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Gena Katnich Brentt holds up a "thank you" card from Jacqueline Kennedy that was sent to her after she mailed a sympathy card when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

45 years later, Lodian treasures card from Jacqueline Kennedy

By Ross Farrow
News-Sentinel Staff Writer
Saturday, November 22, 2008 6:18 AM PST

Many Lodi-area residents remember where they were on Nov. 22, 1963, — 45 years ago today — when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

People all over the world were stunned and grief-stricken by the charismatic president's sudden death. In Lodi, an 8-year-old girl, Gena Katnich Brentt, decided to offer her sympathies to Kennedy's widow.

When Brentt got home that day from Leroy Nichols School, she asked her mother if it would be all right if she wrote a letter to Jacqueline Kennedy. Her mother said it would be very nice of her to do so.

The first lady not only received Brentt's letter, but she mailed back a "thank you" note that reads, "Mrs. Kennedy is deeply appreciative of your sympathy and grateful for your thoughtfulness."

The note, in italicized handwriting, now sits in a picture frame in her Lodi living room.

Brentt recalls what she was doing on that fateful day of Nov. 22, 1963.

"I was sitting on a step outside a classroom," she said. "It was recess. It was chilly, and they rang the bell early to come in from recess. The teacher turned on the television and we watched."

After school, she sat at the dining room table as her mother cooked dinner. She took a piece of binder paper and wrote "The Lord's Prayer" to Jacqueline Kennedy. She doesn't recall if she wrote anything else to her.

"I guess my need was to let her know how I felt," Brentt said.

She recalls watching the funeral procession on TV.

"Such sadness. It showed her with the black veil over her face and the riderless horse," Brentt said. "It was just so sad."

Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.

What was your reaction to Kennedy's assassination in 1963?

Asked by News-Sentinel staff writer Ross Farrow

Bob Sorensen
"I was a parts man at Eagle Ford in Stockton. It came over the radio and everything came to a stop. It was almost like no cars were driving. Everybody just had a stunned look on their face. 9/11 was the same feeling — 'My God, what is our country going to do?'"
Joanne Murphy
"I was working at AAA when it was on Lodi Avenue. My husband had called me on the phone at work. Everybody was really astounded. I think they had a moment of silence for him. We were all devastated."
Marge Weaver
"Like everybody else, I was shocked. If it happened today, I might have been as shocked. I think our lifestyle has changed."
Carroll Sorensen
"I was ironing, I remember, and watching TV. I just couldn't believe it. I was glued to the TV set the rest of the day. I thought it was something that shouldn't happen in our country, especially at that time. Now I believe it could happen. You don't know what's in people's minds."

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