I shoot pool...not presidents

Alf Taylor

Alf Taylor

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Fifty years ago, today, in Dallas, my mother woke me and said "They just shot the president and his wife." Initial news reports had everyone guessing. Being a typical 20 year old irresponsible pool nut, my priority was my Frank Paradise cue was in. I rushed to the post office and picked it up. On my way back to my car, two Dallas police cars whipped up to me and two or three officers quickly examined my long cylindrical package and left as quickly as they arrived. It was a sad time for the world and a personal sad time for me now. looking back at my goofy priorities.
It was a nice cue though, Frank was one of the first to use a clear butt.
Keep it respectful...Alfie
 
It's uncanny how we can all remember what we were doing at the times of crisis in our history.

When JFK was shot, I was home sick from elementary school, fifth grade I think, watching Leave it to Beaver on my parents' black-and-white TV in their bedroom. :p

I remember how shocking it was to see the TV show interrupted by Walter Cronkite and hear that bit of news as a child. :frown:

Indeed, it stuck with me for a long time. Before that time, my parents gave me a very sheltered life. It was my first realization that the world out there was not like Leave it to Beaver.
 
JAM said:
It's uncanny how we can all remember what we were doing at the times of crisis in our history.

When JFK was shot, I was home sick from elementary school, fifth grade I think, watching Leave it to Beaver on my parents' black-and-white TV in their bedroom. :p

I remember how shocking it was to see the TV show interrupted by Walter Cronkite and hear that bit of news as a child. :frown:

Indeed, it stuck with me for a long time. Before that time, my parents gave me a very sheltered life. It was my first realization that the world out there was not like Leave it to Beaver.
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I know how old you are now:wink:
 
fasted71465 said:
I know how old you are now:wink:
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School system had me skip a grade when I was younger, so your calculations might be off. ;)

I'm actually okay with my age. This being my last year in the fifties, I will be hitting the big six-oh on my next birthday. :p
 
Alf Taylor said:
Fifty years ago, today, in Dallas, my mother woke me and said "They just shot the president and his wife." Initial news reports had everyone guessing. Being a typical 20 year old irresponsible pool nut, my priority was my Frank Paradise cue was in. I rushed to the post office and picked it up. On my way back to my car, two Dallas police cars whipped up to me and two or three officers quickly examined my long cylindrical package and left as quickly as they arrived. It was a sad time for the world and a personal sad time for me now. looking back at my goofy priorities.
It was a nice cue though, Frank was one of the first to use a clear butt.
Keep it respectful...Alfie
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Great story. I was in high school at the time. They let us out early and I of course went to the pool room. To my surprise the owner had gone home and brought his TV to the pool room and set it on the end of the counter. This guy would not even allow a juke box in the room. For days we watch history unfold on that small black and white TV as we played pool. For the first time the pool room didn't close and many of us were there around the clock sharing the experience.
 
Nov.22

I was in the tenth grade at St. Peter Chanel High School. It was an all boys school run by the Marist priest.It was somewhere around 2:30 when our Biology class was interrupted by the intercom, the frantic voice caught all of our attention. The voice was Father Quinn's saying Pres. Kennedy had been shot in Dallas and all classes were being suspended. I hate myself for saying this but I was only 15, and my first thought was "I can get to Flynn's early" Flynn's was the Pool Room I lived in back then. It really wasn't until I got home that I realized how serious this was,my mother and older sister were glued to the T.V and were both crying.I wish I could write that I stayed there with them ,but the truth is I changed clothes and against my mother asking me to stay home I left and went to Flynn's. I received a second dose of the seriousness of the events that were unfolding when I got to Flynn's and no one was playing they were all up front huddled by the radio.I honestly remember that day like it was yesterday. It was chilling to hear that The President was dead.
 
Cool stories guys (& gals) even if they involve a sad day for our country....

JAM mentioned watching Leave It to Beaver and I've always sort of wished I grew up in simpler times - when life wasn't so hurried and everybody still gathered around the table to share a meal. Where everybody had time to watch an actual baseball game (or listen to it on the radio). Everybody loved their country and couldn't think of a reason not to. Most importantly, pool rooms were everywhere and most of them were full.

It seems like everything changed that day -- our country lost its innocence and it hasn't turned back, probably never will.

Oh well, there’s always pool. That’s what I love about the game – nobody can change that on me. When I’m alone on the table putting balls in the pockets life becomes very simple. This will never change. 200 years from now some kid will still enjoy the simplicity of being all alone putting balls into pockets.
 
I was in 7th grade. I remember being sent home. A long silent walk. This was during the duck and cover days. I remember my friends father crying and he was a mans man.
Today is my wedding anniversary, 39 years.
 
