Leadership draws people beyond self-interest
After studying his life and times for years, I still see John F. Kennedy as a modern man completely in touch with himself and his times. I recall the first time I saw him campaigning in Ohio in 1960. As a 14-year-old student, I saw him as relaxed, interesting, someone you would like to get to know.
Recently, I flew from Boston to Hyannis on Cape Cod in a puddle-jumping Cessna, after a short stop in Martha’s Vineyard, to celebrate President Kennedy’s 100th birthday. In a historic three days, there were events, ceremonies and memories. A concert was held at a local high school, featuring music that Pablo Casals played at the Kennedy White House in 1961. Concert hosts were Ted Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Kiki. A beautiful, yet sad, ceremony took place in the rain at the Kennedy Memorial near the beach at Hyannis Harbor. I spent a day at the Kennedy Hyannis Museum on Main Street seeing people from all over the globe looking at the special exhibit JFK at 100: Life and Legacy.
At St. Francis Xavier Church on South Street, JFK’s church when he was at home in Hyannis Port, a commemorative Mass was given. In the sanctuary, I saw JFK’s pew with its plaque and bouquet of flowers, a powerful and poignant reminder of the popular president.
At the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, a U.S. Navy flyover took place, along with the cutting of a very large birthday cake.
It is impossible to imagine Kennedy at 100; he died at the height of his powers at age 46. We still see him as forever young and ageless. And although we may never know the truth about his death, we do know why his life matters to America. His life had meaning; his death had none. President Kennedy will always stand for leadership beyond selfinterest and a more peaceful world. He inspired us to embrace our country and its communities, and be citizens, not just individuals, engaged in public service. He helped us define ourselves.
For so many people in the world, it is what President Kennedy represents, beyond what he accomplished, that makes him so highly regarded today. There is a Hebrew Proverb that helps us see Jack Kennedy and his legacy today: “Say not in grief, he is no more but live in thankfulness that he was.”