John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

John F. Kennedy is the first president I can consciously remember. He took office in January 20, 1961 when I was only four years old. His life came to a tragic end on November 22, 1963 when I was seven. I doubt I would have any solid recollections of him had he not been assassinated, but because of the huge impact this event had on all Americans, my family included, I still have jumbled images of the events of that fateful week - the television coverage of that terrible day, live coverage of the funeral, little John-John's brave salute, and Thanksgiving Day, all part of one memory mosaic that etched a permanent mental picture in my brain. Time, knowledge, and maturity continually reshape these early memories, and what started out as a 7-year old child's impression of the events has morphed into how I think of the past, today. History lessons in school, movies, and novels (I learned a lot about the life and times of JFK in Stephen King's book, 11/22/63), and now, most recently from our visit to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, five miles from where he was born.