Remembering Dave Francis Powers – Another Kennedy Pilgrimage

Today is 61st Anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s fourth and final day of his official visit to his ancestral homeland of Ireland. Before departing the country, he remarked, “This is not the land of my birth, but it is the land for which I hold the greatest affection and I certainly will come back in the springtime.”

Little did President Kennedy know that he would never again set foot on the soil of his ancestral homeland. Only four months and twenty-six days later, he was killed by an assassin’s bullet in Dallas, Texas. According to page 1028 in “A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House” by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr, “In Ireland, ‘Ah, they cried the rain down that night,’ said a Fitzgerald of Limerick; he would not come back in the springtime.”

There was one man who was riding in the presidential motorcade on that fateful day in Dallas, who had also traveled with President Kennedy to Ireland months earlier. His name was David Francis Powers, special assistant to the president. 

He said of the president’s visit to Ireland:

“He was overwhelmed by the greeting. It was just a from the time he stepped off that plane, it was love at first sight. He fell in love with Ireland more and more after four days and the Irish people fell in love with him and the thing that he we talked about writing on the plane, we talked about at that summer out in the boat in July and August relaxing and you know he says he wanted Jackie [Kennedy] didn't make the trip and every time we're together, he said, ‘tell it tell Jackie more about Ireland. How the nuns were dancing on O'Connell Street and about the wonderful Irish ladies holding up rosary beads and saying God bless you and the men with their children on their shoulders. You know and it was such a proud day on it because he was one of theirs and he knew it and they knew it.”

My own words cannot describe the amount of love the people of Ireland had for him and for that same love he had for them. That is why I needed to use the words of Mr. Powers, who had known John F. Kennedy since 1946. 

I should note that this blog entry is not entirely about Kennedy's visit to Ireland on this anniversary. In this entry, I want to pay tribute to Mr. Powers for his friendship and service to President Kennedy and to document my journey to his final resting place at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Arlington, Massachusetts. Because of the anniversary of John F. Kennedy's final day in Ireland and to honor Mr. Power's participation in that same visit and his own Irish heritage, I wanted to visit the place where he is laid to rest on this unique anniversary.

Who was Dave Francis Powers? My own feeble words cannot tell of his story. However, on the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum's website, there is a section called "Dave Powers, First Museum Curator," which tells of his story in a far more superior way to any manner that I could express here. I want to encourage anyone that is interested, to click on the link I have provided to learn more about Mr. Powers and his contributions to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum and in preserving the memory of President Kennedy for future generations.

I can only attempt to briefly summarize what I know about Mr. Powers. By the time he met John F. Kennedy in 1946, Dave Powers was an unemployed former veteran of the second world war at the age of thirty-three. He was living in Charlestown, Massachusetts with his sister when on the evening of January 21, 1946, he met another veteran of the same war, a young twenty-eight-year-old naval hero named John F. Kennedy who was running for congress that same year. 

“I saw this tall thin handsome fellow,” he said in an interview conducted on January 30, 1964. “He put out his hand and said, ‘I'm Jack Kennedy and I am a candidate for Congress will you help me,’ and he came in and sat down and we discussed the type of district it was. It was a three-decker Irish district and most of the men earn their living as longshoremen and freight analysts, truck drivers, and a laboring group but a great you know god-fearing group of people that if they were with you, they are all the way.” 

It was the beginning of a great friendship and a unique relationship that would change Mr. Powers' life.

For the next seventeen years, ten months, and one day (which was to be for the rest of John Kennedy's life), David Powers would be a front row witness to history as he campaigned with his friend in every single political contest that Kennedy entered in. I thought it was remarkable that he witnessed Kennedy's first political speech in Boston and his very last speech in Texas. After Kennedy was elected President of the United States in 1960, Powers was appointed his special assistant. His responsibilities included "greeting distinguished guests, escorting them to the Oval Office and trying to keep the President on schedule."

After President Kennedy's death in 1963, he became the first curator of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum and would serve in that position until his retirement thirty years later. During his time as curator, he would visit and lecture at schools all over the country, recounting his time with Kennedy, and even co-wrote a book called "Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye," which is "a personal and nostalgic look at President Kennedy's life." On March 27, 1998, David Francis Powers passed away at the exact age of eighty-five years, eleven months, and two days. He was twenty-nine days short of reaching his eighty sixth birthday. Since Mr. Powers had an "amazing memory for sports and election statistics," I think he would have appreciated the sharing of the statistics of his longevity.

In learning about his life, I discovered that Mr. Powers was laid to rest at Mount Pleasant Cemetery at Arlington, Massachusetts, about three miles from where I currently reside. At this point, I had already visited the final resting places of President Kennedy’s ancestors, parents, one of his sisters, three of his nephews, a niece, national security advisor, political rival, and a court historian just last year. I found myself regretting that I had not paid a visit Mr. Powers' final resting place earlier, especially since I live nearby without realizing it. Now that I know, I have resolved to make this pilgrimage on this day.

This morning, I woke up exceedingly early, but I took time in getting ready for the journey as that would be the only task that I would complete for the day. After noting that time of the bus schedules for the arrival and the return journey, I then had a large breakfast, and got ready for day. Although it was scheduled to rain tomorrow, I still brought my backpack with an umbrella, rain jacket, and water bottle with ice for hydration. I also brought a hardcover first edition copy of "Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye," which Mr. Powers co-wrote to read on the bus to pass the time. I also had it wrapped a plastic bag to protect it in case it rained. 

