In March of 1960, a senator from Massachusetts who was running in the Democratic primary for president made a campaign stop in the city of Shawano.
John F. Kennedy, along with his wife, Jacqueline, and a traveling entourage of about a dozen people, appeared at a luncheon at the Bilmay Hotel.
At the time, it was THE hotel to stay at in Shawano, according to some city residents who were around back then. It is now the Wisconsin House, at 216 E. Green Bay St.
It was Friday, March 11, 1960. At first it was uncertain the event would take place, because Kennedy had to return to Washington for a vote on civil rights legislation, but an aide confirmed he would be back in time.
Some 300 people turned out to hear Kennedy give a speech and take a few questions; with 200 of them taking part in the luncheon that preceded the speech.
Kennedy’s formal, six-page speech addressed dairy production and can be found in the archives of Kennedy’s presidential library.
He also addressed small business concerns, according to coverage of the event in the Shawano Evening Leader, and said small business had been hurt by recent economic policies. He also said more should be done to enforce anti-trust laws.
After his Shawano visit, the Kennedys and their staff visited the American Legion Hall in Keshena.
Kennedy’s Shawano visit — rare in recent years for presidential candidates who seldom get closer than Green Bay or Appleton — adds a more personal note to the reaction felt across the country on Nov. 22, 1963, to the news that JFK had been assassinated in Dallas.
“People of every walk of life are grieved by the loss of our president,” said Mayor Emil Juedes, who had been one of the local dignitaries who attended Kennedy’s speech in March 1960, the Leader reported.
The following Monday, Nov. 25, Shawano City Hall closed down between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., as did many local businesses, while the funeral procession was broadcast on national television. County courthouse employees were also excused.
Local schools were closed all day and memorial services were held at area churches.
The Shawano Chamber of Commerce asked its members to pause for the funeral services.
Juedes, who had asked that flags be flown at half-staff, also commended local business that gave their employees time off to pay their respects.
Fifty years later, many Shawano residents, including Mayor Lorna Marquardt, remember hearing the news of Kennedy’s death.
“I remember learning of the shooting as though it were yesterday,” she said. “I was working at Dairyman’s State Bank in Clintonville. A customer had just heard the horrific news on the radio. She came into the bank sobbing and told us all what had happened. Customers and employees hugged one another in disbelief. Everyone was devastated. The bank closed early that afternoon.”
Marquardt said the drive home from Clintonville to Marion seemed especially long that day.
“My mother absolutely loved President Kennedy,” she said. “She met me at the door and we wept together.”
Joan Wohler, of Shawano, was living with her husband on a farm in Tilleda.
On Nov. 22, 1963, she was getting dinner ready for her husband and a group of deer-hunting friends who would be gathering there soon. She had the television on while she was setting up the dining table.
Regular programming was interrupted by a bulletin from Dallas announcing that President Kennedy had been shot.
“The first thing I did was I sat down,” Wohler said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Wohler continued watching the news reports for 45 minutes. Dinner was forgotten. When her husband and the deer-hunting party arrived, they joined her.
“Everybody was glued to the TV,” she said.
“It was a sad day whether you were a Republican or a Democrat,” former Mayor Russ Schmidt said. “He was very well-liked. He had many faults, but most people liked his style. It was a sad day for me and many of my friends.”
Terry Hilgenberg heard the news over the PA system in his eighth-grade class at school.
“It was devastating,” Hilgenberg said. “Very much of a shock. There was bewilderment, concern, insecurity.”
But Hilgenberg and his fellow students took comfort from their teachers who told them, he said, “this is a strong country. Pray for our country.”
The students maintained their control despite the shock.
“All of us were well-disciplined,” Hilgenberg said. “I think in today’s generation there could be chaos.”
Hilgenberg said that, looking back, the country maintained its discipline as well, throughout the tragedy and the process of installing a new president that followed.
“In retrospect, I was impressed with what a solid country we have,” Hilgenberg said. “The system worked.”
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