An interesting 1965 children’s book, Meet John F. Kennedy, by Nancy Bean White has been recently donated to the WKU Special Collections Library. The book is filled with more than fifty, real-life photographs related to John F. Kennedy, his family, and his presidency. The book presents a realistic timeline of JFK from his childhood, the presidency, the family, and his tragic death.
The donor of this treasured book is Mary Bennett who lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Mrs. Bennett participated in the JFK Memory Project at WKU and was interviewed by the Manuscripts and Folklife Archives Librarian, Jonathan Jeffrey. Mrs. Bennett was shopping in downtown Dallas, Texas at the time of President John F. Kennedy’s motorcade on November 22, 1963. The Bennett family could not see the actual assassination from their location in the crowd, but Mr. Bennett and a fellow trucker friend were able to communicate with each other by “walkie talkies” to safely escape the chaotic events following the president’s assassination. President Kennedy’s traumatic assassination and the televised funeral procession prompted Mrs. Bennett to collect many memorable JFK items over the years.
The JFK Memory Project at WKU is currently collecting remembrances of Kennedy’s assassination, if anyone would like to contribute their memories of where they were on that fateful day when they first learned of President Kennedy’s death or watched the news and funeral on television. The JFK Memory Project at WKU is still collecting information about President John F. Kennedy’s visit to Bowling Green on October 8, 1960. If you or your family, friends, and neighbors remember President Kennedy’s visit to Kentucky or the JFK assassination events, please contact Jonathan Jeffrey at 270-745-5265 or jonathan.jeffrey@wku.edu to share your personal memories of these historical events.