It was 67 degrees when I left the house at 9:00 in the morning to begin the journey. It was still cloudy outside, which made me concerned that it might rain. In either case, I was prepared. At 9:24, the bus arrived at the bus stop six minutes ahead of the schedule. I got on, paid for my fare and sat down. I thought about reading Mr. Powers' book, but then thought against it as I did not print out any directions (the printer is not working). I had to rely on my memory. Within several minutes, I arrived at the front entrance of Mount Pleasant Cemetery at 9:30.

At I was dropped off at the corner entrance of the cemetery and this is where I began to set off on foot to Mr. Power's final resting place. 

Since I had to rely on my memory, I walked according to what I have remembered seeing on the map.

I soon crossed the bridge over the brook that led into the section of the cemetery where he was located. 

Once there, I found myself searching in vain and could not find it. I respectfully asked three people that were passing by if I was in the right section, they said they didn't know. The third person mentioned that there was a large map of the cemetery on display where the chapel and offices were located, and I could check there. I thanked her and made my way over to where a large bulletin board was situated outside of the building holding the offices and chapel.

I looked over the large map on the bulletin board. I was in the correct section, but I needed to look more closely. 

I knew he was there. I was in the right cemetery, and I was in the right section, I just needed to find him. I went back to try again.

The website said he located in Section VV, but I could not recall the plot number and I thought maybe I was in the wrong section that is perhaps it the letter W instead. Since I was using a flip phone with no internet access, I called a college friend to search on my behalf. When he did not answer, I reluctantly called my sister to ask if she could look up the coordinates on her internet. She looked and confirmed that he was in Section VV and told me that the plot number was 859. She even sent me a text with an image of the map as indicated by findagrave.com. 

I thanked for her for her time and returned to my search. I searched for a few more minutes until finally, at 10:55 this morning, I found the final resting place of David Francis Powers.

It was covered with freshly cut sprigs of grass, which covered much of the letters. So much so that I did not see his name. I could not allow this. This man was a public servant who made significant contributions to the United States. I got on my knees and quickly cleared away the sprigs of grass off of the gravestone, so I could read his marker clearly. 

Here he was at last. I finally found him after one hour and twenty-five minutes of searching. I took my copy of his book that he wrote out of my backpack and took some more photos, which I will upload when creating a social media post to honor his memory at some point in the near future.

During the time that I was there, I began to think about the remarkable life this man had. He truly was a witness to history. He was there. He was at the Inauguration of John F. Kennedy on January 20, 1961, in the cold where he saw his friend, the newly sworn in president speak to the country and to the world, declaring in now immortal words resounding through time:   

"And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.

My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."

He worked at The White House and was a witness to President Kennedy's best and worst moments. He traveled to many places across the nation and in different countries all over the world. He also had to accompany the body of the slain president back to the nation's capital in Washington and also took time to help care for President Kennedy’s children for some time following the assassination.

President Kennedy's daughter, Caroline, remarked after he passed that "Dave Powers was a loyal and devoted friend whom my mother and father adored. I will always be grateful for his personal kindness and for his tireless efforts on behalf of the Kennedy Library." She, along with her uncle Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Aunt Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and her brother John F. Kennedy, Jr. all attended Mr. Powers' funeral service at St Catherine's Church on April 1, 1998. 

John F. Kennedy, Jr., the son of the slain president, would survive Mr. Powers by one year, three months, and twenty days. He would pass into history of July 16, 1999, at the age of thirty-eight.

When Mr. Powers passed into history in 1998, I was eleven years old. I was too young to know who he was and did not learn of him until years later. I began to wonder if I had been born earlier, if I ever had the chance to meet with Mr. Powers at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, I would have relished the opportunity. I would have loved to have had a one-on-one conversation at length about anything he would want to talk about, though I would prefer he would tell me stories about John F. Kennedy. It would have felt like I was speaking with JFK himself.

I stayed at Mr. Powers' gravesite for a total of 41 minutes. I wanted to rest my feet after walking for so long. After gathering what I needed to take with me for the return journey, I soon left the cemetery and the bus arrived after fourteen minutes of waiting at 12:22 in the afternoon. The returning bus could only take me part of the way since it was headed toward Lechmere Station. I got off at the corner of Boston Avenue and Winthrop Street and walked the rest of the way to place where I reside. It was 1:08 in the afternoon when I returned, and it was 73 degrees. I immediately turned on my laptop computer to write about Mr. Powers and to chronicle my journey to his final resting place while it was still fresh within my mind.

Overall, I'm glad I made the time to take the journey. I have been inspired to visit the final resting places of all the officials that were a part of John F. Kennedy's administration as well as the rest of his siblings, the president himself, and of his wife and even her family. It is a daunting task, but it is doable. I hope to be able to document each of these discoveries and more of the people in Kennedy’s circle. My vision is to share their stories as I make these discoveries through these pilgrimages. I hope that I plan to do will bring honor to memory of the men and women who served in the Kennedy administration and answered his call to public service for the one thousand and thirty-six days that he was in office.

To conclude this blog entry, I typically share a quote as I have on most of my blog entries. Whenever Mr. Powers would end a lecture about his friendship with President Kennedy, he would often cite a quote from a poem by Thomas Davis.

"We are like sheep without a shepherd

When the snow shuts out the sky

Oh! Why did you leave us,

Why did you die?"

After seeing this, I wanted to conclude this blog entry with something more uplifting. After some consideration, I have chosen to share some words that President Kennedy delivered before departing his ancestral homeland sixty-one years ago today and Mr. Powers would have been a witness as these words were spoken to the people assembled to hear. This is only a small portion of his remarks at Eyre Square in Galway, Ireland on June 29, 1963:

"I want to express--as we are about to leave here--to you of this country how much this visit has meant. It is strange that so many years could pass and so many generations pass and still some of us who came on this trip could come home and--here to Ireland--and feel ourselves at home and not feel ourselves in a strange country, but feel ourselves among neighbors, even though we are separated by generations, by time, and by thousands of miles.

