A dark time in our nation’s history

To put it succinctly, “It was the best of times it was the worst of times.” I was born and raised in Washington, D.C., and was a senior in high school at the time. The Cuban Missile Crisis was over, and I was once again a carefree teen. The Kennedy family had it all — wealth, beauty and power. The children were adorable. I, like most of my friends and family, was smitten.

Then the assassination happened. A friend and I stood vigil as the funeral procession passed by. The sadness was overwhelming, and for days afterward we joined the rest of America in mourning the loss while glued to the TV.

Thus began a very dark time in our country’s history. The assassinations of Dr. King and Robert Kennedy, looting and riots in the streets and campus unrest over the Vietnam War followed. The innocence of the ’50s and early ’60s was gone forever, as was mine.

Bonnie Boyle Cote

Arlington Heights