When the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy was observed last November, many people my age talked about where they were when they heard President Kennedy had been shot. It was a defining moment and they remembered.
Well, for Cubs fans my age, there is another defining moment: Where you were when you heard that Kenny Hubbs had died. Kenny Hubbs had won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1962, and he had set a record* for most chances accepted by a second baseman without an error. In 1963, the Cubs had their first winning season (82-80) in my lifetime. We were looking forward to 1964 being a great season.
But then, on February 13, 1964, Kenny Hubbs crashed the private plane he was flying near Provo, Utah, and died. It tore the heart out of Cubs fans everywhere and, I think, out of the Cubs team that year.
I remember coming home from a church youth group retreat at George Williams College in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. When I got home, my dad said he had some sad news for me: Kenny Hubbs had died.
As I said, Cubs fans of a certain age will always remember where they were when they heard that Kenny Hubbs had died. I know I will.
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* The record has since been broken.
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