You send us home covered with gifts which we can barely carry, but most of all you send us home with the warmest memories of you and of your country.

So, I must say that though other days may not be so bright as we look toward the future, the brightest days will continue to be those in which we visited you here in Ireland.

If you ever come to America, come to Washington, and tell them, if they wonder who you are at the gate, that you come from Galway. The word will be out and when you do, it will be "Cead Mile Failte," which means 'one hundred thousand welcomes!'

Thank you and goodbye."

A Reflection of my Kennedy Interest

Today is the 62nd anniversary of when President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy made an official visit to the island of Puerto Rico where they were hosted by Governor Luis Muñoz Marín & his wife Inés Mendoza in San Juan on December 15, 1961. They spent the night as guests at La Fortaleza, the Governor’s Mansion which is the oldest Executive Mansion in continuous use in the Western Hemisphere. The guest bedroom in which he stayed subsequently became known as the "Kennedy Bedroom.”

I wanted to acknowledge this event to honor my Puerto Rican heritage and use this fun fact as a segue to talk about my update of my interest in the Kennedys, my future goals related to honoring them next year both through travels and social media, and possible ideas and future projects I may end up undertaking.

For the past three years, I have been commemorating the 60th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's time as the thirty-fifth President of the United States. I began by collecting books about the Kennedy Family, which as of two nights ago, has now gone up to ninety-nine books. On December 13, I was given the night off from work, so I decided to go to the movies in downtown Boston for a rerelease showing of "Oppenheimer," which is a biographical film on J. Robert Oppenheimer, which chronicles the story of his role in the development of the atomic bomb.         

Before I went into the movie theater, I went for a bite to eat in a food court at the Corner Mall in Downtown Crossing. From there, I went to the nearby Brattle Bookshop and went to browse for books at a low cost. It was there I found a copy of “Kennedy Justice” by Victor S. Navasky for only three dollars.

I purchased it at once before heading to the theater to see "Oppenheimer." After viewing the film, I knew it would about an hour before I would arrive home by public transportation, so I read the introduction and first chapter of the book during my return journey. I have not made time to read the rest of it due to my busy work schedule, but it is now a part of my collection and I hope to make time to read it. 

This means that for all of 2023, I have a total of eight new acquisitions to my Kennedy Book Collection. They are:

• “1961 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy”
• “1962 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy”
• “1963 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy”
• “Robert Kennedy & His Times” by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. Volumes 1 & 2
• “The First Kennedys: The Humble Roots of an American Dynasty” by Neal Thompson
• “Kennedy or Nixon: Does It Make Any Difference?” by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.
• “Kennedy Justice” by Victor S. Navasky 

Despite now owning about ninety-nine books on the Kennedys, I still wish to own more. However, due to a limited space and a limited budget, I am unable to do so at this time. There are so many books I want to own and display in my Kennedy Book Collection, but for now they will simply have to remain as wishes until something happens. The hunger to own more is still there, but I will spare the reader from listing all the books I would like to own.

This past year alone, I also visited places in Massachusetts that were of significance to the Kennedy Family (some of which for the very first time), including six cemeteries (where JFK's family and acquaintances are laid to rest, three places of birth (for himself, his mother Rose, and three of his siblings), two schools he attended, two restaurants (he frequented regularly), two places of worship (one turned in housing facility and the other a place where he voted), two former campaign headquarters (both in Boston), two buildings JFK occupied (Bellevue Hotel for his 1946 congressional campaign and 122 Bowdoin Street his official "home" residence) and two trips to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

I regret that I still have not visited Hyannis as of yet. This is where there are other sites of significance to the Kennedy Family. In that area, I would like to visit:

• The Kennedy Compound, where the homes of Joseph P. Kennedy and two of his sons, Jack and Bobby, are located and served as headquarters and homebase for the family.
• John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum, located at 397 Main Street, which showed the Kennedys’ deep connection to Cape Cod.
• St. Francis Xavier Church, located at 347 South Street, where Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy regularly attended mass, President John F. Kennedy attended Sunday Mass here with his family during the summertime, and the site of the funeral mass for Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
• The Hyannis Armory, located at 225 South Street, the site of John F. Kennedy’s presidential acceptance speech on November 9, 1960.
• John F. Kennedy Memorial, located at 670 Ocean Street in Veterans Memorial Park on Veterans Beach overlooking Lewis Bay. 

I would also like on embark on "The Kennedy Legacy Trail" which is a self-guided 1.6-mile "walking tour of sites in downtown Hyannis, Cape Cod that are significant to the Kennedy family."

Since I visited the final resting places of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. (September 6, 1888 – November 18, 1969), Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy (July 22, 1890 – January 22, 1995), and their daughter Rosemary (September 13, 1918 – January 7, 2005) at Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline this past summer, it has made me want to also St. Francis Xavier Cemetery, located in Pine Street, in Centerville, Massachusetts (2.9 miles west from the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum), to visit the final resting place of their other daughter Eunice Kennedy Shriver (July 10, 1921 – August 11, 2009) and son-in-law R. Sargent Shriver (November 9, 1915 – January 18, 2011). 

Speaking of final resting places, I hope to also visit Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, where six members of the Kennedy Family are laid to rest. 

