Over Half a Century Ago . . .

A visit from presidential candidate John F. Kennedy September 9, 1960, during a whistlestop tour, made history in Modesto. A brief quote as he began his speech:

"Governor Brown, Mayor Hammond, ladies and gentlemen, I want to express my appreciation to all of you for having come down to the station to meet us. This is an important election in a very difficult and trying time in the life of our country. Today we celebrate the 110th anniversary of the admission of the State of California into the Union. It seems to me that the great story of California has come about because people were not satisfied with things as they were. They liked Massachusetts and they liked Ohio and they liked Oklahoma, but they thought they could do better and they came to California. [Applause.] I don't know why they felt that way about Massachusetts. [Laughter.]. . ."

After the speech, he stepped into the crowd to shake hands, as shown above. The police officer standing next to him is Leroy Applequist, now retired and still living in Modesto.

This photo is from the Images of America - Modesto book published by Arcadia Publishing. Images of America - Modesto, the newly-released Postcard History Series - Modesto, and Postcard Packets with 15 postcard images from the first book, are available at the Historic Modesto Store. Everything is available for immediate delivery! They make great gifts for the holidays!

Site Last Updated 10/15/11