Nov. 22, 1963, is fading into history

For those among us old enough to remember, today is one of those days when you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing. It was Nov. 22, 1963, that in many ways changed the world. Of course, we can only imagine how our world would have been different but for this day. So we're left to wonder and dream and rewrite history.

Except for a mention in a history book or a brief aside in class, this day is slowly fading into history just as other equally important dates have in the past. My parents talk of the day FDR died and remember the events of that memorable day. I guess that date for my generation will forever be 11.22.63.

For a number of years, we marked this day with special events and special memories. We spoke of Oswald and Dallas and Jack Ruby. We remember young John John proudly saluting the casket. The widow draped in black. The riderless horse.

But now, except for a scant mention here and there, today is but a Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Time does that in all events, large and small. But though time may evaporate the news value of an event, it does little to diminish the memories that remain.

John Kennedy, were he alive, would today be an elder statesman under different circumstances. His long-vanished voice might still be an influence on this nation. But like his wife and his son, he is no longer part of the fabric of this great nation. He is but a mention in a history book, though politicians still invoke his name from time to time.

Ask someone from a younger generation if they remember the significance of today. And when you see that blank stare, tell them about the dreams and hopes and aspirations that one man carried for a brief time so many years ago. Give this day the respect it deserves. In far too many ways, it marked the end and not the beginning of great potential.