They were:

• John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), 35th President of the United States from January 20, 1961, until his death. He was laid to rest on November 25, 1963, and then moved to a spot just 20 feet east from its original interment site on March 14, 1967.
• Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994), First Lady of the United States from 1961 until her husband's death in 1963. She was laid to rest on May 23, 1994, next to her husband.
• Patrick Bouvier Kennedy (August 7, 1963 – August 9, 1963), last child of President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. He was originally buried at Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts.
• Arabella Kennedy (August 23, 1956) Stillborn.
• Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), 64th United States Attorney General from 1961 to September 1964, and as Unites States Senator from New York from January 1965 until his assassination in 1968.
• Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) United States Senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009.

I would also like to visit the final resting places of Patricia Helen Kennedy Lawford (May 6, 1924 – September 17, 2006) located at Southampton Cemetery in New York and that of Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington (February 20, 1920 – May 13, 1948), located at St Peter's Churchyard, Edensor, England. While visiting the latter might not be feasible at the moment, visiting the former would be doable with some careful planning.

As a matter of fact, while researching on where Stephen Edward Smith (September 24, 1927 – August 19, 1990), President's Kennedy's brother-in-law and Jean's husband, was laid to rest, I found that he was located at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery.in East Hampton, Suffolk County, New York; 12.6 miles east from where Patricia is laid to rest. In the same burial grounds as Mr. Smith maybe located, I found that the relatives of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis are also buried there. 

In the Bouvier Family Plot are:

• John Vernou Bouvier, Jr. (August 12, 1866 – January 15, 1948), stockbroker for Wall Street and attorney in New York. He was grandfather of Mrs. Onassis.
• Maude Frances Sergeant (July 9, 1890 – April 2, 1940), wife of John Vernou Bouvier Jr. and grandmother of Mrs. Onassis.
• Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale (April 28, 1895 – October 8, 1929) daughter of John Vernou Bouvier Jr. and Maude Frances Sergeant; aunt of Mrs. Onassis. She was known as “Big Edie” and was the subject of a 1975 documentary called “Grey Gardens,” about how she and her daughter lived in poverty despite their upper-class upbringing.
• Michelle Caroline Bouvier (August 4, 1905 – January 1987), daughter of John Vernou Bouvier Jr. and Maude Frances Sergeant; aunt of Mrs. Onassis; twice married and twice divorced.
• William Sergeant “Bud” Bouvier (October 5, 1895 – February 5, 1977, son of John Vernou Bouvier Jr. and Maude Frances Sergeant; graduate of Yale University, uncle of Mrs. Onassis who died two months and eleven days after she was born.
• Michel Bouvier (January 29, 1920 – July 16, 1994) son of William Sergeant “Bud” Bouvier and first cousin of Mrs. Onassis.
• John Vernou "Black Jack" Bouvier III (May 19, 1891 – August 3, 1957) a stockbroker on Wall Street stockbroker, the father of Mrs. Onassis and father-in-law of John F. Kennedy.  He married Janet Norton Lee in 1928, but divorced in 1940 due to his drinking, gambling, and philandering. In the late 1950’s, he was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and died at the age of 66. 
• Lee Bouvier Radziwiłł (March 3, 1933 – February 15, 2019), who according to Wikipedia was a “socialite, public relations executive, and interior decorator. She was the younger sister of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis and sister-in-law of President John F. Kennedy.” She was married and divorced three times. She passed away at the age of eighty-five, outliving her older sister by 24 years, 8 months, and 27 days. As per her wishes, part of her ashes was scattered on the Amalfi Coast in the Mediterranean Sea and the other half was buried in this plot at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery.

Indeed, I would like to visit all of the final resting places of all the Kennedy siblings, as well as the Bouvier Clan buried in New York. 

In addition to this, I would also like to visit the final resting places of all the officials who served in the Kennedy Administration. This includes then Vice President (and 36th President of the United States) Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), ten cabinet secretaries, two postmaster generals, two Special Assistant Counsels to the President, ten Special Assistant to the President, one Deputy Special Assistant to the President, one Staff Assistant to the President, three Administrative Assistants to the President, one press secretary, three Military Aides to the President, and one private secretary to President Kennedy. There is a list of these public servants that has been generously provided on the JFK Library Website called "Officials of the Kennedy Administration" and it will serve as a foundation for who to look for in my future travels. 

I am aware that this would be an ambitious feat, but I believe it can be done. I just need to make time, plan accordingly and find the right opportunities to make the journeys to these places to honor these people for their services to President Kennedy and the country and perhaps tell their stories.

I have to acknowledge that as of typing this journal blog entry, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is now running as an independent candidate for President of the United States. While I have been involved in political campaigns in the past, I have decided not to participate in any of them for this year and for the foreseeable future. My involvement and endorsement of any candidate would taint any projects I would undertake, and I would be judged not for my content, but for my political beliefs. With this in mind, I am withdrawing from any participation, involvement, and/or endorsement of any presidential candidates. I think Elvis Presley had the right idea when in a press conference a reporter asked him for his opinion of war protesters and if he would refuse to be drafted. He replied, “Honey I just I just tend to keep my own personal views about that to myself. I'm just an entertainer and I’d rather not say.”

Speaking of Elvis Presley, I have been gleaning inspiration from watching videos of Elvis fans and enthusiast share their love through showing their collections of memorabilia, travels to either his birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi and/or to his home at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee where he is laid to rest. Some notable fans that I was inspired by were people like Mary Patricia, Sophialoveselvis, Ashley's Adventures, Those Elvis Girls, Elvis Archival Preservation Society (EAP Society), and many others. While I am not a fan of Elvis, I appreciate his contribution to the world of music, his impact on popular culture, and for the fact that still he inspires people today long after he passed into history. It was through these creators that made me appreciate Elvis and they have inspired me to want to do the same for President John F. Kennedy. 

