The gymnasium of Wilkes College was transformed into a large banquet hall for the 74th annual dinner of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce on May 13, 1958.
Close to 1,000 individuals were present.
The guest speaker was delayed because of an issue at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Upon the arrival of the guest speaker at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Airport in his own plane, he was given a police escort to the gymnasium.
Upon arrival, U.S. Sen. John F. Kennedy, D-Mass, greeted a few people at the entrance and quickly proceeded to his seat at the main table.
More than 1,000 guests attentively listened to two reports demonstrating progress in industrial and civic action within the community, and then enthusiastically applauded Sen. Kennedy, who effectively concluded the lengthy affair, as reported by the Wilkes-Barre Record on May 14, 1958.
Following introductions of those seated at the main dining table, Sen. Kennedy was welcomed with a standing ovation.
In a brief speech, Kennedy apologized for his lateness, citing the need to remain in Washington, D.C. to vote on an unemployment bill.
“As soon as I cast my vote, I hurried to my car, drove to the airport, and boarded the plane to visit all of you,” Kennedy informed the large crowd, as reported by the Record.
During his address, Kennedy discussed the 1957-58 recession, the Federal Reserve Board's second increase in interest rates within a year, and the rising unemployment across the country.
Sen. Kennedy was applauded by the crowd upon arrival and again after his speech, according to the Record.
Less than two years after Kennedy’s visit to Wilkes College, he declared his candidacy for U.S. President.
During the presidential campaign, exactly 10 days before the General Election on Nov. 8, 1960, Kennedy stopped at the Diamond City with a visit to Public Square, where approximately 10,000 individuals awaited him.
As he was delayed at the 1958 dinner at Wilkes College, Kennedy was two hours late for his campaign stop at Public Square.
“Kennedy, originally expected at 4:15, did not arrive at the platform until a few minutes after 6 p.m. Wilkes-Barre Mayor Frank Slattery presented Kennedy with the key to the city,” the Record reported on Oct. 29, 1960.
Following his campaign speech, “Security police formed a circle and escorted Kennedy to and from his car. The Kennedy motorcade was set to depart via West Market Street. Due to the large crowd, police guided the procession up North Main Street from the Square, then along West Union Street to North River Street, over the Market Street Bridge, and through Kingston and west side communities to Scranton,” according to the Record.
