It was the 9/11 of my parents’ generation. On the Friday before Thanksgiving 1963, the nation was stunned by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The pain was felt deeply here in Connecticut, where Kennedy came of age, came to campaign, and came as leader of the free world.
On tSunday’s Face the State, we looked back at Kennedy’s time here in our state. We found some old films of his visits, and we took you to Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, where Kennedy went to school. It was the Choate School then, and we got a great history lesson from school archivist Judy Donald, and from two teachers and an alumnus.
We also talked with former Congresswoman Barbara Kennelly, who considered JFK practically part of her family. He was the speaker at her graduation from Trinity College, was a frequent visitor to her house, and met with her a month before he died.
In the links below you’ll also hear from Senator Richard Blumenthal, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, and Congressman John Larson, who were teenagers and young adults when Kennedy was assassinated. It is clear from their interviews that November 22, 1963 changed their lives forever.
In addition, we heard from the president’s nephew, Ted Kennedy, Junior, who talked about the legacy his famous uncle left behind.
Watch this special edition of Face the State, that aired Sunday morning November 17th right here:
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Dennis House blog 
It’s hard to believe Dennis that it’s been nearly 50 years since killing of JFK.
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This Event was one of my first memories as a child. Don`t ask me how I could remember at a age of 25 months (one year , one month and 13 days) old that I can remember but I do! I remember Seeing it on an old oval Black & White TV in our living room with a line of cars (the precession) a hearing : the President has been shot. Scott G.
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Correction : 13 months and 13 days old.
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I remember it was my 5th birthday, my mom was crying and was so upset she cancelled my birthday party.
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I remember – I was 10 years old. We were sent home from school that day. As I walked home I still remember how there were no cars on the road – even as a child I could feel the sadness the world felt that day. It was like the whole world stopped to mourn.
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I was seven and it was horrible but the nation suffered much worse on 9-11 as a result of these attacks.Our country has a plan for a Presidents death but no one has a plan when thousands of people are killed in one day and day’s after more die.Really can’t compare the two.
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I have enjoyed watching all the coverage about JFK recently. I was five years old when JFK was killed, and remember watching it all on tv. It was so interesting hearing about all the ties JFK had here in CT. It’s hard to believe it’s been 50 years. It seems like yesterday, and like so many important moments in history, so many of us remember where we were, or what we were doing when we heard to devastating news.
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I was 13 years old, I remember being let out of school early,didn’t really understand the enormity of it all till I got home to a distraught mother who couldn’t stop crying
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