How JFK changed my life

Yesterday was the 47th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I have vague memories of watching the funeral on television but since I was only five I don't remember much. Still his death changed my life, at least in a round about way.

My parents had grown up in a conservative Mennonite church which did not allow its members to have television. They were living in Idaho in 1963 and since there were no conservative Mennonite churches in the area they made do with a regular Mennonite church. Sometime I will have to ask if they were just being good members, or if they didn't want to spend the money, but in any case we did not have a tv.

This changed with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. After the assassination, my father rented a television in order to watch the funeral and the many news stories. Walter Cronkite, along with Huntley and Brinkley, must have made an impression and my parents decided to keep the television. I may have been allowed to watch Captain Kangaroo but probably not much else. It is also where I learned that disappointment would long be a part of my life. NBC had its peacock, and the slogan, "Bringing this program to you in living color." I always waited eagerly for the black and white images I saw on the screen to appear in "living color" but for some reason, (we had a black and white tv) the "living color" never appeared.

We moved back to southeastern Iowa a few years later and I don't know if the tv came with us, or if the decision was made to buy another one once they arrived. The conservative Mennonite churches in the area still had a rule against tv, so my parents eventually joined Kalona Mennonite, a congregation which allowed tv's. By now 60 Minutes was on the air, and in our home, it was required viewing. All of my first cousins in the area attended the conservative churches so our house became a favorite destination. If an Iowa basketball game was televised we had company.

If my parents had not purchased the tv, they may well have remained in the conservative church. I may have attended Rosedale and married a nice girl who wore a covering and didn't cut her hair. Instead I was corrupted by shows such as 60 Minutes, Hogan's Heroes, and Carol Burnett. I was one of the few kids allowed to watch the Smother's Brothers before they were kicked off the airwaves. Maybe that is why I struggle with trying to not be too cynical.

The conservative churches dropped the tv rule a number of years ago when it became impossible to enforce. There seems to be little difference between what these churches and regular Mennonite churches say about the use of technology. I certainly don't see a difference in the gadgets the students use and carry to school.