I was living in New York when John F. Kennedy was killed. Like many others, I was watching television when the first breaking news came on television-Kennedy had been shot. Walter Cronkite gave this breaking news flash.

New Yorkers came to a stretching halt. There was a hush all over the city and burroughs. No one could leave their television.

I have always been a Kennedy fan. Many can remember exactly what they were doing that horrid day, or remember how they heard the news.

In Manhattan most of the stores draped their windows in black.

In my neighborhood, when I had to leave my apartment, seldom anyone spoke above a whisper on the street or in the stores.

It was like the song, “There’s A Hush All over the World.”

One of the other residents living in our apartment building was an International Newsman. One of his many jobs was covering the United Nations, as well as writing for many international newspapers. Welliem was a Holland native with a degree from Yale, living in New York at the time.

He also did a lot of international lecturing. The combination of all his jobs brought him into contact with people from all over the world as well as many people in the news.

He was always happy to bring his house guest up to our apartment for great political, international topics, along with a good cup of coffee.

I got a call from him one afternoon suggesting I find a babysitter for that evening. He said he had invited a guest to dinner and to spend the evening. Of course I asked at once, who this was going to be. To my utter amazement he said Mrs. Oswald. It had not been long after her son, Lee Harvey, had been accused of killing Kennedy.

It seems he had met her on a flight. Trying to avoid all news people, Welliem offered to carry her luggage, not identifying himself as a journalist. She accepted and he spent the entire flight seated by Mrs. Oswald. He did identify himself later as an international newsman. What a coo. She had not granted any news conferences at that time.

During their conversation, he invited her to his apartment for dinner. And she accepted.

I went down to his apartment knowing I would hold her in utter disgust.

The assignation was not discussed for a couple of hours. I was sitting on the edge of my chair, knowing the topic surely would come up.

Mrs. Oswald was a very matronly looking woman. She seems very pleasant while discussing mundane things

When the topic did arise, I became a bit nervous, biting my tongue while listening to her and Welliem talk about her son.

Marguerite Oswald’s major concern was if her son had killed the President, why was she not shown more proof. She had several reasons for these thoughts and questions.

As the evening passed, I listened to every word. I don’t think I made one comment.

Finally I excused myself, thanked Welliem for the invitation, said good-bye to Mrs. Oswald, and, as I recall, I even gave her a hug.

On my way back up the stairs I thought of nothing else-the mother of the accused killed of President Kennedy.

The more I remember the conversations, the more I felt she was behaving as a mother.

Mrs. Oswald had no experience in dealing with the media, or being in the spotlight. To this day, no one seems to agree on just what did happen that horrid day in Dallas.

I do know that I went down to that apartment knowing I would not like this woman. But after I left, the only thing I did know was that she was behaving as a mother.