JFK Assassination 50 Years Later
Kennedy Family and Administration Sought to Establish Memorial at Harvard
In the months that followed the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963, realizing the late President’s wish that his national memorial consist of three parts—a museum, a library, and a political institute—and that it stand next to the Harvard campus.
Male Player of the Year, Runner-Up: Devin Dwyer
Sophomore Devin Dwyer of the Harvard men’s lacrosse team came into the 2014 campaign as the reigning All-New England Rookie of the Year. Despite the target on his back, the attackman only gotten better this season, despite teams focusing their defenses on stopping him.
JFK New Frontier
Charles Best, Founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org, speaks about his inspiration for creating the online charity for public schools at the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Awards Ceremony Monday evening.
Mourning at Memorial Church
A student weeps as mourners gather outside Memorial Church on Saturday, November 23, 1963, to remember the fallen President. The photograph ran as the top image on the front page of the Monday, November 25, 1963, issue of The Crimson.
Kennedy as a Student
John F. Kennedy '40 photographed as a senior at Harvard in 1940. The image ran on the front page of the November 22, 1963, extra edition of The Crimson
Mourner in Memorial Church
One mourner among a reported 2000 who gathered in Memorial Church on Saturday, Nov. 23, 1963, to demonstrate what the photo's caption characterizes as "the intense sorrow of a stunned nation." The photo ran on page two of the Monday, November 25, 1963, issue of The Crimson.
Kennedy the Overseer
The President-elect leaves University Hall after his final meeting on the University Board of Overseers on January 9, 1961. The photograph ran on page four of the Tuesday, November 26, 1963, issue of The Crimson.
50 Years Ago, Cambridge Mourned a 'Son of Harvard'
The news of the President’s death was a crushing blow to a campus that felt a unique kinship with the young leader.
A Rescheduled Game
When word reached Cambridge and New Haven that President John F. Kennedy ’40 had been shot and killed in Dallas, all football plans for 80th rendition of The Game were abandoned.
Community Members Reflect on the Anniversary
The Crimson has asked a broad range of alumni, many of whom are still a part of the Harvard community, to reflect on the moment they heard of the President’s death. A smaller number of experts around Harvard have offered an assessment of Kennedy’s legacy in American culture and political history.
JFK at the Commonwealth Armory
President John F. Kennedy '40 and his brother Edward M. Kennedy '54-'56 appear together at a dinner at Boston's Commonwealth Armory on Saturday, October 19, 1963, a month before the President's assassination. The photograph ran on the front page of the Monday, October 21, 1963, issue of The Crimson.
In the Control Room
Douglas H. Shafner, currently a security officer at Harvard, witnessed the events of November 22, 1963 from a close vantage point: the master control room of Walter Cronkite’s CBS.
The President's Gaze
President John F. Kennedy '40 photographed in Boston by The Crimson on Saturday, October 19, 1963, just a month before he was assassinated. The photograph ran on page two of the Saturday, November 23, 1963, issue of The Crimson.
A Family in Mourning
Robert F. Kennedy '48, the President's brother, and Jacqueline Kennedy, his wife, wait to join a funerary procession at the U.S. Capitol in this Associated Press photograph, which ran on the second page of the Monday, November 25, 1963, issue of The Crimson.
A President's Funeral
This Associated Press wire photo of the President's coffin in the Capitol Rotunda ran on the third page of the Monday, November 25, 1963, issue of The Crimson.
Extra: Kennedy Assassinated
This single-sheet extra edition of The Crimson was published on Friday, November 22, 1963, the day John F. Kennedy '40 was shot. According to then-Crimson managing editor Bruce L. Paisner '64, the extra was printed at around 2:30 p.m. and distributed at around 5 p.m.
Scenes of a President and His Mourners
Archival photos in issues of The Crimson before and after John F. Kennedy '60's assassination.
The Game, Rescheduled
Yale's Bill Henderson (40) runs into Crimson opposition during the second period of the 1963 Harvard-Yale Game, as John Dockerty (44), Jack Neuenschwander (70), and Rick Beizer (26) converge on the Eli halfback. This photograph from the New Haven Game, which was rescheduled for November 30 after the Kennedy assassination, ran on the third page of the Monday, December 2, 1963, issue of The Crimson.
Harvard Community Commemorates 50th Anniversary of Kennedy's Assassination
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the president’s assassination, Harvard will host a series of events to honor the legacy of President John F. Kennedy ’40 on Friday.
At the Microphone
President John F. Kennedy '40 speaking at Boston's Commonwealth Armory on Saturday, Oct. 19, 1963, after attending the Harvard-Columbia football game. This photo ran on the front page of The Crimson on Monday, October 21, 1963, just a month before the President's assassination.
Cronkite's Broadcast
Broadcaster Walter Cronkite announces the assassination of John F. Kennedy '40 on Nov. 22, 1963.