Kennedy, Huxley and Lewis

Forty years ago tomorrow, three persons of significance died: John F. Kennedy, Aldous Huxley and C. S. Lewis, as commemorated by Chuck Colson: "Three Died That Day: Reflections on November 22, 1963." I recall with a vividness that has scarcely faded after four decades the assassination of President Kennedy: the sense of shock and grief at the loss of one so young and especially (since I was only 8 years old) the widow and children left behind. It seemed inconceivable that such a thing could happen in the United States, yet it did.

By contrast, I doubt I had even heard of Huxley or Lewis at that point. Such knowledge would come somewhat later.