Where were you when . . .

This morning I made a quick trip up to Dallas for the finalize the adoption of my niece to by brother and sister-in-law. She was born six months ago, and entrusted to them with the standard six-month evaluation period by the state. This morning we all met at the courthouse in downtown Dallas, stood before a judge, and celebrated as she awarded permanent custody to my bro and sis-in-law.

While they waited for the actual decree of adoption paperwork to be produced, my parents and I took a stroll around the block outside the courthouse. This may sound odd if you do not realize that the courthouse sits on Dealy Plaza. So, we strolled by the Texas Book Repository and it's infamous sixth floor. We walked over the grassy knoll and saw where Kennedy was assassinated. My parents talked about where they were when they first learned the impossible news. Mom was working over a drafting board when a coworker came in from lunch and frantically turned on the radio. Dad was working at the bank - same situation. While this occurred about a month before my parents had their first date, and a decade before I was born, I began remembering the defining world events of my (remembered) lifetime.

I was in class, and it was show and tell day. Someone had brought a novelty radio that looked like a can of shaving cream. We were listening to this radio when they broke in with the news that Reagan had been shot. She quickly turned off the radio, but the news was sinking in to these young minds.

I was in forth period math class. The teacher was a coach, and by happenstance the class was all guys – not a single girl. Naturally, there was generally a little bit of cutting up going on. So when the real clown of the class walks in and announces that the shuttle Challenger blew up, none of us believed him. That took a few minutes to sink in.

It was a Wednesday night. I was driving to church on the other side of town. All they were talking about on the radio was Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. This was the start of many years of a modern era of blood, sweat, and tears involving that region of the globe.

So, what about you? Where were you? There are others I could have mentioned, that are indelibly burned into my memory, but these are three of the strongest from my memory. What event has stuck with you the most?

Tags: Kennedy, Reagan, Dealy Plaza, Assassination, Dallas, Adoption, Nostalgia, Challenger