Letters to Jackie (33 page)

MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.

Dear Mrs. Kennedy:

My name is Diana Tyler. I am enclosing a paper in which many Negro people have expressed what the death of President Kennedy has meant to them. I am very sorry that such a thing had to happen, it’s as if history were repeating itself, in a way. I guess we needed that shock, but did it have to happen, especially that way? I’m not very good at expressing
myself but all I can say is I sympathize with you. You have lost your husband, we have lost a president which has done a great deal for us. There is a poem which expresses the thought I felt when I thought of you and your family. The poem is
Lament
by “Edna St. Vincent Millay. The last line in the poem reads

Life must go on;

I forget just why

Sincerely yours,
Diana Tyler
14 yr. old

A FRIEND

WOODSIDE, CALIF.

Dear Mrs. Kennedy,

I am only 9 1/2, but I nearly cried when I heard that shocking news. My little sister, Liz, was screaming, “My President, my President.”

He was such a
good
man and maybe the Good Lord thought he would be nice to have around at an early age, so he took him. If you want to send a letter to the President, send it to

Care of the Good Lord

President John F. Kennedy

House of the Presidents

Heaven

Send it by air Mail.

Keep this thought in mind.

Yours truly,
A sympathetic friend,
Kate Pond

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
NOVEMBER 28, 1963

Dear Mrs. Kennedy, and children,

I found a saying in a book about presidents, it goes like this: No king this man by the grace of God’s intent;

No, something better,

Free man—President!

I think it fit your husband, President Kennedy, very well.

When I heard he was shot I couldn’t believe it. When I heard it was true, I felt my own father had been shot.

I heard reporters say he’s the second best president of the United States. To me he was the best.

My age is twelve. When I was eleven, just about a year ago, a shopping center had a sign up that read: Welcome Mr. President, for he spoke at San Diego State College. Now almost a year later it reads: Closed in memorian of John F. Kennedy.

Your Friend,
Jill Zarnowitz

Dear MRS. KENNEDY

I AM SORRY HE IS DEAD

TONY DAVIS

Age 7

P.S. Tony wrote this the evening after hearing of the President’s death and it so aptly and yet simply expressed the feelings of all of this family that I have decided to send it on to you.

In Sympathy and sorrow
Mrs. Donald K. Davis

[DECEMBER 19, 1963, POSTMARK]
LAKE ORION, MICHIGAN

Dear Mrs. Kennedy

I am very sorry your husband got shot, because you had to suffer so much, and I know it takes alot of brains to be selected President. I am only in third grade and we did not learn how to write. I know you should forgive your enemies, but it is hard to forgive Lee Oswald. It is hard to forget that the President got shot. I know you are receiving a lot of letters, my mother said you have about 2 million letters but try to get them read, because some are still more interesting than this one. You have many pictures in the papers, and they say you are very pretty, and I think so to, and your children are very cute. I wanted to phone you but my father told me not t,o because it is not polite, so I didn’t. I hope some day we could make friends, I live in Lake Orion 31 mile road. If you would will you send me a picture of the President John F. Kennedy and you and John and Caroline, that is, if you have time. Some day if you would like to some day come over our house we live on…road, Michigan. We watched TV all day allmost, about President Kenedeys funaral. It was on day and night. It is very sad expeshely for you. He was the best Presidend in the whole world. Lee had a good weapon and he could not miss, I wish he did miss, and didn’t even think of killing. I guess some people are that way, and don’t think of what there doing. I bet you feel sad. Nobody will believe that we are writing to you, and we are not going to get a picture maby.

very respectfully,
Kevin Radell age 8

SHELTON, CONNECTICUT

SEPTEMBER 4, 1964

Dear Mrs. Kennedy,

Over the next hill about a mile away there is a monstrous Norway Spruce planted on the day of Mr. Lincoln’s death. It is the one remaining tree of twelve that a man planted there a hundred years ago.

On that black day last November I asked my father for two blue spruce to plant in memory of your wonderful husband. Dad gave them to me and I planted them and they lived through their first winter and are growing fine. They are only about a foot tall now but I certainly hope they will grow forever because your husband did not save America he saved the world from being blown to bits.

How you had and have the courage to face life and the world is beyond me. I believe you are braver than any war hero and its too bad all people couldn’t have your virtues.

I know I’ll never forget your courage on that day last November and of the next few days. Even 50 years from now when I’m 64 I know I’ll remember as clearly as I do this minute the shock, the grief and how I cried my eyes out and prayed for you and he.

Very Sincerely yours,
Sandi Jones

HOUSTON, TEXAS
DEC. 6, 1963

Dear Mrs. Kennedy,

I am ten years old. When I saw them moving President Kennedy’s rocking chairs out of the White House, a great sadness entered my heart.

You made such a beautiful collection of treasures from other Presidents of the United States. Do you think you could find it in your heart
to leave one of President Kennedy’s rockers for children my age to remember him by.

I will always remember him laughing and talking with touring children and dignitaries alike, seated in his rocking chair, and most of all I remember his solemn and determined look as he sat pondering the terrible decision he must make in the Cuban crises.

Someday, I hope to be able to visit our beautiful White House and see all the wonderful treasures you have collected from Presidents of past generations, but please leave this one very personal treasure of a young president of our generation, so that one day I may run my hand over the wooden arms, and borrow for a moment a little of the courage and vigor of this our youthful 35th President of the United States of America.

May our Lord’s Birthday and the New Year bring peace and comfort to you, Caroline, and little John.

