Letters to Jackie (37 page)

Golub, Shirley

Shirley Golub remembers seeing Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis walking on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and jogging in Central Park. “I’ll never forget her dignified persona and intelligence—her love for the arts.” She inspired Mrs. Golub’s own involvement with her local arts council.

Gonzales, Henry

Henry Gonzales emigrated with his parents from Mexico to Texas when he was two years old. He became a stamp and coin collector at twelve. He worked as a projectionist in a movie house in Refugio, Texas, before serving in the U.S. Army during the Second World War. Henry later joined the U.S. Postal Service, where he worked until his retirement in 1976. He served as president of the El Paso Philatelic Society, traveled to many parts of the country, where he exhibited his stamps and first-day covers, and corresponded with other stamp collectors around the world.
He had four children who remember his gentleness, love of education, and devotion as a grandfather. His wife still lives in Texas.

Grumblatt, Douglas

In 1963, Doug Grumblatt recalls, he was “just starting the sixth grade in the city of Orange, California…. Before Dallas, my teacher was introducing poetry to the class. Many of us could relate to the works by Robert Frost, because we saw him on TV in the inauguration, and I think he had passed away earlier that year. In my condolence letter, I attempted a play on words from Mr. Frost’s ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.’” Mr. Grumblatt recalls writing an earlier letter to Senator John Kennedy during a 1960 campaign stop through Erie, Pennsylvania. On that occasion, he thanked the senator for visiting his town and giving him a campaign souvenir, which Doug continues to use today—a tie clasp in the shape of PT 109. Mr. Grumblatt is an engineer and lives in California.

Gum, Perry C.

Perry Gum was a retired farmer living in West Virginia when he wrote to Mrs. Kennedy. He had four children.

Hammonds, Mr. and Mrs. R.T.

Robert Taylor and Ruby Pearl Hammonds lived on a family farm in Texas where they had four children. Their grandson Dwayne recalls that when the Hammonds were informed of their son’s death, they were presented with an American flag. Their grandson writes that after the terrorist attacks on September 11, “the lady in his life” found the flag in the attic and not knowing its provenance, hung it outside their home in Wyoming where it was shredded by the wind. At a ceremony organized to dispose of the flag respectfully, he writes, “almost one hundred cowboys” attended “and when we burned the flag there wasn’t a dry eye at the place.” Robert Hammonds died in 1979, ten years after his wife.

Hanrahan, Stephen J.

Stephen Hanrahan served in the U.S. Army during World War II. At the time of his letter to Mrs. Kennedy, he was serving time for grand larceny. He died in 1991.

Harayda, Eileen

Eileen Harayda was fourteen years old when she wrote to Mrs. Kennedy. She graduated from college in 1972 and joined the U.S. Navy. She served as an active duty nurse for twenty years and currently works as a nursing supervisor in a long-term-care facility. She is married and the mother of two children.

Harper, Mr. and Mrs. J.

The Harpers were both raised on farms around Gainesville, Texas. Their daughter notes that they “both had to quit school early to help pick cotton.” Mr. Harper came
to Teague, Texas, to work for the railroad and served as a conductor and brakeman on passenger trains. The couple had four children—all girls. Mrs. Harper died in 1985 at the age of eighty-five. She greatly admired JFK.

Harris, Charles A.

Charles Harris’s daughter recalls that “it always remained a true honor for my dad to have served with John F. Kennedy during WWII on PT 109. He felt Kennedy had saved all their lives and was an American hero.”

Harris, Mrs. Henry B. (Irene)

Irene Wallach Harris was born in 1876. Her husband, Henry, was a noted theatrical producer in New York City. They were both passengers on the
Titanic
. Her husband helped her into the last lifeboat lowered from the ocean liner and waved goodbye to her from the deck. She never saw him again. With initial success, Mrs. Harris took over her husband’s theatrical business. She became one of the first women theatrical producers in New York and was extremely successful. However, she lost the theater she owned during the Great Depression and much of her wealth. She remarried several times. Mrs. Harris died in 1969.

