Claire V. Bogdanos

The emergency alarm bells rang out blaring the call to faculty and student body summoning all to the high school auditorium before noon on a warm spring day, April 12, 1945. This event was being repeated throughout our nation !  We pledged allegiance to the flag, sang the “Star Spangled Banner”, then bowed our heads for the morning prayer and took our seats. There were more than 1000 in attendance.  A hush fell over the audience as Dr. John Connelly, a former Jesuit and our principal began to speak.  He told us of our nation’s battle and the war effort, advising us to remain calm and to return to our homes to advise our families that our president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt had died that morning.  The sound barely audible, gasps, sobs, disbelief, whispers, the words, “You are dismissed” and the shuffling sound of thousands of feet exiting that huge arena.  Not a word was spoken.  We were a nation in shock engaged in a war of atrocities and horrors with a new and inexperienced leader we had little or no knowledge of to date!  We were a nation in mourning!  The following week was so quiet, a week of fear!  So here we are today almost 70 years later remembering that all we had was radio and several newspapers to tell the biggest story of the moment, the tragedy of the day the music died!  Does anyone remember ?  I do.