This past year, I have made friends with people who love the Kennedy Family on Instagram and was invited to a private Kennedy Group Chat within the website, in which we share our collections, artwork, and mutual interests with each other. Interacting with them has also inspired me to take an interest in continuing to travel to more places significant to the Kennedy Family, which I have listed here, and to share with them and perhaps publicly through YouTube by creating content in a part documentary/video blog hybrid style. I don't know if I have the tools as of yet, but the potential to build and create is there. We'll see how this year turns out. In the meantime, to cite President Bill Clinton's memoirs: "...deep down I probably felt as Abraham Lincoln did when he wrote as a young man, 'I will study and get ready, and perhaps my chance will come.'” I will do the same. 

To conclude this blog entry, I wanted to use remarks that President John F. Kennedy made upon his arrival at International Airport at San Juan, Puerto Rico on December 15, 1961. I visited Puerto Rico before in the summer or 2007 when I was twenty years old and stayed with my relatives. I did see La Fortaleza, the Governor's Mansion where President and Mrs. Kennedy spent the same night of their arrival on the island though I never went inside. I hope to visit there again to try and retrace the steps that he made during his visit. Perhaps this time, I might be able to go inside and (with permission) see where President and Mrs. Kennedy stood in the receiving line and maybe view the bedroom where they stayed the night before departing the next day. I know that it is a long shot and highly unlikely, but I can make a request through official channels. If there is no response or if my request is denied, then I will have to be satisfied that I tried my best. 

With some deliberation, I have to share the entirety of President Kennedy's remarks to close this blog entry, though I may use them again for when I revisit Puerto Rico in the near future. Anyway, this is what he said in which he referred to Luis Muñoz Marín (1898-1980), who would serve as Governor of Puerto Rico for a total of sixteen years after being elected four times from 1949 to 1965:

"Governor:

It is a great experience to fly many hundreds of miles over the Atlantic Ocean to come to an island and be greeted in Spanish, to come to an island which has an entirely different tradition and history, which is made up of people of an entirely different cultural origin than on the mainland of the United States, and still be able to feel that I am in my country, here in this city and island, as I was in my country in Washington this morning.

And I'm particularly appreciative and glad that I've been welcomed by you, Governor. What you and your devoted associates and the people of this island have been able to do in the last decade, to build a better life, to tackle the difficult problems of education, and housing, and employment, and all the rest, has given us inspiration to feel that we can carry on a great cooperative effort throughout the entire hemisphere. And I think it most appropriate that the man who served under you in this great enterprise, Ambassador Ted Moscoso, who was our Ambassador to Venezuela, should now be the Director of the Alliance for Progress and be able to hold up encouragement to people everywhere in this hemisphere by pointing to what has been done on this island. And also, another devoted public servant from this island, Arturo Morales-Carrion, who is now our Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Latin America.

Puerto Rico serves as an admirable bridge between Latin America and North America. You have, I think, served to make it easier for us to understand each other, and therefore it is most important and appropriate that we should start this journey to two great countries, Venezuela and Colombia, that we should come here first.

I want to express the thanks of all of us to you--you welcomed our Peace Corps representatives and gave them training which I think has contributed to their success.

We come here today, and I will value your counsel, and I'm sure as a result of our stay here that our journeys tomorrow and Sunday will be more fruitful.

Governor, I'm grateful to you, and I am grateful to your people. We have many of them on the mainland, and they are among our best citizens--and I'm glad to be in America this afternoon."

Honoring President John F. Kennedy - My Visit to the JFK Library on November 22, 2023

It has now been exactly sixty years to the day in which President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. By the time his exciting life came to end, he had reached the age of forty-six years, five-months, and twenty-four days. I chose on this day to embark on another “pilgrimage” to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts to honor my favorite president.

I also requested the day off from work in advance to avoid scheduling conflicts. The night before, after returning from working two shifts, I was unable to sleep until past 2:00 in the morning for an unknown reason. On the morning of, I still woke up early enough, but was still tired from working the day before. I stayed in bed, until I had a mediocre breakfast and finally left the house at 11:27 in the morning to heavy rains pouring outside. I did not bring any books to read on the way there, so I had to be patient as I traveled to the location of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. After traveling for over an hour, I finally arrived at the museum a few minutes past 1:00 in the afternoon. 

When I arrived, I expected to see a dark curtain with lines of people waiting to sign condolence books as I witnessed ten years ago. 

[photo taken on November 22, 2013, by someone else]

Instead, there were fewer people, and no curtains were drawn. There were only two small tables with a photo of the late president, a small square container full of flowers, and condolence book, in which I wrote some words down for posterity.

There was another small table for former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who passed away three days before on November 19, at the age of ninety-six. I also wrote down words for the condolence book for her. 

I then went to the front desk to pay for entry into the museum but was told that there was free entry for all visitors for today. 

I was also informed that in the pavilion that the flag that covered President Kennedy's casket was on display and letters of condolences to the widowed First Lady. I thanked the person at the admissions desk for informing me and I went immediately to the pavilion to see the artifacts rarely seen on display. 

When I entered into the pavilion, there were two tables, each encased with plexiglass to protect the artifacts encased within. I went up to the first table on the left. 

It showcased some notes handwritten notes by the recently widowed, Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy regarding the plans for the state funeral of her husband. 

The first table mostly showcased letters written to her. I was struck by a letter that a child wrote the day after the assassination, along with a drawing that she made of the burial of the slain president that she would witness on television along with her family a few days later. 

The second table showcased artifacts relating to materials relating the state funeral and burial of the thirty-fifth president. 

Among them was a print of a painting of a riderless horse "Black Jack" in President Kennedy's funeral procession, following the caisson and being led by a marine. It was painted by college student Suzanne Seitz as a gift for Jacqueline Kennedy, in memory of President Kennedy.

