Ted Kennedy Final Arrangements Contributions Memories And Tributes
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Statement from the Kennedy Family
“Edward M. Kennedy – the husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle we loved so deeply – died late Tuesday night at home in Hyannis Port. We’ve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever. We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all. He loved this country and devoted his life to serving it. He always believed that our best days were still ahead, but it’s hard to imagine any of them without him.”
“I grew up in a large Irish Catholic family as the youngest of nine children. By their words, their actions, and their love, our parents instilled in all of us the importance of the ties that bind us together – our faith, our family, and our love of this great country.”
Edward M. Kennedy was the third longest-serving member of the United States Senate in American history. Voters of Massachusetts elected him to the Senate nine times—a record matched by only one other Senator.
The scholar Thomas Mann said his time in the Senate was “an amazing and endurable presence. You want to go back to the 19th century to find parallels, but you won’t find parallels.”
President Obama has described his breathtaking span of accomplishment: “For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health, and economic well being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts.”
He fought for and won so many great battles—on voting rights, education, immigration reform, the minimum wage, national service, the nation’s first major legislation to combat AIDS, and equality for minorities, women, the disabled and gay Americans.
He called health care “the cause of my life,” and succeeded in bringing quality and affordable health care for countless Americans, including children, seniors and Americans with disabilities. Until the end he was working tirelessly to achieve historic national health reform. He was an opponent of the Vietnam War and an early champion of the war’s refugees. He was a powerful yet lonely voice from the beginning against the invasion of Iraq. He stood for human rights abroad—from Chile to the former Soviet Union – and was a leader in the cause of poverty relief for the poorest nations of Africa and the world. He believed in a strong national defense and he also unceasingly pursued and advanced the work of nuclear arms control.
He was the conscience of his party, and also the Senate’s greatest master of forging compromise with the other party. Known as the “Lion of the Senate,” Senator Kennedy was widely respected on both sides of the aisle for his commitment to progress and his ability to legislate.
Senator Kennedy was Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Previously he was Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and served on that committee for many years. He also served on the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Congressional Joint Economic Committee. He was a leader of the Congressional Friends of Ireland and helped lead the way toward peace on that island.
He was a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Virginia Law School. He lived in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, with his wife Vicki. He is survived by her and their five children Kara, Edward Jr., and Patrick Kennedy, and Curran and Caroline Raclin, and his sister Jean Kennedy Smith.
"Every American should have the opportunity to receive a quality education, a job that respects their dignity and protects their safety, and health care that does not condemn those whose health is impaired to a lifetime of poverty and lost opportunity."
Supporting the Troops and Defending the Nation
As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Seapower, Senator Kennedy fought tirelessly for the men and women of our armed services and their families.
Ensuring Disabled Americans Can Live Productive Lives
A sponsor of landmark legislation including the Civil Rights Commission Act Amendments and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Senator Kennedy worked his entire career to secure a higher quality of life for men and women with disabilities.
Ensuring High Quality Education for All
Making sure everyone had access to a high-quality education – particularly the most disadvantaged – was a major legislative priority for Senator Kennedy throughout his career in the United States Senate.
Protecting the Environment and Promoting Energy Efficiency
Senator Kennedy had a long and distinguished record as a supporter of clean, renewable sources of energy who sought to reduce the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels.
Providing a Leading Voice for Human Rights and Democracy around the Globe
During his career in the United States Senate, Senator Kennedy was a leading voice for human rights, social justice and democracy throughout the world.
Fighting for Quality, Affordable Health Care
Throughout his Senate career -- and especially during his service as Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee -- Senator Kennedy championed the cause of quality, affordable health care for all Americans.
Championing Civil Rights & Promoting Fairness and Equal Opportunities for All
Senator Kennedy believed that civil rights remain America’s great unfinished business, and he had a major role in every civil rights battle in Congress for the past half century.
Fighting for Workers’ Rights and a Fair Minimum Wage
Senator Kennedy spent his career standing up for the rights of workers, the backbone of America's economy, battling for workplace safety, mine safety, fair wages, the right to organize and more.
ARRANGEMENTS
Published Wednesday, August 26th at 11:30 p.m. Details about press pools are available here.
Click here for press color and guidance on these events, updated in real-time. Or follow our Twitter account, @kennedynews
Thursday, August 27th, 2009
Departure to Boston
12:00 p.m. - Private family Mass will take place in the Senator’s home in Hyannis Port.
This event is closed to the public and press.
1:00 p.m. - Senator Kennedy and his family will depart Hyannis Port by motorcade en route to Boston.
This event is pool press and closed to the public.
Motorcade Route To Boston
A map is attached. http://tedkennedy.org/page/-/legacy/route11x17.pdf
Senator Kennedy will travel Route 3 North to Route 93 North into Boston. (Approximately 3:00 PM)
Senator Kennedy will exit at Government Center, and travel down Hanover Street into the North End, past St. Stephen’s Church, where his mother Rose was baptized and her funeral mass celebrated.
