Standing in the middle of a playground with whistle in my mouth. When I blew my whistle the students of Lowell elementary school would begin the pledge allegiance to the American flag. It was a daily routine in 1945. But today was April 13, and the flag would not be saluted today.
Lowell school was built like a fort. The class rooms surrounded a large playground with softball diamonds and basketball courts in the middle. The whole area was covered with chat, no grass anywhere.
The school had a student guard that patrolled the halls, bathrooms and gates. You needed a pass to get through the school gates, common practice during the War. I was one of those student guards. I had the privilege of starting the pledge of allegiance in the morning.
On that morning I was interrupted by a special announcement over the loud speakers: “We are sad to announce that yesterday in Warm Springs, Georgia, our beloved president Franklin Delano Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage.
The stunned silence lasted barely a second. Then the cries of disbelief and alarm were deafening. There were over 700 students expressing their sorrow. Most were crying and hugging each other, some were sitting on the steps with head in hand. I was crying also as I looked around at the sea of sorrow. The teachers began to herd the students into the class rooms. There would be no flag salute today. Mr. James, the gym teacher, lowered the flag to half mast.
Lowell school was in the lower income part of the city, and President Roosevelt was loved for his guidance through the Great Depression. His New Deal had saved my family home from foreclosure by the bank. The WPA allowed my father to feed us with “make work” jobs for food.
Roosevelt also guided us through World War II with fire side chats, and finally he made Social Security a reality. My wife and I rely on Social Security checks to stay afloat today. Roosevelt was truly a peoples president. He cared for the American people, and they cared for him.
On April 12, 1945, President Roosevelt died and the people cried.
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