There was also a shell casing from the last round fired during the military salute for President John F. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery on November 25, 1963.

I remember most vividly that flag that draped President Kennedy's casket, carefully folded into the shape of a tri-cornered hat by enlisted soldiers and presented to Mrs. Kennedy on that sad and mournful day. It was very same flag I had seen ten years ago it made the solemn event more real to me.

After this, I then went into the museum where once again, I would reemerge myself into the era of Camelot and to more fully appreciate the times in which John F. Kennedy lived through and presided over. I began by going into a recreation of the 1960 Democratic National Convention, in which a video of Senator John F. Kennedy accepting his party’s nomination is played on a continuous loop.

Then I went into a recreation of the main streets of America, in which are 1960s campaign commercials, songs, and excerpts of candidates Kennedy and Nixon delivering their speeches were shown.

There was also a recreation of a Kennedy Campaign office filled with campaign paraphernalia. 

There was also reproduction of the television studio where the first debate between the candidates took place in Chicago, Illinois with the actual television camera and audio control used in that studio were on display. 

Next, I went into a recreation of Inauguration Day, January 20, 1961. That day was when Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts was inaugurated as the 35th President of the United States. It was on that day that he gave the immortal words, which have become a part of the American canon: "And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." Also on display was his family's bible, in which he swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States and to "faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States."

After viewing a large display of the presidential seal, I stepped into what looked like the interior of the White House. I had remembered the first time I had seen the corridor at age of sixteen only ten years before. I stood in awe of the regal and grand atmosphere and for a brief moment I felt as though I had actually walked from the JFK Library in Boston into the White House in Washington DC. 

There was a recreation of the briefing room, with footage of President Kennedy's press conferences.

Across from the brief room, was a section dedicated to the Peace Corp, which was a hallmark of the Kennedy Administration. 

The idea was to send citizens of the United States to Third World nations to volunteer in the struggle against poverty, illiteracy, and disease. The volunteers were to work shoulder-to-shoulder with local citizens and applied their passion and skills to a wide variety of self-help projects, such as constructing roads, developing water and sewage systems, also providing medical care, teaching basic literacy, and improving farming methods. In this way, when the volunteers would return home, their knowledge of the countries that hosted that would help promote international understanding.

From there, I went to the exhibit that highlighted President Kennedy commitment to the exploration of space through his support of National Aeronautics and Space Administration, also known as NASA.

On a framed screen in the exhibit, there was footage of President Kennedy giving a speech that he delivered on September 12, 1962, at Rice University on making his administration's priority and goal to landing a man on the moon and return him safely to the earth. 

He declared, “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win ...”

From there, I went to what is called the Ceremonial Room. 

In this exhibit were items relating to the State Dinner that President and Mrs. Kennedy hosted at The White House for President Félix Houphouët-Boigny and his wife on the evening of May 22, 1962.

Next was a recreation of the office of Attorney General, who everyone knew at the time was the President's younger brother: Robert Francis Kennedy. On top of a desk and encased in glass, were documents and personal items of Robert Kennedy, including a pair of glasses, pens and pencils, his original telephone, bookends, and drawings taped on the wall from his young children. 

Then came The Oval Office exhibit with a replica the HMS Resolute desk which President Kennedy and now used by recent presidents. 

The desk was bare of items to show what the oval office might have been like when President Kennedy gave televised addresses. 

I kept trying to imagine the president seated at the desk, looking into the camera, speaking words to either warn or inspire the country. Just behind the desk, was a large screen which periodically showed footage of civil rights demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama, the enrollment of the first black students at the University of Alabama, President Kennedy’s June 1963 address to the nation on civil rights, in which he said, "The heart of the question is whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities, whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated. If an American, because his skin is dark, cannot eat lunch in a restaurant open to the public, if he cannot send his children to the best public school available, if he cannot vote for the public officials who will represent him, if, in short, he cannot enjoy the full and free life which all of us want, then who among us would be content to have the color of his skin changed and stand in his place? Who among us would then be content with the counsels of patience and delay?"

Footage was also shown of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivering his “I Have a Dream Speech” on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.  As the footage was playing, I couldn't help but remember when I last visited the library ten years before when I attended a forum regarding "The 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom" and "A Conversation with John Lewis."

From there, I viewed an exhibit of the First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s achievements during her tenure during her husband’s presidency. 

I remembered seeing a golden Emmy statue for the television special she hosted showcasing her efforts in restoring the White House.

Seeing this made me think of what George Reedy, Special Assistant to Vice President Johnson, once said of her in an interview for the American Experience documentary called “The Kennedys,” which aired years ago on PBS, “Jackie gave it real class. Jackie was the one that redecorated the White House. Jackie was the one responsible for all the very fine entertainment. And Jack was not quite like that himself. You know, Jack, at a piano, could sing “The Wearing of the Green” as well as any Irish revolutionary you ever came across in your life, but Jackie, Jackie sort of gave the- this kind of fragile, delicate Limoges china feeling to the White House.”

From there, I saw a Kennedy Family exhibit, which touched on the Kennedy's dynamic relatives. I saw President Kennedy's golf clubs and accessories. I also saw footage of private home movies of the Kennedys spending quality time together in the autumn of 1963 after Jack and Jackie's son Patrick was born prematurely and lived for only two days.

Pierre Salinger, who served as President Kennedy's secretary, said in an interview for the PBS documentary called "Jackie: Behind the Myth," that "after that boy died, that changed the whole mentality of the time. I remember that very well. She decided, 'Well, we've just got to be together all of time.'" In that same documentary, Jackie, voiced by Diz White, is quoted to have either said or written, "I just wanted to save some normal life for Jack and the children and for me."     