Continuing down Hanover and crossing over the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, the park Senator Kennedy joined community leaders in creating that gives mothers and their children green space in the heart of the city. The park sits on the same land young Rose Fitzgerald enjoyed as a child.
Senator Kennedy will pass Faneuil Hall where Mayor Menino will ring the bell 47 times.
Continuing to Bowdoin Street, Senator Kennedy will pass 122 Bowdoin, where he opened his first office as an Assistant District Attorney and President Kennedy lived while running for Congress in 1946.
He’ll pass the JFK Federal Building where his Boston office has stood for decades, and and then travel to Dorchester Street into South Boston and to the JFK Presidential Library.
People who wish to honor Senator Kennedy are urged to line the motorcade route at the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, City Hall Plaza and the Boston Common, in front of the Statehouse on Park Street
Arrival at John F. Kennedy Library and Museum
Approx. 4 p.m. - The motorcade will arrive at the JFK Library.
The arrival is open to the press and to the public.
Guidance note: Senator Kennedy spent decades building the Library built for his beloved brother, President John Kennedy, into a national treasure as a place of debate on the issues important to the American people, and source of inspiration for future generations of public servants.
Lie in Repose at John F. Kennedy Library and Museum
6 p.m.-11 p.m. - The Senator will lie in repose at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.
The Senator will be joined throughout the day and night by a civilian honor guard of family, friends, and current and former staff.
He will also be joined by a military honor guard.
This is event is pool press and open to the public.
Friday, August 28th, 2009
Lie in Repose at John F. Kennedy Library and Museum
8 a.m.-3 p.m. - Senator Kennedy will lie in repose at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.
This event is pool press and open to the public.
Celebration of Life Memorial Service
7 p.m.-9 p.m. - There will be a Celebration of Life Memorial Service at the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Presidential Library.
This event is closed to the public and press will be pooled.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Funeral Mass
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. - Senator Kennedy’s funeral mass will take place at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica in Boston, Massachusetts.
1545 Tremont Street
This event is closed to the public and press will be pooled.
Guidance Note: While his daughter, Kara, was battling lung cancer at a nearby Boston hospital, Senator Kennedy attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help each day and prayed for Kara and her recovery. Over time, the Basilica took on special meaning for him as a place of hope and optimism.
Arlington National Cemetery
5:30 p.m. - A burial service for Senator Kennedy will be held at Arlington National Cemetery.
It is closed to the public and pooled press.
Guidance Note: Senator Kennedy will be laid to rest next to President Kennedy and Senator Robert Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery. The nation’s resting place for its heroes, Senator Kennedy spent more days than most at Arlington visiting the graves of his beloved brothers and paying tribute to the fallen men and women of Massachusetts who gave their lives for our country.
"For all my years in public life, I have believed that America must sail toward the shores of liberty and justice for all. There is no end to that journey, only the next great voyage. We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make."
HISTORIC MOMENTS
The Beginning of a Lifetime of Service
March 14, 1962 | Boston, Massachusetts
1962 Senate Candidacy Announcement
Senator Kennedy’s parents taught he and his brothers and sisters an important lesson early in life: much is expected of those to whom much has been given. In March of 1962, Senator Kennedy entered the United States Senate, filling the seat of his brother President Kennedy. Senator Kennedy went on to serving 47 years in the Senate, making him the third longest serving Senator of all time.
April 8, 1964 | Floor of the United States Senate
Standing Up for Equality and Staring Down Discrimination
On April, 9, 1964, barely four months after the assassination of his brother, President John F. Kennedy, Senator Kennedy took to the Senate floor and gave his maiden speech on the floor of the United States Senate. He chose as his topic the paramount domestic issue of the day, and urged support of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination in employment, education and public accommodations. Senator Kennedy tirelessly fought throughout his career to end discrimination and ensure justice, fairness and equal opportunity for all.
June 8, 1968 | St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, N.Y.
Senator Kennedy’s Tribute to Robert F. Kennedy
On June 8, 1968 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, Senator Kennedy eulogized his brother Robert “as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it.”
http://tedkennedy.org/ownwords/event/eulogy
http://tedkennedy.org/page/-/legacy/audio/speech-1968-rfk-eulogy.mp3
http://tedkennedy.org/page/-/legacy/pdf/kennedy-speech-1968-rfk-eulogy.pdf
| Ted’s Eulogy For Bobby: A Moment Of Greatness
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May 20, 1969
Calling for an End to Military Operations in Vietnam
At the height of our nation’s involvement in the war in Vietnam, Senator Kennedy called on President Nixon to begin an immediate drawdown of our forces in that region. In his speech, Senator Kennedy argues that “American boys are too valuable to be sacrificed for a false sense of military pride.”
Liberty Baptist College Speech
October 3, 1969 | Liberty College, Lynchburg, Virginia
A Call for Tolerance in Religious and Political Beliefs
At a time in which the religious right gained prominence in American politics, Senator Kennedy spoke to the student body of Liberty Baptist College as a guest of the Rev. Jerry Falwell and called for an end to religious intolerance in American political debate.
