Read Time: 1 minute

Because it’s around the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination, I’ll share my connection to it. I grew up in Texas and attended the San Antonio meeting, where my grandfather guided the building/refitting of our meeting hall (an old Army barracks). My grandfather was Philemon Connally, John Connally was my grandfather’s nephew as his father and my grandfather were brothers. Anyhow that means my mom and Governor John Connally were first cousins, and grew up near each other. When President Kennedy was shot I remember (although young) my mother’s reaction as we watched it on a very new TV. Her cousin was shot! That was partly why we were watching, because cousin John was of course Governor of Texas at the time.
One of the following years while Lyndon Johnson was President I have this memory while attending the Hye Bible School. A dark limo drives up over the “cattle guard” and pulls up alongside the open tabernacle where we held lectures. The President of the United States rolls down the window, and gets some hugs and “hey old boy” from some of the older brothers: he then proceeds to listen to the lecture. Secret Service men were down at the gate (the cattle guard). The Johnson ranch is just a mile or two up the river from the Bible School grounds. If I am not mistaken Old Johnson (Lyndon’s grandfather) had given the grounds to the Christadelphians (over 100 years ago).1 I must have been about 8-10 years old. So I was almost seven when JFK was shot. So there you go! My sister still lives on a ranch near “Uncle John’s” ranch although his has an air-strip and hers does not.
Susie Lange (Champaign, IL)
Notes:
1. Actually, records show the land was donated around 1898 by Bro. John Colbath. There have been Christadelphian Bible Schools in the area since 1877.