On Sunday, the Eagle ran a story on a historic moment in Butler — when, 60 years ago, presidential candidate John F. Kennedy rode in a convertible through town, and 8,000 people turned out to greet him.

Ultimately, the county didn’t vote for him. Regardless, he went on to defeat Richard Nixon in that fall’s election.

But what made the moment particularly interesting — and compared to the present moment, remarkable — was that a massive crowd of people turned out to hear a presidential candidate speak regardless of whether those present planned to vote for him. Fear of nuclear annihilation aside, perhaps, it was a kinder, gentler time.

The 2020 election has been one of nonstop mudslinging, brazen fabrications, voter intimidation and a whole lot of anger. It’s unlikely that many people won’t be pleased to put this election in their rear view mirror when it finally — and thankfully — culminates in two weeks.

As for JFK’s trip to Butler, those who came out to see the Massachusetts senator remember it clearly many years later. “I don’t remember anything that he said,” said Butler’s Tom Menchyk. “I don’t even remember being able to hear very well. But it was an exciting atmosphere to be in, for sure, just with so many people coming out for something. It said, to me, something important is happening today.”

Such a moment might be lost in today’s atmosphere, in which something important is happening every five minutes — at least, if you are a dedicated user of social media or a relentless follower of the national 24-hour news cycle.

So what makes JFK’s visit to Butler so unique is that it drew a crowd described by the Eagle as “one of the largest ever assembled” in the city that was likely populated by supporters of both presidential candidates. People who didn’t support Kennedy still turned out to hear what he had to say. And they did it peacefully without confrontation between those of differing political opinions in the crowd.

It’s what might be referred to today as a “teachable moment.” This year’s contentious and unpleasant election will soon be over. One can hope that an event like JFK’s visit to Butler might again one day be possible in which people from both sides of the aisle can come together as they did in 1960 — not to cheer on or protest a candidate, but merely to listen.

— NCD