I then went into another exhibit featuring highlights of Jacqueline Kennedy’s early life, as well as more of her achievements as First Lady of the United States.

Among the items shown were her baby brush, her first communion book, her report card from 1940-1941, her degree from Georgetown University, her journal of her summer in Europe with her sister Lee, and her camera from her time as journalist for Washington Times-Herald.

From there, I went into another area nearby and saw President Kennedy’s personal Dictaphone recorder, which he used to capture his thoughts about notable events and would hope to use for his memoirs.

For this exhibit, there was phone to listen to his recording that he made on November 4, 1963, regarding a coup in South Vietnam, in which he said, “Monday, November 4, 1963. Over the weekend the coup in Saigon took place... I feel that we must bear a good deal of responsibility for it, beginning with our cable … that wire was badly drafted... I should not have given my consent to it without a roundtable conference... I was shocked by the death of Diem and [his brother] Nhu. I'd met Diem ... many years ago. He was an extraordinary character. While he became increasingly difficult in the last months, nevertheless over a ten-year period he'd held his country together, maintained its independence under very adverse conditions. The way he was killed made it particularly abhorrent.”

After seeing this, I went to see another exhibit highlight President Kennedy’s trip to Europe from June 23 to July 2, 1963, featuring his's remarks at the Rudolph Wilde Platz, in Berlin and an emotional visit to his ancestral home in Ireland. 

To the left of the screen, saw the handwritten notecard in which he used phonetically to help him pronounce the foreign words, “Ich bin ein Berliner,” “civis Romanus sum,” and “Lass' sie nach Berlin kommen.” to encourage the people living in West Berlin, Germany after the Soviet had built up the Berlin Wall two years before.

After a tour of the city and his first glimpse of the Wall, JFK discarded most of his prepared speech and delivered instead a ringing message of solidarity with the people of West Berlin. Much of the speech, widely viewed to be one the best of the President's career, was composed in his head and delivered extemporaneously. President Kennedy said in his remarks at Berlin City Hall on June 26, 1963, “All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin. And, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words – ‘Ich bin ein Berliner.’"

From West Germany, the President flew to Ireland, where he was embraced like a returning son. “There he was, the vibrant leader of the anti-communists and Catholic Irish all over the world,” an Irish woman recalled, “We, the Irish, had finally taken our rightful place among the nations of the Earth.”

For four days, the President traveled the country where he was hailed, honored, and feted, immersed in the historical and literary heritage of Ireland that had helped form him. Writing to Irish President Eamon de Valera on his departure, JFK said, “I want to thank you for a visit that has been one of the most moving experiences of my life.”

I recalled seeing President Kennedy sharing words from a poem that moved him. “... Last night," he told the people of Shannon, Ireland, "I sat next to one of the most extraordinary women, the wife of your President, who knows more about Ireland and Irish history. So, I told her I was coming to Shannon, and she immediately quoted this poem, and I wrote down the words because I thought they were so beautiful..."

'Tis it is the Shannon's brightly glancing stream,

Brightly gleaming, silent in the morning beam,

Oh, the sight entrancing,

Thus returns from travels long,

Years of exile, years of pain,

To see old Shannon's face again,

O'er the waters dancing.'”

The film ended with footage President Kennedy waving goodbye to the crowd before his departure for England and his voice saying, “This is not the land of my birth, but it is the land for which I hold the greatest affection and I certainly will come back in the springtime.”

Little did he know that he would never again set foot on the soil of his ancestral homeland.

I then went into a darkened room where the words “November 22, 1963” was highlighted. 

In it were several screens showcasing the moment when Walter Cronkite, the former CBS newscaster, announce on the air that the president had died. 

I then walked through a renovated area where the legacy of President Kennedy was highlighted through videos of different speeches and remarks by President Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert F. Kennedy, Edward M. Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy and so on. 

Also on display was a piece of moon rock was brought back to earth by the Apollo 15 mission on August 7, 1971. The rock called “breccia,” weighs 160 grams and is more than 3 billion years old. It was collected by astronaut James Irwin.

Just before the entrance to the Pavilion stood a section of the Berlin Wall, which according to the website is 12 ft. height x 4 ft. width x 7 in. deep. 

I kept thinking when I had seen it of the people of Germany who had been separated from loved ones for 28 years because of this. It took the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George Herbert Walker Bush to finally remove the wall of needless separation and reunite families that had been torn apart for almost two decades. Both presidents have individual sections of the Berlin Wall housed at their own presidential libraries. If only President Kennedy had lived to see that day, I wonder what he would have thought.

I then went into the JFK Library Gift Shop Library to browse through the items there. I noted my desire to own a replica of the coconut that sat on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.

There were also some hardcover books that I noticed that I wanted to add to my own personal collection but did not have the budget or space for them.

Indeed, there were many items there that I wanted to own for myself that my limited budget would not allow me to purchase. 

I wanted to buy something in commemoration for today and after some deliberation I bought a round keychain featuring President Kennedy's face and the words "Students For Kennedy."

After purchasing it, I met up with an acquaintance that works at the JFK Library. I asked him if any cermonial events took place earlier today. He said that were was a concert that morning, but no prominent speakers. The concert took place featured the performances of Lumanyano Mzi with String Quartet, Cellist Leland Ko (a recipient of the Presidential Scholar Award at New England Conservatory for 2022-2024), and the Boston Arts Academy Spirituals Ensemble, which focuses on the music of the African diaspora, including African American spirituals. I sadly missed all of these performances, but thankfully they were recorded, and I could watch them some other time. 

