Gravesite a place of honor, respect

As we move closer to the 50th anniversary of that awful time, I am drawn to two distinct moments on which to reflect about Nov. 22, 1963. When I first heard of the shooting in Dallas, I was climbing the back stairs from the lunchroom of Bowen High School on the great South Side of Chicago. I had just finished eighth-hour lunch and was on my way to Mr. Wolf’s ninth-period algebra class.

The reason this has stayed with me all these years is that Mr. Wolf was one of the meanest men God ever blew breath into.” (Apologies to Mrs. DuBose.) He was also one of the best teachers I have ever had.

Most importantly, though, this was the first time I had ever experienced a grown man crying. For a 14-year-old boy, this was very out of the ordinary, yet it did inform me as to how awful and important this day had become.

I have been to Arlington Cemetery five times in the past five decades, and each time I have visited the Kennedy gravesite and the Eternal Flame. My observation includes the fact that I have never seen nor heard anyone in the line waiting to pay his or her respects, agitate or in any way upset another person in the line. It is truly a true place of honor and respect.

Edward C. Moon

Wheeling