This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

President John F. Kennedy: An Enduring Legacy

This time of year I always reflect back upon the life of President John F. Kennedy, and that is especially true this year, as across all forms of media this week have been tributes to commemorate 50 years since he was tragically assassinated.

 

I usually also think of two people during this time of year: my brother-in-law, who was born this week in 1963 in the days just before that terrible day in Dallas; and my mother who recounted where she was that day and what transpired in the days that followed. I am too young, and I would not enter this world until several years after President Kennedy was killed, so I learned about it from my mother.

Find out what's happening in Rumson-Fair Havenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 

My brother-in-law also has a deep passion and interest in history and politics. We spoke on his 50th birthday this week, he was attending a trade show in another part of the country, and after we spoke about his day, we talked about some of the political news of the week. I enjoy talking to him about those topics, he knows a great deal about so many issues and their historical context. I often wondered if that interest was shaped when he learned that around the time of his birthday in 1963, one of the biggest events in recent history took place.

Find out what's happening in Rumson-Fair Havenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 

Camelot

 

My mother, like most Americans who lived during that time, had an affinity for President Kennedy and his family. She used to tell me stories about those days, she said it was aptly named by historians because that time period really did feel like Camelot.

 

My mother would talk about when President Kennedy ran for office in the 1960 election, and how the whole country was glued to the television watching the election returns because that race was so close.

 

My mother would tell me stories about the First Lady, Jackie Kennedy, and how all the girls in school wanted to have hair like her, or dress like her, and how fashionable Mrs. Kennedy was compared to other wives of the Presidents before that time.

 

I became a student of history myself, and I was looking for a good book so my mother got me the story of the PT-109 out of the local library. I was riveted reading that story of such profound bravery that John Kennedy displayed in helping his fellow sailors while his back was so badly injured.

 

I learned about President Kennedy and his rise to the nomination as the candidate for the Democratic Party, and how many people thought he was too young to possibly be ready to lead the country.

 

America at that time needed Camelot, the country had just emerged from the very stoic years of the Eisenhower Administration. President Kennedy and his brother, Robert, who worked with him as the Attorney General, represented a youthful energy and vibrancy during a time where the country was going through tremendous changes and a degree of uncertainty. The American people needed hope, and they found it in President Kennedy.

 

My mother used to talk about his wit and sense of humor. One of my favorite lines from President Kennedy was of the footage after he went on a trip to Paris with Mrs. Kennedy and the First Lady ended up being such a huge sensation. The President said, “Yes I’m the guy that accompanied Jackie Kennedy to Paris”, he had such a great personality, charisma, and charm.

 

Bay of Pigs

 

My mother told my sisters and I about the Bay of Pigs invasion, and then about the standoff that followed between the United States, Cuba, and the Soviet Union. She told us that she really felt at that time the country was going to be in a nuclear war. She continued by telling us about air raid drills at her school, where they would practice going to the fallout shelter beneath the school in the event of a nuclear attack or an aerial attack by the Soviets.

 

I could not imagine going to school and dealing with air raid drills. I was a child of the Cold War Era though, and I remember points where I felt scared that the Soviets were going to attack, or that we would end up at war with them.

 

In the end, we know that through President Kennedy’s leadership and sound judgment that war was averted. It was an enormous historical achievement of his presidency.

 

Dallas

 

President Kennedy made his way to Dallas to campaign, and some people do not know, that was the first domestic trip that Mrs. Kennedy ever took with the President. Jackie left her two children back in Washington, and went to Texas with President Kennedy.

 

We all know what happened at around 12:30 local time on Elm Street near Dealey Plaza in Dallas, but I am not sure we will ever truly know what actually happened that day. Even today, 50 years later, the conspiracy theories abound.

My mother told me about how the nuns and priests were crying at her Catholic school that fateful day, and that everyone was so profoundly shaken, it was if they lost a member of their own family.

 

She told me how everyone was fixated on their television sets for several days, and how it was the first real around-the-clock news story covered on television. My mother was very astute, that is how we were taught about the Kennedy assassination when I took some communications courses in college. I graduated with a degree in political science, and I still remember nights in college staying up to read Profiles in Courage.

 

I have been to Dallas many times, and I have been to that spot in the Plaza. It is a very unique place because I felt sadness, disappointment that his life was cut short, and a sense that I was in a spot where the course of history was shifted.

 

Legacy

 

In my opinion, President Kennedy represented peace, hope, and an inspiration for our country to strive to be a better place to live as well as being a light for the world. He called Americans to serve one another, and to be thankful for the life that our freedom and democracy provided to us.

 

The designation of the Eternal Flame as part of his memorial in Arlington Cemetery is so well suited for the life of President John F. Kennedy. His legacy lives on as a beacon of light and hope for the future of our country and the world.

 

 

 

 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?