It was November 22, 1963.
The world as Americans knew it was about to change.
It began as a Sun-filled Autumn day in Dallas, Texas. The crowds were enthusiastic in welcoming president John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Mrs. Kennedy. The motorcade proceeded slowly through the Dallas streets. No one could imagine what would happen in minutes. And then the unimaginable happened: President Kennedy was assassinated.
That evening we watched the black and white television in horror with what was unfolding before our eyes. All weekend we watched. I saw Jack Ruby in real time put the gun in Oswald’s stomach and saw the faces of those gathered around the killer. Those moments are indelible in my memory.
It was the young widow, Jacqueline Kennedy, at age 34 who captured the Nation’s attention for her bravery, her character, her diplomacy toward world leaders who had come to pay their respects. With her determination and confidence, Jacqueline brought taste to her husband’s funeral planning. She arranged for a plaque to be placed over the bedroom mantle recording the number of days that “John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline” had lived there.
John and Jacqueline Kennedy were given so many gifts and showed with their earthly sojourn that one person does make a difference. Personality, intelligence, talents, education, resolve, determination, and formidable strength of character were hallmarks of both of their lives. He was graduated from Harvard University and she took her degree from Vassar.
Jacqueline as first lady, a term she hated because she said it reminded her of the name for a horse, embarked on a project to restore, she did not like the term redecorate, the White House. To ensure that her efforts could not be canceled by a successor with different tastes, Jackie secured passage of legislation defining the furnishings of the White House as “inalienable property.”
Robert Knudsen photo
The first lady was an able historian, art critic, and narrator as she led a one-hour special on national television in early 1962. She described the provenance and significance of the furnishings and artworks. Her breathy soft voice was enchanting. Wealthy individuals contributed and she assembled a professional staff of 40 to oversee the collection and engaged scholars to give guidance and advice. The sale of White House guidebooks helped finance the project.
Mrs. Kennedy insisted that the White House be a showcase for the best in the arts. And so the Nation’s top opera singers, ballet dancers and instrumentalist performed at presidential parties. Washington, D.C. at night glittered and the young couple at its center were dazzling. America had new vigor for its brilliant future. I sometimes muse what the world would be like if the events of November 22 had not happened; if evil had not shown itself in Dallas.
Jacqueline Kennedy married Greek tycoon Aristotle Onassis in 1968. The only other presidential widow to remarry had been Frances Cleveland in 1913. Jacqueline became a book editor at Viking Press. She raised the two children, Caroline and John-John, to be respectful and capable adults. She had had a stillborn daughter, Arabella, and an infant son, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, who did not survive. She helped save Grand Central Station in New York City from the wrecking ball and today it stands in all its glory.
Jacqueline Bouvier was born July 28, 1929 and died May 19, 1994 at age 64 of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. She was laid to rest next to her husband, president Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery. Her estate was valued at $50 Million. Her illustrious life is remembered in the books of history.
The eternal flame radiates for them both.