Thursday, January 20, 2011

It is really hard to believe that today is the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of John F. Kennedy as the 35th President of the United States. While flipping through channels last night I came across “JFK: In His Own Words” on HBO and became captivated by it. The one-hour show was actually produced in 1988 and featured news footage and private home videos that went covered his childhood through his funeral in November of 1963. What it did was just magnify what so many of my generation and those older believe….that Kennedy brought a spirit, energy, charisma and accessibility to the White House never seen before or since. The pictures and movies and comments of JFK and his wife Jackie were at times riveting and there were things I was not really aware of, like the disdain he and Richard Nixon had for one another during their 1960 campaign. For those interested tonight at 9:30 HBO will air another documentary titled “A President to Remember: In the Company of John F. Kennedy.” The 90-minute program narrated by Alec Baldwin is actually a compilation of four documentaries made in the early 60’s combined with other footage. Kennedy’s place in history as a President can be debated but his impact on us even 50 years later cannot.

Jackson Memorial showed again last night why they are the top wrestling program in the shore and a perennial state power. Come off a heartbreaking loss to South Plainfield over the weekend the Jaguars crushed rival Southern 39-9 on the Rams home mat in Manahawkin. The dominating performance pretty much secures the Class A South title for Jackson, who won the first ten bouts last night to open a 36-0 lead.

Speaking of wrestling…if you want to purchase tickets for the NJSIAA Championships in Atlantic City in March then you’ll probably have to take a car ride to do so. Tickets will be sold only at the Boardwalk Hall Box Office or Ticketmaster but only if you go in person can you purchase discounted student or senior citizen tickets. All-session tickets go on sale Friday with tickets for individual sessions to be available starting February 9th.