Interviews
Beverly Singer
Biography: Beverly Singer is my grandmother from my father's side. She grew up in Peoria, Illinois in a large Jewish family. She married her husband and raised her children for 15 years in Peoria before getting a divorce and moving to Arizona. She is now re-married and living in Carpinteria, California.
E: Did you watch the debate between Nixon and JFK during the presidential race of 1960? How did learning about the candidates from TV change your perspective?
B: We did, because Gary [my ex-husband] was interested in it. I was at school in 1960, in Peoria, dating Gary, he was interested in politics. I never really liked the look of Trickie Dickie. Kennedy came off young and charismatic, and we were young, so it was relatable. Jackie Kennedy was a huge influence and we identified with her. He seemed young and trustworthy, he would bring something new to the presidency. My boyfriend from college was working on the JFK campaign as a speech-writer, later he worked with the Clintons. That was the first time I discovered somebody already wrote the speeches these politicians used, those weren’t JFK’s words.
E: What was your reaction to the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis? Did you personally fear a nuclear crisis?
B: I don’t remember very much about the Bay of Pigs. People were watching it on TV, and then it just kind of passed over. Anne [my sister] had plans for a bomb shelter and many people had plans for a bomb shelter, but they never did build it. There was a fear in the country. It was a possibility, I thought it was less than a 50% possibility.
E: Where were you and how were you affected by the Kennedy assassination?
B: It was before your dad [my son] was born, it was ‘63. I was watching television, in bed sick. I knew when he was shot, I felt like I was there, watching the parade in Dallas on TV. I was very ashamed afterward that Oswald was shot by Ruby because he was a Jewish guy [I am Jewish] that had a nice place in Dallas, and he had special privileges so he could smuggle in a gun and shoot him. He ruined the investigation.
E: Were you affected by the ‘Great Society’ reform Lyndon B Johnson started?
B: Nobody took LBJ very seriously, because he didn’t become president by vote. I don’t think I ever thought he had much power as vice president, I respected him but I didn’t have a lot of confidence in him, even following Kennedy’s death.
E: How were you affected by the Vietnam War, did you know anyone that enlisted or was drafted at the time?
B: There was so much happening, with the war and women’s rights, but I didn’t really know Papie [current husband] at the time and all the other veterans coming back. The television showed terrible things they saw and the poor Vietnamese people that were affected. I had an awareness, but it didn’t really affect me, we didn’t have any shortages like WWII. That didn’t happen during the Vietnam War. Your grandfather [current husband] was on a water rescue mission and his helicopter blew up, he was the only survivor and blew both his kneecaps. He still has nightmares about it and is angry when men who didn’t serve discuss the war.
E: What was your view of the Vietnam War protests and the “Summer of Love”?
B: As a young wife and mother, I didn’t take the flower children to heart, “free love”, I just thought they were young people reacting. I didn’t know anyone in the movement, people just talked about it around me, they were not participating. Gary went to Woodstock, it was interesting. He brought back Woodstock shirts for David [my son]. I sure was not interested in anything like that, I was a young homemaker taking care of my family, I had no idea how big that was.
E: How did you feel about Nixon’s election and many promises regarding the Vietnam War?
B: I never took “Trickie Dickie” too seriously either, I frankly don’t remember the promises he made about the war. Gary’s statement at the time was “We have a bomb, why don’t we just bomb them all?” I don’t believe in mass murder, I wouldn’t have done that. He was serving in peace time, he was not really in the military, so he didn’t understand.
Ron Singer
Biography: Ron is my grandfather, and my father's stepfather. He served in the Vietnam War and then trained to play polo. He now is retired living on a polo field in Carpinteria with his third wife, my grandmother.
E: Did you watch the debate between Nixon and JFK during the presidential race of 1960? How did learning about the candidates from TV change your perspective?
R: If I recall, Nixon looked bewildered and upset, he looked unsure of himself, Kennedy was positive and upbeat. I never liked Nixon, so I was kind of prejudice. Kennedy was fresh, young, vital, and said wonderful things. He was something the country needed at the time, he had his family behind him, everyone seemed to like him.
E: What was your reaction to the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis? Did you personally fear a nuclear crisis?
R: No, I actually did not have any real fears of any nuclear bombing. Because the consequences were too great, somebody pushes that button, it’s over. Somebody will destroy the world and everyone will retaliate. Kennedy did the right thing. You have to make that stand when you are the President and show that you have the power to do what needs to be done, and I think that was the right thing to do.
E: Where were you and how were you affected by the Kennedy assassination?
