Perrysburg High School - Black and Gold Yearbook (Perrysburg, OH)

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Dedication ln behalf of the students of Perrysburg High School, the Black and Gold dedicates its I964 annual to former President Kennedy, who was felled by an assassin's bullet while in the service of his country. Because of the vitality and continued interest President Ken- nedy showed toward the youth of the nation, the students of Perrys- burg as well as students across the nation felt a special closeness to the nations untiring leader. Students Shocked By Annoucement November twenty second is a day which is clear in the hearts and minds of millions of people all over the world. To most of us, the memory is painful. John F. Kennedy was admired by all. His policies and political opinions were not accepted by everyone, but no one can deny that he was a truly great man. The shock re- sulting from his death was universal. Everyone will always remem- ber where he was and what he was doing on that memorable day. I know I shall never forget. It was a dull and dreary Friday afternoon. I was sitting in my sixth period Science class taking a quiz on balancing chemical equations. I remember that I was having difficulty with two or three of the problems, and I was getting a little discouraged. After all, it was Friday afternoon, and I was anxious for school to end and the weekend to begin. All of a sudden I heard a chime which was the signal for an oncoming announcement. It seemed like a strange time to interrupt classes, but this didn't really disturb me. Students of Perrysburg High School, the announcer said. The President is dead. My first reaction was to laugh. He went on to say that President Kennedy had been killed by an assassin's bullet in Dallas, Texas. This had to be some kind of a joke. This is the United States of America., the greatest nation in the world. Things like that just don't happen here, at least not anymore. Gradually, l began to realize that it was all true. People wouldn't joke about a thing like that. I couldn't believe it, I didn't want to believe it. Who could have done it? Then they turned the radio on. This announcer said that they were still awaiting word as to the condition of the President. My heart heaved a sigh of relief. He wasni't dead. Just then the announcer broke in in an excited voice. Ladies and gentlemen, we have just received the official word from the White House. The Pres- ident of the United States of America, John F. Kennedy, is dead. He went on, but I didn't hear him. President Kennedy-dead? President Kennedy, the man I admired more than anyone else in the world-dead? The tears streamed down my face. I didn't care that everyone could see me. My mind was in mass confusion. Who? How? Why? I looked down at my unfinished quiz paper. At that moment, l couldn't have finished it if I had wanted to. Finally, the bell rang. Blindly, l stood up, walked over to the teacher's desk, put my paper down, and walked out of the room. Once in the hall, I became aware of the people around me. Some were crying like myself, but most of them were in a daze-too shocked for tears. When I got to my locker some of my friends were waiting for me. We tried to console each other, but I guess we all realized that it wasn't going to do any good. I put my coat on and started to walk home. lt was raining, but l couldn't tell the raindrops from my tears. Finally I reached our orange and white house. I opened the door and walked in. Instantly I could tell that my family knew by the expressions on their faces. I don't know why, but this sur- prised me. For the next three days, I sat glued to the television set. They kept repeating the some things over and over again, but I just couldn't tear myself away. l couldn't eat, l couldn't sleep. I just sat there, my eyes fixed on the screen. John F. Kennedy has been dead for months. He gave his life for the country he loved. The United States of America still lives, and it will never die as long as there are men like J. F. K. Ka ren Schmidt The Making of a President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on May 29, l9l7 in Brook- line, Massachusetts. During his kindergarten to college years, he was educated at four schools: Dexter, in Brookline, Riverdale Country Day School, Canterbury School, in New Millford, Massa- chusetts, and Choate at Wallingford, Connecticut. During this period, it was said he had an inquisitive mind and a retentive memory, but his grades were average. In September l936, he entered Harvard. He spent his first two years there hardly pushing himself at all, but then in his junior year, he received the opportunity to go abroad, and he took it. When he arrived back at Harvard in his senior year, he was a changed man-. He worked harder than ever before and graduated in l94O with honors. Almost more than any other influence, World War ll helped mold John Kennedy into the man for the White House, although a back injury he received playing football almost kept him from entering the armed forces. But he underwent a five month regimen of back-strengthening exercises and was commissioned a Navy ensign in September, l94l. Transferred to the Naval Officer's Training School at Northwestern University, he was one of sixty men- chosen for officers at the new M.T.B. School at Melville, Rhode Island. Important qualities possessed by these men were courage, athletic toughness, intelligence, and quick thinking. In l943, he was transferred to the South Pacific and given the command of PT-IO9. The boat was a late model, 80 footer, badly in need of maintenance. Within ten days Kennedy and his crew had the boat in working condition. On August 2, when PT-IO9 and her crew were out on patrol, they were rammed by a Japanese destroyer. The force of the destroyer cut the PT boat in two and her gasoline tanks exploded. When the boat sank under them, Kennedy and his remaining crew swam to a little island. Even though his back injury was hurting him, Kennedy swam to Ferguson Passage every night try- ing to get help. Only total exhaustion made him relinquish the swim to other members of the crew. The suffering and exhaustion paid off. Help finally came. In I945, Jack Kennedy announced he would run for congress- man of Massachusetts. Campaigning long and hard, his memory for faces and names, and most of all his war record, paid off and in November of I946, he swamped his opponents. He started his career as a man of the House of Representatives in January, I947. Not a man to stand still for very long, he decided to run against Henry Cabot Lodge for the Senate seat of Massachusetts. The de- cision seemed fruitless, since Lodge was expected to win, but he campaigned furiously, helped by his sisters Jean and Eunice. Dur- ing the eight months of campaigning, he visited every major Mas- sachusetts city on many occasions. His recurrent back injury made it impossible at times to walk without the aid of crutches, but when it came time to make a speech, he left the crutches behind and walked to the platform like a West Point Cadet. The hard work and struggle paid off in the end, and he won by 70,000 votes. He entered the U. S. Senate in January, I953, and served for eight years. On the move again, he anounced in i956 that he would seek the Democratic party's vice-presidential nomination. Here, the issue of his Catholic religion was first raised. He was defeated by Estes Kefauver as the nominee for vice- president. But even this defeat did not stop him. He said he would try for the Presidency. For the Democratic nomination for president he had to defeat Stuart Symington, Lyndon B. Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, and Adlai Stevenson. His campaign began on October 28, l959. In l96O, he won the New Hampshire Primary. After a few more victorious primaries, he was met with the religion issue in West Virginia. Again he won. John Kennedy was the youngest man to become nominated and also the first Catholic to become President. On September 26, October 7, October I3, and October 2l, television debates were held between Kennedy and Nixon, the Republican candidate for president. These debates brought out a positive Kennedy and a negative Nixon. After the debates both men campaigned hard, as they were in the home stretch be- fore election night, but Kennedy had one advantage-he was more well liked by young people under thirty. On' November 8, l96O, 68 million Americans went to the polls to choose a new leader. They selected John Fitzgerald Ken- nedy-the 35th President of the United States.

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BLAGK and GCLD Published By The Journallsm Department WWW MM QM i UO W we M - MW W m JN! O WCW? PERRYSBU RG HIGH SCHCOL PERRYSBURG, OHIO

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To Our Late President John F. Kennedy Can courage die? Courage lives forever. lt is a lie That death can sever The arteries of man's eternal Spirit, Whence come those gifts of God Expressed to us in terms of noblest merit. Courage is not buried 'neath the sod, Nor patient wisdom, nor selfless giving In that cause of peace and freedom for us all. His values live in us, the living, If we awake to that high call. Dry the tears of grief and shame. Burn in our hearts, Eternal Flame. Dave Hanson Ask not what your country can do for you, Ask what you can do for your country.