November 22nd, 1963

November 22^nd,1963, my tenth birthday, was marked by two great occurrences, one of great historical significance, one of great personal significance. 

It was lunch hour at school.  I’d finished eating and was outside for recess.  My friend Paul lived nearby.  He’d gone home for lunch.  When he got back to school, he immediately looked for me on the playground.  He told me that President Kennedy had been shot. My initial reaction was disbelief. I told Paul that I didn’t appreciate his humor, especially on my birthday.  However, I soon realized he was not joking. Something serious had happened.  We returned to class.  The teacher was in tears.  A black and white television was set up for us to watch.  We heard that President Kennedy was dead.  We continued to watch the news quietly, until it was time to go home. 

If I recall correctly, this took place on a Friday afternoon.  I am told that memory is quite unreliable, yet my recollections from that day feel very real to me. 

I got home.  Our television set was on.  A birthday celebration had been planned, but my parents were unsure what to do.  We ended up going out for a birthday dinner.  I remember the restaurant being very quiet, the employees and customers very somber. A television set was on for all to watch.  After dinner, there was a muted celebration. Relatives came to the house, presents were opened, and birthday cake was served. 

The day Kennedy was assassinated marked the end of “Camelot”, a period of national optimism and innocence.  What followed was the tumult that characterized the remainder of the ‘60’s. 

November 22^nd, 1963 was also the day my parents gave me a microscope.  It was not a plastic toy microscope.  It was a Swift student microscope, the kind used in the high schools.  It came in a heavy locked wooden cabinet.  It was anchored to the cabinet by a bolt, so it couldn’t slide around and get damaged in transport.  It had built in illumination and could magnify up to 600X. 

Over the next months and years, I built a small laboratory in the basement.  I did some primitive dissections, mostly on insects and worms.  From my specimens I prepared some primitive slides.  However, my favorite ‘experiment’ was examining drops of pond water under the microscope to see otherwise unseen creatures; daphnia, paramecium, and amoeba. 

Around then, I read Microbe Hunters by Paul De Kruif.  I learned about Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch, scientists who used the microscope to discover killer bacteria, heroic discoveries that subsequently led to cures and the saving of countless lives.  These famous scientists became my inspiration.  As it turned out, the day I got my microscope marked the beginning of a personal journey, culminating in my medical degree. 

November 22^nd, 1963, was my tenth birthday. It was a day of great historical significance.  And it was a day of great personal significance.  I remember that day well.