R: It was 1963, you have to understand I was in the Marine Corps, in active duty. I recall the television was showing footage of the shooting and it was a sad day for America. It opened a lot of questions about crazy people and if it was a random act by one person. Was it the government? The mafia? A conspiracy? It was really sad he was assassinated, you felt a real lull. I knew LBJ would take over immediately, there were a lot of questions about him at the time, but he turned out ok.
E: Were you affected by the ‘Great Society’ reform Lyndon B Johnson started?
R: No, I really don’t know. I never heard about it, I was in the Marine Corps and college.
E: How were you affected by the Vietnam War, did you know anyone that enlisted or was drafted at the time?
R: It is such a long story, I don’t want to get in that personal scenario. War came upon us very quickly, and being a Marine the higher ups kept telling you were going to war. I was in active duty in ‘65 and got into the war in ‘66. I had no idea why we were fighting, as a Marine you just do what you were told, even though I knew civilians were objecting. There were a lot of restrictions, how do you fight a war with one arm tied behind your back? How do you fight a war you aren’t supposed to win? Obviously, you know the end of it, it was for nothing, a lot of people got killed for nothing. Just in general. I was enlisted, people drafted probably had more objections.
E: What was your view of the Vietnam War protests and the “Summer of Love”?
R: That came a little later, I was in the beginning of the war. I was already out of the active part of the Marine Corps, in the reserves. I was a civilian, I was witnessing all my friends forming their opinions on the war . My best friend Miles and his wife were in the hippie group and protests, but the people that hadn’t really been there didn’t understand the war. People didn’t honor their government, that whole protest had so many things come out of it, good and bad. Some people took a bum attitude, the hippie generation thought it would all fall in place, it was a free movement for minorities. Especially for women, that showed their dominance in protests at the time.
E: How did you feel about Nixon’s election and many promises regarding the Vietnam War?
R: I didn’t like him, I didn’t vote for him. He had a reputation, he was called “Trickie Dick”. You can see the distrust in our generation, he was not an honorable person and would not lead our country in the right direction. He was impeached, he didn’t do well, that is the thing with politicians, you can’t trust them.
Sarah Gilliam
Biography: Sarah Gilliam is my grandmother from my mother's side. Sarah was raised in Dallas by a single mother and met my grandfather while she was in school to become a teacher. Sarah has lived in Dallas for all of her life, and is now retired there with my grandfather.
E: Did you watch the debate between Nixon and JFK during the presidential race of 1960? How did learning about the candidates from TV change your perspective?
S: No, I did not see the debates, only excerpts from the news or newspapers.
However, I do remember some of the comments, Nixon appearance vs. Kennedy’s appearance. Interesting that it really came down to how they looked on TV! And of course, Kennedy looked fantastic, as did Jacqueline…..Young, handsome/beautiful, and immaculately dressed.Richard Nixon looked a bit tired, sweaty, and a bit unkept in appearance. Pat Nixon looked prim, whereas, Jackie looked fresh and current….a bit like everyone wanted to look at the time. Most everyone had loved Eisenhower and Richard Nixon, being his VP appeared to be the popular choice. That was until the debates and Television. Television had a great power! It was the first time the voting public was able to actually see who was running for office. Everyone knew Richard Nixon because he had been Vice President to Dwight Eisenhower. John Kennedy was from Massachusetts and from a very large Irish Catholic family which was a questionable background from the “Southern” viewpoint. I remember in a Government class in college a professor saying absolutely that “No Catholic would EVER become President of the United States!” Of course, JFK became President less than three years after this Professor made this statement!
E: What was your reaction to the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis? Did you personally fear a nuclear crisis?
S: In some ways, we had had always feared the Soviet Union. In high school we would have drills where you would crouch down in the hallways protecting your head and neck or in the classroom crouch under your desk. Not sure this would have done one thing to save you, but, made everyone feel they were doing something, I guess! The Missile Crisis was kept pretty quiet until after the true crisis was averted. We did not have internet, or instant access to news, no cell phones and the news anchors did not break in every minute on TV with “new breaking news” as they do now. The main thing I remember about these years are my students at Rusk Jr High School in Dallas.
I was a new teacher and very idealistic. Some of my students had just arrived from Cuba as refugees and did not speak a word of English, and I did not speak of word of Spanish. My heart went out to them, as they had left everything they owned in Cuba and fled for their lives when Castro came into power. Many of their families had been quite affluent in Cuba and pillars of the community, here they were lost without much of a support system except perhaps their churches. The public schools were really not prepared to take on the “invasion” of the Cuban students, and the students were thrust into classrooms without any preparation by the teachers and with no one advocating for them. It was a mess. I just remember feeling so helpless to help them, except trying to be as kind and understanding as I could.
E: Where were you and how were you affected by the Kennedy assassination?
