Seeing George Wallace on NYS Capitol Steps

It was my junior year of high school in that election year of 1968. I was for that one year in what we called aPrep School. For various reasons it was thought I was better off away from my hometown in a private school. My history teacher around October 10th 1968 was organizing a field trip. George Wallace was going to speak on the NYS Capitol Bld steps. To say the least he was controversial in that difficult year. Former Gov. from Alabama , Independent party candidate for President. My teacher felt a well rounded life needed a young mind to be exposed to all sides of an arguement. I had already made my young mind and it was not for Wallace. The anger in America was an ongoing open wound. I felt Wallace was exploiting this fear & anger and believed him to be a hatemonger. I went down with several of my schoolmates . Had to wear a suit as dress code was strict. We were not allowed to wear our blazer coats to point publicly to where we were from. What my biggest memory was from that day was not Wallace's angry contempt of the unfinished decade and pointy headed liberal policy's . In back of him was his guard , Alabama State Troopers. As Wallace was doing his version of a stem winder , a sunglassed somber guard reached in to his coat pocket pulled out a flask and belted down a drink and then put it back in his coat pocket and continued his southern sheriff glare at the audience. I turned to a fellow student from the south , Frank Mcilhenny one of the heirs to the Tabasco Sauce fortune. I said "Frank someday , somebody is going to shoot that red neck son of a bitch with security like his. Frank was to entranced by the moment to answer. But I was proved correct further down the road.