Hebb, Jo

Betty Jo Hebb “enjoyed singing, traveling, and reading,
”
according to her daughter. Her health improved and she lived almost seven years after she wrote to Mrs. Kennedy. She died of cancer in 1970 at the age of thirty-six.

Hemmerle, Patricia Anne

Patricia Hemmerle received a B.S. in chemistry from Indiana University and an M.B.A. from Butler University. She has worked for over thirty years in the field of health care. “In spring of 2008,” she writes, “I had the privilege of voting for Hillary Clinton in the presidential primary. To my fifth-grade classmates—I told you so and that was the end of that.”

Hendrikson, Mike

Mike Hendrikson writes: “As a high school dropout, with only ambition of being a farmer, my life was to change dramatically. The President’s assassination was a historically world event; and the state funeral, of which I was honored to be a part, impacted my life and my perspective of life tremendously. My life realized a purpose, and I eventually graduated from college and was seriously involved in local politics. Although thankful for my changes, I will never forget that fateful, rainy, silent day, so long ago. While standing at the gravesite watching the funeral procession slowly moving across the Lincoln Memorial Bridge, I could hear only those distant drums echoing across the river…that sad march of a fallen hero. Now, as I think of all the extraordinary world events since 1963, I wonder of what could have been?”

Hesch, Mildred F.

Mildred Hesch is ninety-three years old and a widow. She raised three children of whom she is very proud. President Kennedy was the same age as her husband, and the Kennedy children were the same age as her children—a fact, she remembers, that made her “doubly sad” in November 1963. She still writes in a journal daily.

Hilliard, Jerrine

Mrs. Hilliard was a devout Christian who sang hymns while doing housework, opened her home to youth groups, to students from Hendrix College on “weekend mission trips,” and at Christmas to children from the Methodist Orphanage. Her daughter remembers her mother’s oft-stated conviction that “we are not rich in money, but we are rich in family, friends, and the love of God.”

Hirsch, Janis

Janis Hirsch has had a very successful career as a sitcom writer. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son. She reports that she is active on behalf of a range of causes, from equal rights for the disabled to marriage equality. “I still sing ‘You Gotta Have Heart,’” she writes, “when needed.”

Hoerl, Norbert A.

Norbert Hoerl served in the military during World War II and Korea. He and his wife had four children, including the daughter he mentions in his letter. Mr. Hoerl played the piano and enjoyed drawing. He died in 1974.

Holman, Clinton Hale

His niece remembers Clinton Hale as a quiet man who was known as “Uncle Hickory.” Although he was disabled, he made a living shining shoes and selling cigars in a downtown bus station. He lived with his extended family, never married, and had no children.

Holsey, Mrs. Magdalene

Magdalene Holsey lives in the South.

Housley, Mrs. Lennie Gore

Lennie Gore Housley Rogers was born in 1920. Although she had been married, she raised her three sons and a daughter mostly as a single parent, working very hard doing housekeeping for motels and in a sewing factory to support her family. Her family remembers that she never complained despite having to struggle to make ends meet. She revered President Kennedy and treasured a book she purchased about him. Her sons were all in the armed services, one son being called to be a guard at the inauguration parade route for President Johnson. Lennie treasured a trip she was able to make with her sister to see JFK’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery. She died in July 1973 at the age of fifty-three.

Hughes, Langston

Langston Hughes was a renowned poet and writer. Born in 1902 in Joplin, Missouri, and raised in his early life by his grandmother, he moved to Lincoln, Illinois, to live with his mother when he was a teenager. The family later moved to Cleveland, Ohio. After high school, he lived in Mexico, attended Columbia University, worked at various odd jobs, and traveled. He published his first book of poetry in 1926 and later graduated from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. He became a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Langston Hughes died in 1967.