Lowering the National Voting Age to 18
March 9, 1970 | Senate Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments
Voting Age to 18 Testimony Before the Senate Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments
With the voting age at that time set at 21 years of age, Senator Kennedy argued that it was wrong that young Americans could be drafted to serve in Vietnam, but could not vote. Sensing an overwhelming amount of support in Congress for giving 18 year-olds the right to vote in federal, state and local elections, Senator Kennedy took the battle to the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments. With his support it passed and millions of young people have been able to take part our nation’s political process as a result.
December 9, 1978 | Memphis, Tennessee
Health Care for All. A Right Not a Privilege.
When cancer affected his son Teddy at an early age, Senator Kennedy made it the cause of his career to ensure that all Americans have access to high quality, affordable health care.
1980 Democratic National Convention
August 12, 1980 | Democratic National Convention, New York City
And the Dream Shall Never Die
Senator Kennedy addressed the Democratic National Convention in New York City in 1980 after a heated primary campaign. During his dramatic speech he called for a renewed commitment to social and economic justice for all.
Ending the Cold War with a Nuclear Freeze
June 4, 1983 | Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
“Star Wars Speech.” EMK Address at the Brown University Commencement Forum.
As the world was bearing witness to a dangerous and escalating nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union that threatened to end civilization as we knew it, Senator Kennedy challenged President Reagan policies and declared that the “best defense against nuclear war is arms control and then disarmament.”
Ending Segregation and Discrimination Against Disabled Americans
September 7, 1989
Floor Statement Praising the Passage of the ADA
Senator Kennedy was a chief sponsor, together with Senator Tom Harkin, of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which ensures that millions of disabled Americans are able to live productive lives free from discrimination in public accommodations and employment. The ADA requires that public facilities accommodate the needs of disabled Americans, and that employers make reasonable accommodations for disabled workers.
January 9, 1998 | University of Ulster, Derry, Northern Ireland
Peace for the People of Northern Ireland
In January of 1998, Senator Kennedy visited Northern Ireland to meet with its opposing political parties and to address its people about the need for peace. This speech at the University of Ulster and the inclusive peace talks that accompanied it led to the Good Friday Peace Agreement and the most promising opportunity for lasting peace in the three-decade old conflict in Northern Ireland.
Speech Against the Invasion of Iraq
September 27, 2002 | Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
Iraq: A War of Choice
In September 2002, as the Bush Administration was preparing to go to war in Iraq without the support of the international community, Senator Kennedy, in a historic speech at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, was the first to argue that Iraq did not pose the type of threat that justified immediate, pre-emptive war. When no one else would, Senator Kennedy argued that America should not rush to war and that we should get UN inspectors back into Iraq without conditions.
Senator Kennedy Rallies for Immigration
April 10, 2006 | National Mall, Washington, D.C.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy Rallies for Immigration
In 2006, Senator Kennedy introduced a bill with Senator John McCain to reform the nation’s immigration laws and to bring fairness and justice to immigrant families. In the midst of great political opposition to the bill, Senator Kennedy was one of few national political leaders to join immigrants in their rallies around the country. Over 200,000 people joined Senator Kennedy to fight for fair immigration reform.
September 25, 2007 | Standing Against Hate
Senator Kennedy on the Matthew Shepard Act
Facing a veto threat from the President of the United States and an uncertain vote in the U.S. Senate, Senator Kennedy fought to pass the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Eventually signed into law in a later Congress, this legislation broadens existing law to prohibit hate crimes against women, gays, lesbians, and transgender persons; and gives prosecutors enhanced ability to charge and penalize those who commit hate crimes.
Senator Kennedy’s Obama Endorsement Speech
January 28, 2008 | American University, Washington, D.C.
Passing the Torch to a New Generation
On January 28, 2008 Senator Kennedy endorsed Barack Obama for President at American University. Embracing Senator Obama’s message of hope and change, Senator Kennedy stood with his niece Caroline and passed the torch to a new generation of Americans.
2008 Democratic National Convention
August 25, 2008 | Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
And the Dream Lives On
In a surprise appearance at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Senator Kennedy spoke about new leadership and the hope for a “better country and a newer world.”
April 21, 2009 | SEED School, Washington, D.C.
Remarks of Senator Edward M. Kennedy at the Signing of the Serve America Act
In 2008, Senator Kennedy and Senator Hatch introduced the Serve America Act to expand and improve national service opportunities for Americans at all stages of life. The Serve America Act uses service to meet specific national challenges – from tackling the dropout crisis and safeguarding the environment to improving health care in low-income communities and expanding economic opportunities for low-income individuals. In a fitting tribute, Kennedy’s colleagues renamed the legislation, “The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.” Kennedy, battling brain cancer, attended and delivered remarks at the bill signing with President Obama.
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Integrity Is The Lifeblood Of Democracy. Deceit Is A Poison In Its Veins.
-Edward Kennedy-
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