S: I remember absolutely where I was when JFK was shot. I was teaching school and had permission to leave campus to see the President and Mrs. Kennedy’s motorcade travel down Lemmon Ave after landing at Love Field on its journey to downtown Dallas for a parade. Although I was not a big Kennedy supporter, it was truly exciting to actually get to see a President of the United States. I was ecstatic. I stood on the curb and waved like a crazy person and remember Jackie Kennedy looking like she was waving directly to me. I was becoming a fan! She was beautiful in her pink suit and matching hat and JFK was as handsome in person as on TV. I made it back to school in time for my next class and could not wait to reveal my enthusiasm for the President to my classroom. While I was teaching that class, toward the end of the hour, a fellow teacher burst into my room with the news that Kennedy had been shot. I assured her and my class, that was simply not true, I had seen him less than an hour before and he was quite well. It was shortly after, that the Principal came on the speaker and announced the news. I was stunned! My students were hysterical, as you can imagine. It was truly shocking that this could happen, but, especially happen in the city that I loved and had grown up in. It was indeed a Dark time in Dallas, the press blamed Dallas and it took years and years for the city to gain respect again. If you said you were from Dallas, people would spit on you. Jack Ruby was a club owner and knew all the police and he went down and shot Oswald. We were so proud to have JFK here, but when Stevenson was here someone spat on him, it made us look like radicals and rednecks. Through ‘66 and ‘67 if you brought up Dallas, people would talk about the assassination. In LA, when the other Kennedy was assassinated, nobody blamed them.
E: Were you affected by the ‘Great Society’ reform Lyndon B Johnson started?
S: The need for helping children in bilingual education was probably one of the most important reforms that came from the “Great Society”, as far as I was concerned. However, it was after I quit teaching that the changes really occurred. The name “Great Society” conjured memories of Hitler and his “Great Society” and how he sought to achieve it, so, just the thought of a recurrence was earth shaking for me….I always thought it could have been called something else.
E: How were you affected by the Vietnam War, did you know anyone that enlisted or was drafted at the time?
S: The Vietnam War split families and friends in their opinions. It was really a hard time.
My young cousin went to Vietnam and returned as a completely different person, the things that he saw were completely unlike any other wartimes. On his return, there were no parades or hero welcomes. There were people who criticized him for going, he was very disillusioned and this affected him all his life. He left with great potential as a young man and returned a defeated and fragile individual.
E: What was your view of the Vietnam War protests and the “Summer of Love”?
S: Woodstock was a really big deal, it was provocative to say the least. I don’t think they had any idea the problems of the hippies and drugs. They weren’t really set up for the masses. Kids came back from the Vietnam War as addicts, I bet 60% came back addicts. I thought the protests were Un- American! The Summer of Love was actually an excuse to have open sex and do drugs and be completely irresponsible. It was shameful. Most of the kids and young adults participating in this behavior were on drugs and worthless and looking for a way to spend their days woththlessly. I remember visiting Haight Ashbury in San Francisco and they were all “drapped” around Golden Gate Park like they owned it. They would sleep in the park and do their drugs , tax paying families could not visit the park for fear of coming upon a “private” moment between some druggies. It was a disgrace! Thank goodness, they were mostly non-violent.
E: How did you feel about Nixon’s election and many promises regarding the Vietnam War?
S: I voted for Nixon and hoped the Vietnam War would come to an end. This was a war without a solution and one that we all finally realized we could not actually win, just end.
Politicians are always making promises!
John Gilliam
Biography: John Gilliam is my grandfather from my mother's side. John grew up in a small town in Texas called Goldthwaite. He met my grandmother while he was studying law. He now lives in Dallas and is retired. He follows politics pretty closely due to his background in law.
E: Did you watch the debate between Nixon and JFK during the presidential race of 1960? How did learning about the candidates from TV change your perspective?
J: I did watch the debate and what the biggest theme was the difference of the personalities and the appearances of the candidates. Their contrast is what I remember most. Kennedy had such a charismatic personality that became more important than his policies. I think the country as a whole was moved more by the personality because no one had seen much debate on TV before, he was like Bill Clinton.
E: What was your reaction to the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis? Did you personally fear a nuclear crisis?
J: I did not fear a crisis. The Bay of pigs was an invasion of Cuba, but it failed miserably and led to the Cuban crisis. I think the Cuban crisis was JFK’s best moment as president when he didn’t back down from Kruschev, that was his finest moment. I didn’t think even Kruschev would be dumb enough to bring nuclear weapons that close to the US, it was an exciting time. The Russian and American relationship was very strained at the time. That was Kennedy’s legacy I think, for me.
E: Where were you and how were you affected by the Kennedy assassination?