Jackson, Katherine Dowd

Mrs. Jackson grew up on a farm in North Carolina, married and had four children. Her oldest son died in the Korean War. Throughout her life, she was actively engaged in her church and her community. She taught Sunday school and was involved with the NAACP. She died in 1995 at the age of 87. One of her grandsons is currently in a graduate program at Harvard University.

Jacobs, Mrs. Howard A.

Mrs. Jacobs is still living in Illinois and works at the Lego store. She continues to pursue her passion for genealogy and enjoys being a grandmother to her four grandchildren. Two of her grandchildren are twins, and the others were born on the same day, five years apart.

Jakusik, John H.

John Jakusik was an avid fisherman who loved to read about history, politics, and religion. He was a family man devoted to his wife, Irene, and his two sons and grandchildren. After retiring from his work with the City of New Bedford, he continued to keep abreast of government policies and issues. He died in 1992 at the age of seventy-two.

Jones, Sandi

Sandi Jones recalls that she was a “young teen when I wrote this. Forty-six years later the day is still crystal clear. My interest in history continued to grow, nurtured by my father’s passion for ephemera. Unfortunately, both the Kennedy spruces died, and just last year the Lincoln spruce succumbed to a fatal lightning bolt.”

Junker, Ellen

Ellen Junker, who is a nurse, writes: “When I reread my letter, I remember a crushing sense that goodness has many enemies; that the very light, hope, poetry, and sense I saw in Jack Kennedy made him vulnerable. It was not a great feeling for a twelve-year-old, who was still in the good-versus-evil, all-versus-nothing, win-or-lose stage. I also wonder if Kennedy’s assassination contributed to my passion for working in the field of death and dying.”

Katzberg, Gloria

Gloria Katzberg is now eighty-three years old and worked full time until she was eighty. She enjoys writing. She made a scrapbook for her daughter about the assassination. “Rereading my letter,” she commented, “brought tears to my eyes remembering the sadness felt by all.”

Keat, Betty

Betty Keat was born in 1932 and died in 1996.

Keegin, Arch C.

Archibald C. Keegin began his career in the civil service system at the age of fourteen, when he was forced to leave school to help support his six siblings after his father died during the 1918 flu epidemic. He completed his schooling at night classes and went on to hold various clerical positions within the FBI and the Department of Justice, including personal secretary to J. Edgar Hoover. He retired as chief of the Division of Supplies and Printing, after forty years of service in the Department of Justice. His daughter observes that it was “no small wonder that Arch was dismayed that the singing by the many processing mourners at JFK’s funeral had not been reported.” He enjoyed singing and was considered a fine entertainer by his family, friends, and fellow workers.

Keller, Rev. David

After leaving Shageluk in 1968, David Keller worked with Alaska Native leaders advocating the federal Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1991. He lives now in Weaverville, North Carolina, leads retreats, and is the author of a book on the power of personal prayer.

Kendler, Karen S.

Dr. Karen S. Camara, formerly Karen S. Kendler, was a Peace Corps volunteer in Nigeria. She served as a program director for low-income science students and later as a computer developer. She is the author of a book on coming-of-age in New York during the 1950s.

Kilmurry, Ellen

Ellen Kilmurry worked in public accounting for nearly twenty years before leaving corporate work to become involved in assisting homeless services agencies. She is currently the executive director of Southwest Chicago PADS, a nonprofit that serves nearly twenty-one hundred persons annually.

Klemkosky, Brenda

Since 1963, Brenda Klemkosky has married and had two sons and two granddaughters. She and her husband owned and operated a construction company in
Michigan. She lost her husband in 2001, and her sister was widowed a year later. She now lives with her sister and their two dogs.

Koop, Mrs. Patricia

Patricia Koop was from the Chicago area and moved to the state of Washington with her husband. They had two sons and were later divorced.

Lane, Suzan Elizabeth

Suzan Lane moved to Durango, Colorado, where she raised her three sons. She is “grateful for the life I get to live” and writes that “for Christmas, 1993, my mother surprised me with the gift of a rocker like President Kennedy’s.”