I was also informed that the JFK Library would be closing at 2:30 in the afternoon so that the employees could go home early to prepare for Thanksgiving, which is to occur tomorrow. I was only fortunate to have been there for a least an hour and a half though I did not get a chance to experience the ceremonial events featured that day. Before leaving, I picked up four copies of "John Fitzgerald Kennedy: The Last Full Measure, Reprinted from March 1964." 

I picked one for myself and three to give to friends who appreciate the memory of President Kennedy. With the building closing down for the day and tomorrow, I soon left to go home to document my visit to the JFK Library and Museum for this blog entry. 

As I reflect on the day's events and find myself thinking about John F. Kennedy, I am wondering why since I never knew him, why I made the trip to Boston to remember that he lived. Throughout the past three years, in part to commemorate the 60th anniversary of his time as the thirty-fifth President of the United States, I have collected ninety-eight books about him and his illustrious family. In this year alone, have also traveled to places that were significant to him and his family for the very first time, including a recent visit to his birthplace twenty-seven days ago, which remains fresh in my mind. I still marvel that though I was born long after President Kennedy's time passed into history, his story has had an impact on me. 

Nevertheless, I wanted to share an assessment of John F. Kennedy written by what I consider to be one of America's underrated public servants - Clark Clifford, who was a major advisor to four presidents of the United States (including Kennedy). He wrote in his memoirs entitled "Counsel to the President" on page 379-380:

"How will history view the Presidency of John F. Kennedy? On one hand, he offered vast promise to a new generation of Americans. He inspired the nation with a heroic vision of the Presidency as the center of action in American life. No president during my lifetime, with the exception of Franklin Roosevelt, matched Kennedy in creating a sense that the Presidency was the center of our national life, the place from which we could solve our nation's most pressing problems.

On the other hand, in the thousand days that he was President there was not enough to fashion a full record. The substantive and legislative legacy he left behind was incomplete, and it is difficult to measure him without taking into account the achievements of his successor, especially in the domestic area, and the difficulties, especially in Vietnam.

Because in many ways the drama of his Presidency outweighed its achievements, John F. Kennedy may grow elusive to Americans as time passes. Already an entire generation has been born since that dreadful day in Dallas. As those who were alive during this Administration grow older, the memory of his charm and grace will fade, and he will slowly recede until he becomes a dim and distant figure, and finally a nearby mythical part of our collective memory, like Abraham Lincoln. People may look back and wonder what Camelot and the New Frontier were all about, and remember the Kennedy Presidency more for its awful end, or for gossip about the family, than for its record."  

Reading Secretary Clifford's assessment written in 1991 has made me ponder over President Kennedy's legacy today.  In 2011, there was a controversial television miniseries that aired on Reelz Channel called "The Kennedys," chronicling the lives of the Kennedy family. Though it is watchable, it felt too much like soap opera for my taste. In my opinion, the miniseries seems to showcase how many Americans today view them for the gossip of their private lives and for the tragedies they endured. I believe in the time since President Kennedy's death he seems that have given less respect by our culture. I don't believe his accomplishments are known to ordinary people. 

After the twenty-second of November of 1963, most people were devasted when they heard the news of the Death of the President. Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin recalled in an interview for the American Experience documentary “The Kennedys,” "I just remember feeling that sense that it was impossible that it could have happened, that somebody in the middle of the vitality of his life was struck down. It made all of us, including myself, just feel more vulnerable. You’re young, you can’t ever imagine you’re going to die and somehow, when John Kennedy died, there was that sense of the arbitrariness of fate, as if you could die, too."

Now, sixty years later, he does seem like a distant figure. I don't know many young people today who have an interest in him, except for a few I am acquainted with online through Instagram. Even so, as much as I admire President Kennedy, I think I should not put him on a pedestal and revere him with hero worship nor should I knock him down and revile him for his flaws. I cannot allow myself to love him or hate him. I need to view him for what he was, a historical figure and as a human being recognizing that he had flaws and imperfections that we all have. I don't think I should worry about his legacy as that is not my inheritance. My job as a scholar is to look at him with objectivity, impartiality, and without bias.  

Despite him being so well documented, it is hard to assess him since in my opinion he is an unfinished story. I can attempt to do so another time. However, I can say that to me he will always be a fascinating subject to learn about. Much like how others view Elvis Presley, no matter how much you learn about him, you still want to know more. I hope that if I ever write about John F. Kennedy in future book projects that I can make him more alive through my words about his time on earth and for his deeds. I hope that while I am still living to honor and respect his memory and hopefully inspire more people to want to learn about him.

Since Thanksgiving is tomorrow, I wanted to conclude this blog entry with remarks that President Kennedy gave commemorating the holiday. I found a document called "Proclamation 3505—Thanksgiving Day, 1962," which I think would be appropriate for this occasion. It reads:

"Over three centuries ago in Plymouth, on Massachusetts Bay, the Pilgrims established the custom of gathering together each year to express their gratitude to God for the preservation of their community and for the harvests their labors brought forth in the new land. Joining with their neighbors, they shared together and worshipped together in a common giving of thanks. Thanksgiving Day has ever since been part of the fabric which has united Americans with their past, with each other and with the future of all mankind.

It is fitting that we observe this year our own day of thanksgiving. It is fitting that we give our thanks for the safety of our land, for the fertility of our harvests, for the strength of our liberties, for the health of our people. We do so in no spirit of self-righteousness. We recognize that we are the beneficiaries of the toil and devotion of our fathers and that we can pass their legacy on to our children only by equal toil and equal devotion. We recognize too that we live in a world of peril and change--and in so uncertain a time we are all the more grateful for the indestructible gifts of hope and love, which sustain us in adversity and inspire us to labor unceasingly for a more perfect community within this nation and around the earth."