Another Shot Heard Around the World

Do you remember what you were doing when the news spread that President Kennedy was shot in his motorcade in Dallas? I was a second grade student at Creswell Elementary School in Shreveport, Louisiana. I remember an announcement was made by our teacher. Her voice was somber yet not panicy as she did not want to alarm us. We were so young, we really didn't understand what was going on. Or why the adults were so upset.

We were dismissed early from school that day. I went home with my first grader sister and we went into the den, as usual, to check out what was on tv. Our housekeeper, a big, black, friendly,woman with a normally smiling face, was sitting on the couch crying. She was watching the newscast about the shooting. By this time the president was pronounced dead. We asked her why she was crying and she just pulled us to her and hugged us. Then she explained that the president was dead and it made her very sad that someone could be so bad as to shoot the president of the United States.

Bea was a kind and gentle giant of a woman who called many children, though technically not her own, her children. She was brought into our home when my youngest sister was born. She was with us for many years until she finally had to retire due to health concerns. My father, ahead of his time, always insisted on paying her social security taxes and provided her with health care assistance. She was a part of the family. She came to us after she raised another families children. They were grown and she wanted to help another family. She would talk to us about her "high blood" and not feeling well some days. She taught my youngest sister to eat sugar on her rice. My sister still to this day puts sugar on her rice. Bea told her to so she does. My sister today is 43!