Novembers of the early ’60s made lasting impression H
Sharon Chase Hoseley
601789J_21
Vassar-Rawls
T U E S D A Y, N O V E M B E R 2 , 2 0 2 1
GOLDEN TIMES
she screamed, “No, God, no.” Chaos surrounded the car, a path through the crowd was cleared and the car sped to the hospital. It’s the last scene I saw of Jack Kennedy alive. Jack Kennedy, the man who won the election I helped ballot-count in 1960. The man who helped avert the Cuban Missile Crisis. The charismatic man who won hearts of even those who voted against him because he was Catholic. What would happen to our country now? The answer came with the swearing in of Vice President Lyndon Johnson
into the presidential office 99 minutes after President Kennedy was declared dead. On Sunday, the world watched as Oswald was moved to another jail. With no warning, a man moved in and shot Oswald. Jack Ruby avenged the death of his president. Did Oswald act alone? Was it an order by a government? We never heard the motive from the assassin’s own mouth. Life is full of unexpected events. Chase Hoseley is a freelance writer and retired kindergarten teacher who lives in Clarkston.
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ow I wished I were runner picked up ballots He hastily helped the three old enough to vote in from the OUT (ballots read) people at teller windows 1960. I was 19, turning 20 sides every 15 minutes. finish their transactions, in November. If only the When our IN was empty, we ushered them out the door presidential election was received 50 more. and locked both entrancnext year. On each hour, es. In the silent room, his The college we were treated to shaky voice stammered, student adviser coffee, pop, water “President K-Kennedy’s announced: “Stuand pastries from been sh-shot and, and dents, the District the grocery store killed. We’re c-closed for Election Board is downstairs during the day. Close out your tills. looking for counters a 10-minute break. Go ... go home.” in the coming elecWe switched tasks. No one moved. Had we tion. The job begins By 4 a.m., voices heard right? Surely not. THINKING were getting croaky. Things like this don’t hapat 7:30 p.m. on OUT LOUD By 7 a.m., it was Election Day and pen in the United States. ends when all the difficult to hear In reality it does. This was ballots have been my partner’s calls. the fourth president to be counted. If you’d When we finished assassinated in the almost like to apply, come at 10 a.m., readers 200 years of our country’s see me.” I headed were whispering as existence. It was the first for his office. the last ballots were in any of our lives. As a college scored. We gave a The rattle of coins and student, not old squeaky cheer. The the swish-swish of counting enough to vote, I was hired officials thanked us for our bills were the only sounds. at $1.25 an hour to count service and paid us in cash. We were anxious to go ballots for the District of I might not have been home, turn on our TVs and Portland, Ore. Forty of us old enough to vote, but I learn the facts. By the time trained for two hours on had an important part in the bus delivered me home, Election Day. We were told the election. Kennedy was a man named Lee Harvey to report back to the Fred the winner. Oswald had been arrested. Meyer store at 7:30 p.m. Fast-forward to Nov. 22, Over and over and over A 40-foot spread of 1963. It was a slow mornon TV, they showed the folding tables lined the ing at the bank where I smiling president and his center of a large storage worked. A few bank cusbeautiful wife, Jackie, wavroom on the second floor. tomers drifted in. ing to the crowd from the Metal, numbered chairs The bank president back seat of their convertwaited for us to take our threw open his office door ible. The shot rang out, he places. We drew numbers, and rushed into the lobby. slumped into Jackie, and found our chairs and sat. My partner across the table was a guy named Thinking of Pre-planning Your Funeral or Cremation Jeff. Between us was a divided basket marked IN • Prepayment guarantees and OUT. We would spend the cost of services and merchandise at today’s price. the night talking to each other without conversation • Ensures your wishes are met — we spent hours voicing • Pre-plan in your home, our vote tallies. office, by phone or online When polls closed, a large container arrived. Locks were removed. A trustee dealt 50 ballots to each runner, who placed them in the baskets’ IN sides. I was the first reader. I read Funeral Home & Crematory ballot markings to Jeff, st 920 21 Avenue, Lewiston who recorded votes with 208-743-6541 or 800-584-8812 black-ink hashmarks of five Dennis Hastings www.vassar-rawls.com on a long score sheet. The
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