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RESPECT
Take the time to remember Kennedy

Saturday is the 40th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, although many students may not realize it — or even care.

Kennedy’s assassination was an important part of American history.

To our parents’ generation, Nov. 22, 1963 was what Sept. 11, 2001 was to our generation, or what Dec. 7, 1941 (the bombing of Pearl Harbor) was for their parents’ generation.

Events of this magnitude make us realize that our world isn’t as perfect as we would like to believe.

Despite the historical significance of JFK’s assassination, many students will probably spend the day watching Michigan play Ohio State or writing that term paper without so much as a thought about the late president.

But we shouldn’t simply ignore this anniversary.

The assassination happened in Dallas, only a short drive away from TCU. The Sixth Floor Museum, in the place where Lee Harvey Oswald shot the bullets that killed Kennedy, is devoted entirely to the event. If you can, go there to learn about what happened.

If you can’t take the time to go to Dallas, at least ask someone — your parents, your neighbors, maybe even a professor — where they were when Kennedy was assassinated. More likely than not, they will be able to remember.

So just don’t let this 40th anniversary go by without learning some of the story behind it. It can be as simple as asking someone you know that was alive at the time where they were, what they felt, or hopping on the Internet and typing “Kennedy assassination” into a search engine.

So take a few moments during halftime, between games or on a study break to find out — and pay your respects.