Daily Gazette seeking memories of Robert F. Kennedy

PHOTOGRAPHER: File Photo

Robert F. Kennedy, then a candidate for the U.S. Senate, gives a campaign speech in Schenectady on Monday, Oct. 19, 1964.

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For many people, U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy from New York represented new hope for America.

The former U.S. attorney general was on the campaign trail during the spring of 1968, a leading candidate for the Democratic nomination for president.

He was for social justice, against organized crime and against U.S. involvement in Vietnam. He appealed to young and poor people, and the African-American, Hispanic and Catholic voting blocs.

It all came to an end shortly after midnight in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, shortly after Kennedy had won the California primary. The 42-year-old was mortally wounded in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel, shot three times by 24-year-old Sirhan B. Sirhan. Kennedy died the following day.

Fifty years later, The Daily Gazette wants to hear from readers who were affected by the Kennedy assassination.

We hope people will share their memories of the night Kennedy was shot, and how they reacted to the news. If people ever met Kennedy, we’d like to hear that story, too.

They can also write about their memories of that turbulent time in our nation’s history, which included the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in April 1968. Protests against racism and Vietnam took place in U.S. cities; feminism and concerns about ecology were other topics.

Here’s how you can make your voice heard: Email your recollections to Bill Buell at [email protected]. If you would prefer to write longhand or type, mail your letter to The Daily Gazette, 2345 Maxon Road Extension, P.O. Box 1090, Schenectady, N.Y., 12301-1090. Please write “Attention Jeff Wilkin” on the envelope. Please include your name and address.

We hope to publish these memories on Tuesday, June 5.

Deadline for all submissions will be Friday, May 18.

Have any questions? Call Bill Buell at 518-395-3190 or Jeff Wilkin at 518-395-3124.