Connecticut Governor Abe Ribicoff introduces US Senator John F. Kennedy, democratic Presidential candidate, on the balcony of Hotel Roger Smith, in Waterbury in 1960.
Where were you at 3:00 a.m. on November 6, 1960? Steve Bergin and those remaining of some 50,000 other people can tell you exactly where they were that rainy night – on the Green in front of the Elton Hotel (then the Roger Smith Hotel) cheering on Senator John F. Kennedy two nights before his presidential election. That night changed Bergin’s life – and he and a few friends organized the 3:00 A.M. Committee in honor of the momentous occasion.
Bergin, who has read every book on the 35th president he could get his hands on, will take center stage during one of two JFK Centennial programs to be held at the Silas Bronson Library in May, as he speaks on “The Wit and Wisdom of JFK” on Thursday, May 18 at 6:30 p.m. He will also be exhibiting his JFK memorabilia in the library’s lobby display cases during the whole month of May in honor of the centennial of President John F. Kennedy, who was born on May 29, 1917.
The following week, starting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 25, Bob Dorr (who was 10 years old in 1960) will host a public reception and viewing of “Mr. Kennedy Comes to Connecticut,” a half-hour documentary produced by Connecticut Public Television in 1992.
After the viewing, Larry Rifkin, the executive producer of the film, will lead a discussion of JFK’s visit to Waterbury. Those who were on the Green that night are encouraged to come share their memories with one another – and with those who wish they were!
The Silas Bronson Library is the public library of the City of Waterbury. Located at 267 Grand Street, the Library is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturdays from Labor Day to Memorial Day, 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. For more information, please visit www.bronsonlibrary.org.