When JFK Had Cookies And Coffee In Newport
1960 Campaign Stop In Tri-State Included Filming TV Ads In Northern Kentucky.
At around 4:00pm on Thursday October 6, 1960, a light blue convertible slowly crawled down Park Ave. Sitting in the backseat was Senator John F. Kennedy, the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. Kennedy smiled and waved at the surprised residents as the motorcade came to a stop at the bend in the road in front of 1168 Park Ave., the home of Mrs. Ethel Steil, a Gold Star mother. The Senator hopped out of the car, shaking hands with as many Newport citizens as he could. A large crowd had now gathered in front of Mrs. Steil’s residence. Kennedy and a throng of staffers and reporters followed the Senator as he entered Mrs Steil’s home. He was offered a seat at a card table in the living room where cookies and coffee awaited. After shaking hands with Mrs. Steil and her family, he was greeted by Mrs. John Wagner and Mrs. Nealon Shay, also Gold Star mothers.
Kennedy offered his condolences and talked about the need for peace, but also the need to be firm with Russia and other countries.
After 20 minutes or so, Kennedy shook hands with the men, and received kisses on the cheek from the ladies, exiting to his motorcade for the next stop: Cote Brilliante Elementary School, just a few blocks down the street at Park and Grand Ave.
It was there that the presidential nominee “interrupted” a PTA meeting, occupying a classroom and taking questions from the Newport mothers. The chat lasted 15 minutes, 4 of which were filmed and used in a campaign ad on education:
After the school visit, Kennedy made his way back to Park Ave. to talk with Mr. and Mrs. John MacNamarra. Mr. MacNamarra recently broke his hip in a fall at home and was worried about the doctor bills. This conversation was also filmed for a campaign ad:
After shaking a few more hands and exchanging pleasantries, Kennedy was whisked away to his 5pm speech in Covington, KY at the corner of Park and Court St., and then to Fountain Square in Cincinnati for a 5:25 rally.
Interestingly, 1168 Park is no longer there, torn down when the shopping center that houses Target/Kroger went up in the mid-2000s.
But you can see from the below photo where the motorcade was on that memorable day. Notice the houses in photos from 1960 and 2022.
Also, Cote Brilliante Elementary School is no longer there, the neighborhood long gone in the name of progress.
And to make sure that Mr. MacNamarra could get proper care, he named him Secretary of Defense the following year. ;-)