Lesley University

Mary Mindess, 1959 - present

Longtime education professor Mary Mindess initiated Lesley's Kindergarten Conference, a fall conference attended by New England early childhood educators for more than 40 years. Professor Mindess remembers one particular conference in the early 1960s.

Mary Mindess:

The second [New England Kindergarten] conference we decided we'd have an expanded day so we met the first day up at the Continental Hotel, which is not there any more, in the morning. And then we had separate break out groups so we could accommodate more people and then we went over to Sander's Theater in the afternoon. And I think that was 1963, the day that President Kennedy died. President Kennedy was shot during the lunch time at that conference. So Alice Kelleher…we had to decide what to do…but Alice Kelleher got up…she was a very good speaker and she really knew kids and she said, "I have to tell you the very sad news. President Kennedy's been shot." And every body went "ohhh." You know. And she said, "Some of you may feel that you need to go home with your families or you may feel that's the right thing for you to do. And if so we understand." At any rate, she said, "But we decided that we're going to go ahead with the speech so if you choose to stay, I'm going to talk about the dangerous vacuums in today's programs." That was what she called it…vacuums…dangerous vacuums. And she said that she thinks that's what Jackie Kennedy…she seemed to know Jackie. "That's what Jackie Kennedy would have wanted." And she gave this most moving speech about how young children need relationships.