Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Robert Kennedy in Orange County

Anonymous remembers when Robert Kennedy was running for President and landed at Orange County Airport, and describes the candidate stepping out of his airplane...

i just noticed the date and it brought back memories of when i was working at the orange county airport 40 years ago and bobby kennedy flew in on a lockheed electra,in those days security was nothing like it is today so we lined up on the tarmac to see him, i was standing directly under the #2 propeller and it was rubbing up side of me so i rotated it out of the way,the guy standing next to me in a suit(had to been a body guard because i could see his.45 auto under the jacket)grabed me and said dont move that it can kill you ,i took a second to explain to him the difference between a piston and a turboprop engine,guess that made him happy, anyway here comes bobby kennedy down the stairs followed by his wife i can tell you he looked nothing like he did on tv or in pictures he looked like he was 30 years older so did his wife i guess running for office really ages a person,they stepped into a waiting limo and headed off to anahiem i beleve,the the next days stop was los angeles where he was shot that night

4 comments:

  1. That "limo" he got into was my friend's dads white convertable Imperial. His dad was a garden grove politician of some renown, (last name Dean) and I was told the story of that being the last car he drove in and so forth for years. i saw the car myself. Interesting connection.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Do remember RFK coming to OC as a boy... He drove down our street enroute to the "Strawberry Festival" and gave a speech at the adjacent high school. I was stage side and after the speech I remember looking up at his face and hand reaching down to a 9 year old boy. He reached down and shook my hand and rubbed my head.
    I can remember his smile and for a quick moment, a real connection.
    Then he was on to LA and the Ambassador hotel a few days later.
    Remember wearing my "Bobby" pin and how special it was.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When I was 10 years old I too had seen Robert F.Kennedy at the Strawberry Festival. At the time I didn't know the significance of that day. I do remember looking up at him on that stage and wondering what was all the fuss over this man.I remember exactly what he looked like.

      Delete
  3. I shook hands with Robert Kennedy across the fence at the OC airport that day. He was shot a few days earlier. I will never forget it.

    ReplyDelete

Custom Search