Respectfully,
Suzan Elizabeth Lane

1/24/64

HOPE, MICHIGAN

Dear Jackie.

I known Jackie will never read this, But I going to write it as thro she were reading it.

I known how you felt and still fell on that nightmare of a day. Because I felt as tho the world was coming to an end. That Friday I was in Gym when our gym teacher told us that the Gov. of Texas and President Kennedy were shot. I was like everyone else, I didn’t believe her. I throught it was some kind of a joke. Then about 10 minutes later on the P.A. sistem they played the United Atum. I knew then that something awful had happened. Tears were filling my eyes as thro it were raining
out. I ran in the lockerroom not wanting to know what had happen. Then my gym teacher came in and told me he had died. I didn’t believe her. How could such a great man be dead. I loved him so much. I never wanted to die so much in my whole life. I’m only 12” but I loved” him so much. When he and nixon were running I prayed for him to win but he would have gotten it anyway. Buy the time I got home from school I eyes stunged so much it felt like a million needles poked in my eyes—I prayed to God Friday that when I’d wake up in the mouning I’d find it a terrible nighmare.

Saturday night I stayed up until 3:oclock that night watching people in the retunda going by his casket. Again I prayed it was only a nightmare. Than monday when I was watching his furnal,” I got this sturp idea that it was only someone who looked a lot like him that got killed. He was such a great man. I or mostly anyone in the United States would have done anything for him. I still pray at night that he isnt really dead. But God can’t even grant that. I
sill
still cry over him as thro he belonged to just me. He was a part of me.

Brenda Klemkosky

JANUARY 18, 1964
AUSTIN, TEXAS

Dear Mrs. Kennedy,

I know that you hate the whole state of Texas. I do to. I wish I lived in Washington, D.C. where maybe I could maybe see you standing on your porch. I am determined to move there as soon as I can. I would feel safer there. My greatest wish is to know you and to be exactly like you which will be hard. My friends Lorraine Atherton and Donna Sonnier and I talk, think and live you. We try to write your your name like you do, (Jaqueline Kennedy) or however you do it. We play a game in school. Lorraine is Bobby K, Donna is Teddy K., and I am you. Teddy (Donna) pulls out the chair to my desk, takes my jacket off for me, and opens the
door for me. It’s fun to be you. They say I look like you, too, although I am a blonde and wear glasses.

I love you more than anyone and I have an urge all the time to go to Washington to (maybe) see you. I love you an awful lot. I get every magazine + newspaper clipping or picture about or of you. I heard your speach twice on television. I think you are the bravest woman that ever has lived. I think that the Kennedys might be distant cousins of mine 1. because my grandmother told me they are. 2 because my grandmother’s great—grandparents came from Ireland and were named Kennedy 3, because I still have cousins all over the place named Kennedy 4. because they look like the Kennedy men.

I think I am going to the World’s Fair this summer and we might get to drive through Washington (I have cousins there) I if we do I might get to see your house.

I know you couldn’t care less about me, but I love you. More than anything I do. Don’t you understand? I LOVE YOU! PLEASE! believe me,. (If you get this letter) (I know its not ESPESIALLY TOUCHING).

I Love You,
Jane
Dryden

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y.

[NOVEMBER 27, 1963, POSTMARK]

Dear Mrs. Kennedy,

I’m so sorry that people are so full of hate that they had to kill Mr. Kennedy. He was a good president.

He can see you from heaven and when he knows that you’re unhappy he’ll be unhappy too, but he is with you realy all the time with God. When you love each other, you never realy part.

We had two kittens before one died.

One night I was looking at a pile of blankets and on top of them I saw the kitten that had died, sleeping there. It may have been just the shape of the blankets, but I think that God let her come down and see me.

Love,
Ellen Junker

DEC. 13, 1963
LEBANON JUNCTION, KENTUCKY

Dear Mrs. Kennedy,

On November 22, 1963 the United States and the free world lost a great leader and a great man. Even though I have never met him he seemed close to all of us.

On November 22 it was a friday all the kids where anixous to get home because friday was a day when you could stay up as long as you wanted to sleep late and no homework. We all said T.G.I.F. meaning “thank goodness its friday. One girl was so anixous to get home she pushed half way down the stairs.

When I came out the door a girl was waiting for us to come out then they all rushed up to us and said the President was shot and he is dead. We couldn’t believe it we thought it was a joke but no one was laughing…. When I got home the television was on I took my coat went hang it close that closet door and hit my fist on the door and laid on the bed and cried next I got my diary and wrote President Kennedy has been shot he is dead. What in the world has happened when people try to make this world a better place to live in and some one shoots the president. I can’t write or fill what I would like to say. But God bless the Kennedy family.

When I heard that they think they had found the man who shot President Kennedy Lee Harvey Oswald I felt no love or hate toward him
On Sunday I heard that Oswald had been shot and killed I hated him and I said he had a crime to pay for he got off easy. Mrs. Kennedy when you walking behind behind the cassions you look like a general leading an army into battle you had more medals than Highly Selasse. You stood taller than Charles Degaulle….

We will always remeber Mr. Kennedy for what he has done for the Negroes, jobs, education phiscal fitness and peace. And so Mrs. Kennedy I close my letter hoping you can read it. May God bless you in what ever you do and all the free world hearts go out to you and the Kennedy family.

Sincerely yours,
Teresa Bradbury
Lebanon Junction
Kentucky