News

New picture of President John F. Kennedy in the Coachella Valley released

Published October 27, 2017 10:12 PM

We are learning more today about the life and death of President John F. Kennedy.

This week, nearly 3,000 previously classified documents related to the 35th President were released, specifically on his assassination.

We take a look at a newly released picture of President Kennedy’s visit to the Coachella Valley in 1962.

We spoke with officials at the Palm Springs Historical Society who are now sharing a first-look at a photo of Kennedy.

Renee Brown, associate curator for the Palm Springs Historical Society remembers growing up in Palm Springs in the 1960s, when President John F. Kennedy would fly in from the oval office to visit the Coachella Valley.

“There was about 7,000 people all lined up around the airport and we got to watch his plane come in,” Briwb said. “I was a student at St. Theresa’s, so being that he was a Catholic president, they definitely took all of us schoolchildren to the airport to meet him.”

Even remembering when Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.

“When the news came out that he had been shot, they gathered the whole elementary school together, and we were ushered in to mass, and by the time we came out, that was when the news that he had died, when they told us,” Brown said.

Now with the Palm Springs Historical Society, she and others are honoring Kennedy with snapshots of presidential getaways.

Some photos familiar sights, and one never before seen.

That never before seen photo is a picture of President Kennedy, taken in 1962, riding a golf cart in Thunderbird Country Club.

“The first thing that went through my mind was that he was in a suit and I remembered how he had a very bad back,” Brown said. “The first thing I thought is ‘well he must not have played golf’ and he didn’t play golf, but he still enjoyed the sun at Thunderbird Golf Club.”

With the photo coming out the same time as classified documents related to Kennedy, Brown calls it a coincidence but agrees with both being released.

“The more we know, the better,” Brown said.

Brown said the picture was a gift from Thunderbird and the society will be working with the country club on archiving more pictures for the future.

The display at the museum will be up until May.