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America Grieves with Mrs. Kennedy

"Letters to Jackie: Condolences from a Grieving Nation" features 250 of the over 800,000 condolence letters Mrs. Jackie Kennedy received soon after her husband passed away. From notes telling her about naming a son after JFK to stories about their own losses, the book shows the feelings of every day Americans who also felt the sadness and loss the Kennedy family did on that day. And hopefully those of us who were too young to know the impact of JFK and the Kennedy family will get a sense of what the generations before us experienced.

America Grieves with Mrs. Kennedy

Ellen Fitzpatrick: "Here we have a widower writing and saying, 'Hello Mrs. Kennedy, I'm just and old 73-year-old-man who lost his wife in 1963 and I can feel the sorrow you mare going thru. My wife died in my arms as your husband died in your arms.' What I saw over and over again in the condolence mail were people who felt personal with this national tragedy, and it evoked in many other people remembrances and experiences of losses and trauma in their lives. And they wrote about those to Mrs. Kennedy."

America Grieves with Mrs. Kennedy

Ellen Fitzpatrick: "This was an amazing letter because [Monroe Young, Jr. III] is saying that in December of 1963 'some mean man killed my daddy, too, here in Dallas. My daddy was a soldier. Santa Claus didn't get my letter.' And I was very touched by that letter, and there were also many, many letters of people who had family members who died violently. And they felt they knew how Mrs. Kennedy must have been feeling."

America Grieves with Mrs. Kennedy

Lisa Booth Blumberg wrote: "Suns will set, cities will fall, empires will rise but the goodness of your husband will never be forgotten. Of course there will be great presidents again, but there will never be one like John Fitzgerald Kennedy."

Ellen Fitzpatrick: "I don't remember how old Lisa [Blumberg] was when she wrote this letter, but she was a child. And I felt that her eloquence was what was very moving about it. I found that so mature as well as beautifully written."

America Grieves with Mrs. Kennedy

Douglas K. Gumblatt wrote: "Dear Mrs. Kennedy, I hope the words I wrote last year in fifth grade for Robert Frost will express my feeling and provide an epitaph for our late president. 'The miles are gone, The promises were kept. I heard the news, I sat, I wept."

Ellen Fitzpatrick: "When I read this, I just couldn't believe he was 11 years old when he wrote this. And he's remembering something that he wrote when he was 10. He wrote this poem when he was 10."

America Grieves with Mrs. Kennedy

Mrs. William B. Watson, Jr. wrote: "Since this is the first pictures of our girl-boy twins, my husband and I thot it would be nice to send you a picture as the babies were named after you and your late husband. Jacquline Lee - 5lbs. 11ozs. and John Fitzgerald - 7lbs. 14 ozs. were born Feb. 15th, 1964. They are getting along just fine now as you can see, although we almost lost John in March. There is one thing I'd like to ask of you and that is if you'd be so kind to send "two" pictures that the babies may have when they get older. I'm sure they'll be proud of having your names as we are. Merry Xmas & Happy New Years to you and yours."

Ellen Fitzpatrick: "Parents, young parents, who had children around the time of the assassination. There were many cases of people who named their newborns after President Kennedy or Mrs. Kennedy. And this is a woman -- Mrs. William B. Watson -- she and her husband had twins, and they named them after the President and the First Lady. I wanted to call attention to this phenomenon... The juxtaposition of having a baby on a day, November 22, 1963, that is in the memory of almost everyone who lived through this event is one of the great tragedies in modern American history. And it was a joyous occasion for a family, but then it was scarred by this grief. They addressed that by remember President Kennedy in this way."

America Grieves with Mrs. Kennedy

Mr. & Mrs. John H. Floodas wrote: "The sorrow of my wife and Myself is beyond words but I feel I must try to express our feelings. We are not the best educated people In the world. I myself have only a grade school education myself. However I did learn enough to have Love for my country and respect for my President.

America Grieves with Mrs. Kennedy

Mr. & Mrs. John H. Floodas wrote (cont.): "This terrible thing that happened I Beleave is due to lack of the prper teaching On the part of parents, and Government Agencies Alike. and most of all the American People them selfs. Sorrow is not enough or just going To church to say a prayer then leave. Go home and say we did our share. He the President is gone now and there is nothing more we can do and Forget it ever happened. We the American people have been Like this for a long time forget the Bad things that happen to us and Only remember the good. We must never forget what has Happend To him. He must not have died in vain for If he did all is lost for everyone. And our Country will become the Kitchen where hate is permitted to Rule instead of Justice. And where terrible Plots against one another are allowed to be cooked up. To take a man's life is the unforgivable. But to let it happen and then i a few days forget about it is even Worse. You are the first Lady of the land and as his wife if you decide to Take up the fight to wake the people of this country up and teach us your Way of respect and of Honor. It I think would be the greatest Git to him, and the people of the Country. Our greatest need in this country today Is not huge Army's or large stores Of gold. Not fine homes or tall buildings. We do not need more weapons or Bigger ships. We the people of this Great country Do need men like him and Ladys like Yourself to lead us and to guide us. Wee need your energy and honor We must be tought that hate and Greed can only be met with more of the same and neaver end unless we Make it end. His leadership tought us not to hate and tought us how to forgive but now He is gone."

America Grieves with Mrs. Kennedy

Mr. & Mrs. John H. Floodas wrote (cont.): "But to me and I beleave to all people of the world he will neaver be forgotton. And must be for all our sake's."

Ellen Fitzpatrick: "Mr. Floodas, who I believe wrote the letter, says, 'We are not the best educated people in the world. I, myself, only have a grade school education.' But then he goes on to reflect about the country, and the state that it's in. And he says, 'Our greatest need in this country today is not huge armies or large stores of gold. Not fine homes or tall buildings. We do not need more weapons or bigger ships. We need leadership.' I just found it so evocative or that reason."

America Grieves with Mrs. Kennedy

Stephen J. Hanrahan wrote: "I wish to extend to you and the children my condolences. Children increase the cares of life but they do help to mitigate the remembrance of death. We are told that a good key is necessary to enter paradise. The President, following the guidelines of his church possessed this key Heaven it seems, calls its favorites early. In the President, I felt that I had known a whole man. It is a rare experience but always an illuminating and enobling one. It costs so much to be a full human being that there are very few who have the enlightenment, or the courage to pay the price. The lights of the prison have gone out now. In this, the quiet time, I can't help but feel, that my thoughts and the thoughts of my countrymen will ever reach out to that light on an Arlingon hillside for sustenance. How far that little light throws his beam."

Ellen Fitzpatrick:"This is an absolutely beautiful letter in my view. [Stephen J. Hanrahan] is so thoughtful and so reflective when he says, 'In the President, I felt that I had known a whole man. It is a rare experience but always an illuminating and enobling one. It costs so much to be a full human being that there are very few who have the enlightenment, or the courage to pay the price.' And then as readers we are totally unprepared for the next line, 'The lights of the prison have gone out now?' The writer is in a federal penitentiary."

America Grieves with Mrs. Kennedy