk into my home in Phoenix, Ariz. I feel forever connected and always get teary when thinking about it.  This event changed the U.S. forever and we felt that.

Much more on JFK and the anniversary, including a remembrance by CBS journalist Bob Schieffer, and a slideshow of Kennedy family life starting in the late 1950s.

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