Locals recall where they were and how they reacted when they heard President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated

Almost anyone who lived through the assassination of President John F. Kennedy will tell you they remember exactly where they were and how they felt when they heard the news. The assassination, which happened exactly 50 years ago today, has been etched into the memory of those who lived through it. Here are local accounts of where they were and what they were thinking.

Lee Bonorden,

Former Herald reporter

“I was a seaman in the Navy at the time. When it happened I was stationed in San Diego, Calif.”

“Right away we went on alert. It certainly was a shock. Grown men cried. We didn’t [have access to] the 24/7 news coverage, so there was a lot of speculation. It was unbelievable. We lost a hero, and the nation lost a president.”

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Norm Hecimovich,

Retired school administrator and veteran

“I was the principal at Greenway Public Schools in Coleraine, Minn. one of my teacher’s mother called me and said, ‘Norm, President Kennedy has been shot.”

“I was aghast. Then I turned on the radio; we didn’t have a TV in the school. I made the announcement over intercom system. When you hear it, it was so striking and so sad. I was in a state of shock myself. It was a very difficult day for me and the kids. I’ll never forget it.”

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Roger Boughton,

Austin City Council member

“I was at work, and my wife called me. We were living in Youngstown, Ohio. … I was in a meeting at the time.”

“I couldn’t believe it. It was really a shock and a surprise. At our age, we identified with Kennedy’s energy and enthusiasm. It was the first thing we lived through that was so traumatic.”

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Bonnie Rietz,

Former Austin Mayor

“I was sitting in eighth-grade civics class. Our teacher was called out of the room, and came back and made the announcement.”

“Everybody was just shocked. … For people in my generation, it was just an unbelievable occurrence. The only thing I can compare it to was [the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001]. Those are the two occasions where I had that overwhelming feeling.”

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Charles Mills,

Local political leader

“I had been working with one of my associates fixing a mainframe computer, and we were deeply involved. We didn’t finish up until about 2 p.m. We went to a restaurant, and we heard it on the radio, and I just lost my appetite.”

“It took away the innocence of that period. I can remember completely the inside of the restaurant and the guy sitting next to me. It was just burned into my memory.”

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Tom Stiehm,

Austin Mayor

“I was in third grade at Saint Matthias Catholic School in Milwaukee, Wis. I was 8 years old. [School administrators] put the radio over the PA system. The teacher left and came back, and said the president had been killed.”

“Some of the girls were crying. It was shocking. I think because we were a parochial school [and Kennedy was Catholic], it added to the shock.”