Assassination of John F. Kennedy
After a brief encounter with university, at 19 years of age, McRae dropped out and instead began work at the now-defunct "Ottawa Journal" as a writer covering the teenage music scene in Ottawa. He later worked at the "Cornwall Standard-Freeholder" and then the "Peterborough Examiner" as a general assignment reporter. It was during his time at the Cornwall paper in November 1963 when McRae experienced the arguably most-defining and shocking news story of the 20th century: the Assassination of John F. Kennedy: