The Inaguration of JFK
As the 45th Inaguration of the President of the United States nears, I think back to the very first Inaguration that I ever watched: the Inaguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961. I was only eight years old at the time but I can remember many parts of it like it was yesterday. I remember that it was a cold but sunny January day. I remember Mr. Kennedy looking impossibly hansom in the low winter sunlight. I remember his hair was a bit wind blown, but it didn’t matter. I remember Jackie Kennedy looking both chic and regal in her Channel dress. I remember Robert Frost reciting parts of his poem “The Gift Outright.” But mostly, I remember Mr. Kennedy’s WORDS. Fifty six years later the following quotes are from memory:
“Let the word go forth to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans, born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace…”
“To the youth of America: ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
“The rights of our citizens come not from a generous government, but from God.”
“We will pay any price, bear any burden, support any friend, appose any foe, to ensure the survival of liberty.”
Fifty six years later, those words still live in my heart. It is my fervent wish that Mr. Trump will leave us with words as meaningful and beautiful as those Mr. Kennedy uttered all those years ago.