West Columbian tutors LBJ's child at the time JFK was shot

Barbara Hotchkiss

By Laura Liger

For those old enough to remember, November 22, 1963, was a day which prompted a nation to mourn. Similar to September 11, the assassination of John F. Kennedy is embedded in the memory of those who witnessed this tragic event from the sidelines to living rooms.

Most can remember exactly where they were and exactly what they were doing when they discovered what had taken place on that day. Few, however, can say their memory of that fateful moment was an actual encounter with this historical date.

Barbara Hotchkiss, whose experience on that day is significant, has spent most of her life in the New England area, including Maryland, New York, Washington, D.C., Vermont, and Massachusetts, where she was born and lived as a child. For nearly 40 years, teaching has not only been her career but also her lifelong passion.

As early as middle school, Hotchkiss says she was fortunate enough to have such positive role models. She remembers, "I knew there was something special about teaching - that I could make a difference in someone's life."

In addition to teaching full-time in Westchester, New York, as head of the Spanish department in a private school, much of her expertise and passion has developed throughout her career as a private Spanish tutor. For over 30 years, Hotchkiss worked as a private tutor at the National Cathedral School in Washington D.C., as well as the Landon School for boys in Bethesda, Maryland. Her experience and list of credentials in tutoring are impressive, and there is little doubt she has helped shaped the minds of many future leaders.

Some of Hotchkiss's students include daughter of Secretary of Defense (1969-1973) Melvin Laird, son of author and journalist Cokie Roberts, and the children and grandchildren of Commissioner of Internal Revenue (1964-1969) Shel-don Cohen.

Tutoring, however, has not only given Hotchkiss a glowing résumé. It also brought her closer than most to the assassination of our nation's 35th president. Along with many other important people in Washington, D.C., Hotchkiss also tutored Luci Johnson, daughter of then Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson.

On November 22, 1963, Hotchkiss remembers, "at that very moment I was tutoring Luci Baines Johnson when President Kennedy was shot." It was only minutes later that Hotchkiss was informed what had actually happened. "That very time was strange... I didn't know anything about it until the secret service came and grabbed Luci away... and, of course, on my way home I was in a daze... I think everybody was."

Although her time with Luci on that extraordinary day was short-lived, Hotchkiss knows her brush with this historical moment will leave a unique impression on her memory. "It was a very sad and touching time... and it was such a historical moment for me... I was very touched by it." For those too young to remember, Hotchkiss is a living memorial and tribute to a day that changed America forever.

Recently, Hotchkiss moved to Still Hopes in order to be closer to her daughter, who lives in Columbia. She also has a son and two grandchildren in New Orleans. Although new to South Carolina, she certainly has not let culture shock slow her down. Hotchkiss says she is currently tutoring several students around the Columbia area and hopes to take on even more. "I would like to do more work here," says Hotchkiss, "with the private public schools."

Hotchkiss remains just as passionate about tutoring in Columbia as she did in Washington. "It's very exciting to see students improve, not only in their grades, but their self-esteem, and that's what the whole thing is about."