I think most people over 60 will remember where they were on November 22, 1963… the day that John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I’m not quite 61, but I remember the day, and the weeks that followed, very well. In fact, even though I was only 5 and a half years old, I believe the event actually shaped some of my life interests and the career I would choose. I’ll explain.

November 11, 1963 was the day that our family’s first television set was delivered. As you can imagine, I was excited to plug it in and start watching. Up until then I’d really only watched TV at my grandparent’s house. I was looking forward to watching the Lone Ranger, Bonanza and Bugs Bunny on our very own set (it didn’t matter that we had only one channel, it was black and white, and CJDC in Dawson Creek only broadcast from midmorning until about 11 p.m. each day).

One of my most vivid childhood memories is the image of my dad and my Uncle Thor carrying the huge “console” up the three stairs from our store* into the house. The “console” included not only the TV but a radio and a record player as well. It was almost three times as wide as the TV screen and took up one whole wall of our living room. When dad plugged it in, turned the dial to channel 5, and adjusted the antenna, the shows I’d hoped to see weren’t on. For terribly sad reasons, those shows would not be on for the next month or so.

The assassination had taken place in Dallas that morning. Across the world, radio and TV coverage was almost exclusively about the horrific moment in Dealey Plaza and the events that followed.  For days, along with my parents, I watched the Zapruder film, the death of Lee Harvey Oswald, and the sad and solemn funeral, over and over again. Mom and Dad were amazingly patient and answered my questions as best they could. They would guide me through the encyclopedia to read about JFK and other presidents. It wasn’t long before I knew that Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy were the four presidents who’d been assassinated, that George Washington had been the first president, Andrew Jackson had been called “Old Hickory” and Ulysses S. Grant had been a union general. One thing led to another and soon I was reading about other generals like Robert E. Lee and George Custer, and chiefs like Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and Red Cloud. As nerdy as it sounds, by the time I’d finished elementary school, I could name all 37 presidents, right up to Nixon, in order, and as a teen-ager I actually read the Warren Report (that I’m still not 100% sure I agree with). This stuff certainly was not part of the Canadian curriculum so I’m not sure if I’m bragging or complaining… I probably could have found better ways to spend my time! I’m also embarrassed to say that I took so little interest in Canadian history in those days (my excuse, in hindsight, is that the USA did a better job of writing, and marketing, theirs).

My interest in history eventually led to me becoming a Social Studies teacher. Some great books, some interesting story tellers, and some awesome travel experiences helped shape my career path. I also had some amazing teachers. Four of them deserve special credit… Mrs. Nelson (Grades 4-7 at Montney School), Mr. Jim Norris (Grade 10 Social Studies at North Peace Secondary), Mom and Dad.

I guess I should also express my appreciation to the person who sold my mom and dad the Encyclopedia Britannica!

(* My parents owned the Montney General Store. We lived in the back… three steps up! It was an amazing place to grow up.)