March 23,1962 Poem by Alexandre Nodopaka

A day like any other. Well, almost. If I remember correctly it was 55.9 °F with an average humidity of 68%. The barometric pressure at sea level was 30.07.Humidity was 68%. Wind speed 15 mph SW and visibility 15 miles. I literally could see San Francisco from Berkeley. It was one of those fortuitous and memorable moments in my life when my parents came to visit me and my girl friend, Rachel, at the University of California at Berkeley, where I was a student, on the occasion of the President of the USA, John F. Kennedy giving a Charter Day speech at the Memorial Stadium. We were late, prevented from the direct route, blocked by police from entering straightaway the street leading to the stadium. Knowing the campus well, I chose to detour by a shortcut through a parallel side street. We walked at a fast pace when suddenly we were overtaken by an open limousine with the President sitting on the back seat. Upon passing us, he was smiling and waving his hand straight at us and we waved back. Of course we were surprised. And that includes the four secret service agents, two on each side of the car, standing on the running boards hanging on to dear life. It was eight months to the day of his assassination.