|
|
 |
 |
 |
On Nov 22 1963 an assassin
ended the life of John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United
States of America. The events of the hours after the tragedy
were spontaneous and reverent: adults cried in the streets of
our cities; governments and businesses shut down; portraits
of JFK surrounded by black draperies replaced mannequins in
department store windows; people sat stunned in front of their
TV sets or radios watching or listening to unending hours of
programming dedicated to reporting the details of the assassination.
Motor traffic in some areas came to a halt as the news of Kennedy's
death spread literally from car to car. Schools across the USA
and Canada dismissed students early. The Sunday following the
assassination, his flag-draped coffin was moved to the Capitol
for public viewing. Throughout the day and night, hundreds of
thousands lined up to view the guarded casket. The events of
the days that followed are unprecedented in history: Most of
the leaders of the world walked in a procession following the
coffin from the capitol rotunda to St. Matthews Cathedral; Lee
Harvey Oswald was apprehended only to be shot-in full view of
a shocked TV audience by Jack Ruby; for a whole week the world
held its breath wondering if order and stability could ever
be restored. Though there is no connection between these events
and the demise of the Studebaker automotive division, the end
of Avanti production was announced by Studebaker only a few
weeks after the assasination. Camelot was over. The Kennedy
memorial stamp – shown above on a first day of issue –
was created by Avanti designer, Raymond Loewy. |
The Studebaker double page ad that appeared
in Life Magazine on November 22, 1963. |
|
|
