JFK

Memorial exhibitions commemorating the assassination of JFK 50 years ago tomorrow abound, from Tampa to Yale, with predictably several in Dallas. Most are of photographs, including one at NY's International Center of Photography. 

I was at University when I first heard the shocking news. It seemed unbelievable that this young, handsome hero could be dead. We all felt he embodied such hope and idealism. Now of course we know he was far from perfect, but in those days he was idolized. 

Today, with many thousands of onlookers cell phones to capture the event, would we be nearer an understanding of what actually happened that day?  Who and why, even where the shots came from, will never be answered now, although there are over 1000 documents relating to the killing, still kept under wraps by the US government.   

We also believed then that photography never lied. Today images can be manipulated to say pretty well anything. What a terrible, sad day. It changed our world.