55th Anniversary of JFK's Church And State Speech

On September 12, 1960 during the heat of a close presidential race between himself and Vice President Richard Nixon, and because of concerns and skepticism that as a Roman Catholic, his religion would allow him to make important national decisions independently of the Vatican,  then Senator John F Kennedy delivered a speech to a skeptical Greater Houston Ministerial Association.

Here is the transcript an the video of that speech that was one of the events that helped him win the presidency by a razor thin margin over Nixon..

45th Anniversary of Apollo 11 Launch

On July 16, 1969 my space junkie self was up on a warm summer Houston morning like everyone else in the country and the world nervously awaiting the launch of Apollo 11 on live television. 

Meanwhile to the southeast of me down in Clear Lake, Mission Control was keeping a watchful eye on their monitors and Launch Pad 39A.  They too along with their counterparts in Florida were awaiting the launch of the ginormous Saturn V rocket from Cape Kennedy that would propel Neil Armstrong, Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin and Michael Collins toward the Moon and their rendezvous with history. 

At 8:32 AM CDT the Saturn V rocket roared to life and slowly lifted off from its launchpad enroute to the Moon.   12 minutes later it was in Earth orbit and after one and a half trips around the planet the third stage of the Saturn V fired up on its translunar injection burn to send Apollo 11 to the Moon.



 

November 22, 1963

Today is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas. 

Unlike my parents and others old enough to remember exactly where they were and what happened on that day, I was just a mere 18 months old. 

Whatever knowledge I have of what happened on that day comes from not only talking to family peeps and relatives old enough to live through that day, but watching newsreels, video, documentaries and reading the history books about the Kennedy presidency. 

Since I have relatives in Dallas and we frequently did vacation trips up I-45, I have actually seen Dealey Plaza, the Texas School Book Depository, the Grassy Knoll and the Kennedy memorial there.




That moment altered the American history timeline.   We know President Kennedy was in Dallas as part of a political tour to shore up Texas in advance of his presidential reelection bid in 1964.  

There's also been endless speculation about what a Kennedy second term might have looked like had the fateful decision to remove the bubble top on the presidential limo not been made.
 
One thing we can probably conclude would be correct is that the Civil Right Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 probably wouldn't have happened as quickly.

But then again, we'll never know, just like 50 years later we still don't have definitive answers on exactly what happened on this date to one beloved president and a Democratic party hero.