On November 22, 1963, the principal entered Miss. Dinkell's second grade classroom. He instructed her to turn on the classroom television. All of the students at Stoney Creek Elementary School watched the announcement that President Kennedy had been assassinated.
Ira and all of the girls started crying at the news. All of the other boys threw paper airplanes or blew spit-balls through their straws. The airplanes flew all over the room, but most of their spit-balls hit Ira.
Rebecca Stone came to the school to pick up her son who by that time was crying uncontrollably. She put her arm around him and guided him home.
When Jacob got home after work, the black and white television was turned on immediately. Ira came in from his bedroom and immediately started crying. "What are you crying about now?" Jacob barked. Rebecca came in the room and flashed Jacob a look and he turned around and did not say another word until bedtime.
This was one of the few times that Ira barely touched his dinner. He asked to be excused and both his parents nodded. "Go talk to him Jack," Rebecca urged. With a rolling of the eyes, Jacob got up from the dinner table and went into Ira's bedroom. "Big boys don't cry Son, they just tough it out!" as he turned around and walked out of the room
That was the day that Ira learned to hide his feelings, at least from his Dad.
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