Alf Taylor said:
Fifty years ago, today, in Dallas, my mother woke me and said "They just shot the president and his wife." Initial news reports had everyone guessing. Being a typical 20 year old irresponsible pool nut, my priority was my Frank Paradise cue was in. I rushed to the post office and picked it up. On my way back to my car, two Dallas police cars whipped up to me and two or three officers quickly examined my long cylindrical package and left as quickly as they arrived. It was a sad time for the world and a personal sad time for me now. looking back at my goofy priorities.
It was a nice cue though, Frank was one of the first to use a clear butt.
Keep it respectful...Alfie
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Well, I wasn't even born, but I have had the fortunate opportunity to have attended university and read quite a bit about "that day" by way of various study.

Truly a sad day, it was.
 
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I was at Whitehall ST, NY with my hand in the air getting sworn in to the Army. Johnnyt
 
JAM said:
It's uncanny how we can all remember what we were doing at the times of crisis in our history.
Click to expand...
My dad was talking about that today, "I remember I was in such and such grade and they came on the intercom and said JFK had been killed". Kinda like I remember the exact seat I was in at school when the OKC bombing happened, or the Columbine shooting. That stuff was really something fifteen even ten years ago. Now when something like that happens its almost as if its expected, its all the talk for a while then everyone forgets about it more less....and waits for the next tragedy....
 
sad day

Alf,
I took of from school to go se the president. Got as far as Oak Cliff Lanes on Jefferson
Street. Was playing David Berry giving him the 8 for $2 a game when we heard the news. We stopped and walked down to the Charcol Broiler Stake House to get
somethink to eat. When we left we saw all the comotion at the Texas Theater but
didn't know what was going on. We didn't find out until later what it was.
Alf I remember that cue, the bottom was burgandy and said Made for Alf Taylor by
Frank Paradice. I had seen Eddie Kelly's but it had a piece of tape over the name.
I had one on order as you had given me the contact info, I couldn't wait. When I got it
I couldn't belive how ugly it was. The bottom was ORANGE and the wrap was silver
green silver sold it to Bill Porter I think.
jack potter
 
Nobody but old dudes and dudettes posting in this thread. That's why I'm staying out.

"Keep it nice"....

JoeyA
 
$TAKE HOR$E said:
My dad was talking about that today, "I remember I was in such and such grade and they came on the intercom and said JFK had been killed". Kinda like I remember the exact seat I was in at school when the OKC bombing happened, or the Columbine shooting. That stuff was really something fifteen even ten years ago. Now when something like that happens its almost as if its expected, its all the talk for a while then everyone forgets about it more less....and waits for the next tragedy....
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This is so true. I remember 9/11 vividly. I was watching when the Challenger exploded. I was watching it in the living room TV. My mom was still alive. She was in the dining room with her friends having a china-painting lesson. We all cried. It was very sad.
 
Why weren't you in school? They took us to the basement of our school fearing there might be a nuclear attack. Weird day.
 
This is one of the clearest memories of my childhood. As a five year old, I knew virtually nothing of President Kennedy's function, policies or track record, but he was still larger than life to me.

He was, in stature, the biggest American, and it wasn't comforting to see the biggest American knocked down. I remember watching the funeral on TV from beginning to end, and also how little my parents talked as we watched. We were all numbed by the moment.

Fifty years ago, President Kennedy's life came to a sudden stop, and, in a different way, so did mine.
 
Here are the moments in time that I remember exactly what I was doing when it happened.

The earliest was 1978 John Wayne Gacy. I remember I was 6 years old watching the TV as they carried out the bodies from the crawl space.

1980 John Lennon assassination. I remember my mom crying, I was 8 years old and had never seen her cry before. When I asked her what happened she told me one of the Beatles was killed.

1982 The Stl Cardinals win the World Series beating the Brewers. I was a very happy 10 year old that day! (again I was glued to the TV!)

1986 The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster. I was a school auditorium watching along with all the other kids. At first we didn't understand what happened, but after a few minutes we all got that heavy feeling and we realized seven people just lost their life.

1987 The fall of the Berlin wall. Unfortunately what sticks in my memory most about this occasion was that douche-bag David Hasselhof singing on the wall with his electric jacket. Uggh! I was listening to the Violent Femmes play Add it up!

1993 When I saw the most beautiful girl in the world for the first time. This is the day my daughter was born. I was a nervous wreck but from that moment on everything changed.

2001 9/11 I was at work when things unravel on the radio. It was like a modern day Orsen Wells episode. I was working as a machinist in a big factory. The entire place got quite and all you could here are the radios all over the plant. It was eerie as hell. For the first time in my life I found myself hating a group of people I had never met.

I know there have been other more important thing that have happened in my time on this earth but these are the ones that stopped me in my tracks and made me take note.
 
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