J: I was working at the YMCA in downtown Dallas when I heard, and I was just as shocked as everyone else. We were stunned, and watching his son’s salute at the funeral, I will always remember that. It was such a strange event, I remember the effect it had on Dallas people. Dallas become a place of hate, when we told people where we were from they had an immediate reaction. It had a bad reputation for a while.
E: Were you affected by the ‘Great Society’ reform Lyndon B Johnson started?
J: I was not personally not affected, but surprised and proud of what he was doing. I thought it was great and huge. I was very impressed by him and his involvement in the Civil Rights movement, he was a better president than I thought he would be. Looking back, it was even more impressive, he was a strong personality and he brought people together. One thing he was not able to do, he was never able to get out of the war in Vietnam. I think that really tarnished his legacy.
E: How were you affected by the Vietnam War, did you know anyone that enlisted or was drafted at the time?
J: I was not drafted or enlisted, but I had classmates that were drafted. One became a helicopter pilot and the second was killed, shot by a sniper. He was a close friend, it was a tough time.
E: What was your view of the Vietnam War protests and the “Summer of Love”?
J: Well, there was more controversy during the Vietnam War than ever before. I thought we should be supporting our soldiers. Jane Fonda was terrible when she went after Marine generals, it was inappropriate. Regardless if the war was supposed to be ending or not we should have been supporting our boys. During the summer of love, all our young people were doing drugs, they didn’t work or accept responsibility for anything. We saw them in San Francisco, I thought who are these people going to become? It may have been a summer of love but I was really opposed to it.
E: How did you feel about Nixon’s election and many promises regarding the Vietnam War?
J: Everybody thought Nixon was dead politically and lost for President and California senate and governor. This new election was filled with hope for him and I thought his four year administration was good one. It may have been a not neat end to the war, but he brought it to an end, which I thought was very significant. He improved our relationship with Russia and China. His second administration though, tarnished his legacy forever. I thought he was a good president.
Janet Slatin
Biography: Janet Slatin is my great-aunt, the sister of my grandmother Beverly Singer. She grew up in Peoria, Illinois in a large Jewish family. She was a housewife in Peoria before she relocated her family to Arizona. Since then her husband, Irv, has died and she is remarried. She now lives in Arizona, near her three daughters.
E: Did you watch the debate between Nixon and JFK during the presidential race of 1960? How did learning about the candidates from TV change your perspective?
J: Always, yes. It didn’t change my perspective at all, I already wanted JFk as my president. I liked what his doctrine was, I was raised in a Republican House, my dad was president of the Young Republicans Club, but I became a Democrat in college and I knew I would vote for him. It was the brightness he brought to the world and the safety of him, it was during a lot of instability, and I really did trust him and liked where he was taking the country.
E: What was your reaction to the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis? Did you personally fear a nuclear crisis?
J: Yes, in fact, Marcie [my daughter] was in kindergarten and my kids were picked up a bus. The school was a couple miles away but Madelyn Venezky [my niece] lived down the street from the school. I told Marcie if anything happened to run to Madelyn’s house. I already planned with my family when we were gone to find a place to meet if there were problems. I wanted to build a bomb shelter, but Irv [my husband] didn’t want to. A friend of mine did, and she had a couple kids at my school, thank god she didn’t have to use it. I had an emergency kit though, for safety.
E: Where were you and how were you affected by the Kennedy assassination?
J: That was devastating! I was in mourning for a week, glued to the TV set. It was terrible. I was in sitting shiva for him, I didn’t go anywhere or do anything. When I first heard it was just disbelief and anger.
E: Were you affected by the ‘Great Society’ reform Lyndon B Johnson started?
J: Not really. Didn’t know any one affected. The only thing I did was the NAACP and going to lectures with my kids and my live-in help, to lectures from leaders of the NAACP. My kids were involved in busing, and that was a very negative kind of incident, caused lots of problems.
E: How were you affected by the Vietnam War, did you know anyone that enlisted or was drafted?
J: No, no one. I know your step-grandfather [Ron Singer] was there now. But your dead grandfather [Gary Venezky] went to Hawaii afterward to help rebuild. He had more fun than most veterans, I think.
E: What was your view of the Vietnam War protests and the “Summer of Love”?
J: At that time, I thought it was a bunch of young people getting together to smoke pot and carry on. I don’t think that is a way to do things, if you want to get things done you have to do it politically.
E: How did you feel about Nixon’s election and many promises regarding the Vietnam War?
J: Oh god. He made me sick. I didn’t trust him, I just didn’t like him. I didn’t think we would do anything to help the country at that point in time.
J: There was one thing I remember from a Sociology class in college, “When we get up in the morning we worry about what sweater and loafers we are gonna put on, people in a war are worrying about how to survive the war and save their families” that really put war into perspective for me.