The first news I remember paying attention to was the Eisenhower/Stevenson presidential race in 1956. I was six years old during the campaign and attending Kindergarten. I proudly wore an “I Like Ike” button. My dad was a strong supporter, and I took on his enthusiasm for the election. I followed each presidential election since then. In the 1964 election, I was 14 during the campaign. I researched the candidates during the primaries for a school project. I decided I liked William Scranton, but Barry Goldwater won the nomination. I couldn’t support Barry Goldwater, because I felt he was too radical and was too hawkish in foreign affairs for my taste. It was around this time that my Republican upbringing and support began to fade.
The first news story that affected me deeply was the assassination of President Kennedy. I was a freshman in high school. I was just finishing my lunch break and getting ready to go to my algebra class, when I noticed that the radio that normally played music over the intercom during lunch break had news instead. It was covering the shooting of the president. By the time algebra class started, Kennedy was dead, and we were all in shock. I delivered newspapers each afternoon after school. I was so amazed that each and every TV set was turned on and tuned to the coverage of the assassination. My memory is of the funeral procession with the carriage that carried President Kennedy being lead by a very beautiful and spirited horse. The same beating of the drums and the same images were being shown in each house as I delivered my papers. This had never happened before then, and it seemed very eerie to me.
Swagerty-Aldrich Family Web Site 