On His Birthday, I remember John F. Kennedy

Earlier this month, I read that the memorial statue of John F. Kennedy would once again be open to the public. Apparently, it was off limits right after 9/11/01, but now it may be seen by all. Since I wasn't aware of the statue in the first place, I made it a priority to see  it quickly...before the tourists hit town. I was rather lucky, even though there were several school groups, I remained patient and they soon moved on.

I have since learned that the public will be able to view the statue of the former U.S. president seasonally, from April to October, starting at 9:30 a.m. and ending at 4:30 p.m., from Monday through Friday.

If you face the State House, the statue is to your left.

In the below photo, I was behind the statue facing the Boston Common.

The view of the Shaw Memorial and the Boston Common as I stood by the memorial.

My post, "The Patriot and the Sculpturer, Both are Well-known. One Didn't Come Back" is about the Shaw Memorial. Yesterday was the anniversary for Robert Gould Shaw and his troop. The memorial scene depicts the 54th Regiment marching down Beacon Street on May 28, 1863 as they left Boston to head south.

Senator from Massachusetts 1953 - 1960 (I'll go back for that photo.)

For more information about President Kennedy, please see HERE.

Growing Up In Lexington

When I began my 4th fourth grade at the Adams School in Lexington, Massachusetts, I knew nothing of my new town's history.  My parents moved there from two previous towns in Connecticut, and from my first fourth grade in California.  I consider Lexington to be my favorite town of all the places I've lived.

Many of us have ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War, as well as ancestors who were born in Lexington. I've several who fought in the War and were born there, and even my "brick wall" person, John Adams was in Lexington at the time of the war.

During several of my school years, our local history played an important part in our learning. My early classes took field trips down the street to see and learn about what happened. My Girl Scout troop planted flowering bulbs in the fall at some of the historic homes, and the church we attended was the tall one at the Lexington green.

Every April 19th, my Girl Scout troop marched in the Lexington Patriot's Day parade, there were two parades, I marched in the one at 7 AM! Of course, being much younger, I didn't mind, but sometimes it was cold. My mother was ecstatic about one 2 PM parade, when Sen. John F. Kennedy marched. I remember her pointing him out, but I thought, "who is he?" Both the 7 AM and 2 PM parades marched just two blocks from my house, and it was a very big deal. Many years after we moved, my mother always went back on that date to see it and visit with old friends. She even did that on the day she died, on her return trip home from Lexington. And whenever I returned for visits from Virginia, I always visited Lexington. Even now, it is about a 30 minute trip, so we go there frequently.

For eight years, I was in the Lexington school system, until my 11th grade, then we moved again. During my 8th grade, our class got to rename our junior high school, as there was another junior high being built. It had to have a patriotic name. I can't remember what I wrote about and why I chose the name, but the two winners were Diamond and Muzzy, so there were new names for each of the schools.  Many years later, Muzzy Jr. High became condos. Always changing, but then, nothing looks changed. It is a beautiful town, see photos below.

The town, April 11, 2010

Lexington Green

Cary Memorial Library

Afternoon parade, ca. 1960. I saw JFK march in one of these parades. 

Years after we moved, I had to show a boyfriend where I lived!

The house, photo taken three years ago.

Post was originally posted April 18, 2010.

Growing up in Lexington, Massachusetts

When I began my 4th fourth grade at the Adams School in Lexington, Massachusetts, I knew nothing of my new town's history.  My parents moved there from two previous towns in Connecticut, and from my first fourth grade in California.  I consider Lexington to be my favorite town of all the places I've lived.

Many of us have ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War, as well as ancestors who were born in Lexington. I've several who fought in the War and were born there, and even my "brick wall" person, John Adams was in Lexington at the time of the war.

During several of my school years, our local history played an important part in our learning. My early classes took field trips down the street to see and learn about what happened. My Girl Scout troop planted flowering bulbs in the fall at some of the historic homes, and the church we attended was the tall one at the Lexington green.

Every April 19th, my Girl Scout troop marched in the Lexington Patriot's Day parade, there were two parades, I marched in the one at 7 AM! Of course, being much younger, I didn't mind, but sometimes it was cold. My mother was ecstatic about one 2 PM parade, when Sen. John F. Kennedy marched. I remember her pointing him out, but I thought, "who is he?" Both the 7 AM and 2 PM parades marched just two blocks from my house, and it was a very big deal. Many years after we moved, my mother always went back on that date to see it and visit with old friends. She even did that on the day she died, on her return trip home from Lexington. And whenever I returned for visits from Virginia, I always visited Lexington. Even now, I take this 30 minute trip frequently.

For eight years, I was in the Lexington school system, until my 11th grade, then we moved again. During my 8th grade, our class got to rename our junior high school, as there was another junior high being built. It had to have a patriotic name. I can't remember what I wrote about and why I chose the name, but the two winners were Diamond and Muzzy, so there were new names for each of the schools.  Many years later, Muzzy Jr. High became condos. Always changing, but then, nothing looks changed. It is a beautiful town, see photos below.

The town, April 11, 2010.

Lexington Green

Cary Memorial Library

Afternoon parade, ca. 1960. I saw JFK march in one of these parades. 

Years after we moved, I had to show a boyfriend where I lived!

The house, photo was taken three years ago.

The post was originally posted on April 18, 2010.