28 August 2009, John F Kennedy Library, Boston, Massachusetts
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Vice President and all the speakers tonight for the gifts of Teddy that you have given to all of us. And thank you Vicky for loving him with all your heart for so many years, bringing him so much happiness, and to Karin, Teddy, and Patrick, Kiki, Karin, and Caroline for making him so proud, bringing him so much joy. And to Jean, I know you've lost your soulmate because you and Teddy lived each other's lives for your whole entire lives, and all your nieces and nephews are here to help you as best we can
Welcome to this library that Teddy built and brought to life with his spirit and dedication to public service. As many of you know, over the last few years, or really for most of my semi adult life, one of my part-time jobs has been introducing Teddy to crowds of people who already knew him incredibly well.
Although this process was unbelievably stressful for me, it was just another one of the gifts that he gave me. When he saw that I was nervous, he would give me a pat on the back. When he knew that I was sad, he would call up and say, 'I've got a great idea. There's a convention coming up, and maybe you'd like to introduce me?' <laugh>,
And off I would go on another adventure in public speaking, but no matter how nervous I was, I always knew that when I stepped down from the podium, I would get a big kiss and hear him whisper. 'Now I'm going to get you back,' and I can't believe that's not going to happen tonight.
The other night after Vicky called Ed and I went outside. It was a beautiful summer night. The moon had set. There was no wind. The sea was calm and the stars were out. I looked up and there was this one star hanging low in the sky that was just bigger than all the rest and brighter than all the rest, with a twinkle and a sparkle louder than all the others. I know it was Jupiter, but it was acting a lot like Teddy.
His colleagues have spoken tonight about his work, his devotion to the Senate, the joy he took in helping others, his thoughtfulness and compassion, his inspirational courage, and his commitment to the ideals of peace and justice that his brothers gave their lives for, and that he fought for his entire career. In our family we were lucky to see his passion, his self-discipline, and his generosity of heart every single day. He had a special relationship with each of his 28 nieces and nephews, and with the 60 people who called him great uncle Teddy.
He was there for every baptism, every school trip to Washington, every graduation and every wedding with his big heart, his big shoulders, and a big hug. He knew when we were having a tough time or a great time, and he would just show up and say It's time to go sailing. He convinced us that we could ace the next test, make the varsity team win the next race, whether it was sailing or politics, and it was okay if we didn't. As long as we tried our best.
He did it by letting us know that he believed in us, so we should believe in ourselves. He talked by example and with love. He showed us how to keep going no matter how hard things were, to love each other, no matter how mad we got and keep working for what we believe in.
He never told us what to do. He just did it himself, and we learned from his example. Though it was sometimes overshadowed by his other gifts, Teddy was a creative spirit. He loved painting and singing in the natural world and the sea. He was always looking for new ways to bring people together, to make a better world, to get things done, and he was always doing things that other people could have done, but he was somehow the one who did it. This is true in the Senate, as we've heard tonight, as it is in our family,.
So I thought I'd tell you a little bit about one of the less known examples. His creation of the annual family history trips. Visiting historical sites is something anyone can do, but Teddy made it into something special. He realised that a family reunion was wasted if it was just a cookout, so he made it a chance to learn and share the love of history that he got from his mother and honey Fitz.
In my childhood, these trips were relatively simple affairs. An occasional visit to the Nantucket Whaling Museum where Western Massachusetts campaign swing that included the Cranes paper factory where dollar bills were printed, and the studio where Daniel Chester French created the statue of Abraham Lincoln. And no visit to gram's house was complete without Teddy's recitation of the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. When I was young, I thought Teddy was just entertaining us, but as I grew up, I realised he was passing down his belief that each of us has a chance to change the course of history.
Teddy lived for the future. Now he loved the past, but when a new generation came along, in typical Teddy style, he decided to take it all to a new level. He wanted us all to share his love of being together, his passion for history, and to learn about the sacrifices upon which this country was built, so that we would understand our own opportunities and obligations. He took this on with enthusiasm, and his organisational magic, helped as always by the extraordinary team that are all here tonight and will be working for him forever.
Teddy illuminated the world around us and brought the past to life. The trips were open to everyone, and although there was always some pre-trip moaning and groaning among the teenagers, no one ever wanted to stay home. We visited the monuments of Washington by night and Mount Vernon by boat. We walked the Civil War battlefield of Antideum, Fredericksburg, Manassas, Harpers Ferry, and Gettysburg. In Richmond, we saw the Tredegger Iron Works and the church where Patrick Henry made his immortal speech about liberty. We went to Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Valley Forge and Constitution Hall in Philadelphia. We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and learned about the Battle of Long Island. But the culmination of this tradition was our trip to Boston. We took a ride on the old Cape Railway and learned about the building of the Cape Cod Canal. On the way to Boston, we went to Plymouth Rock.
When we got here, we visited the USS Constitution, saved by Honey Fitz. Bunker Hill, Paul Revere's house, the old North Church, the Old South meeting house, the house where grandma was born, and the spot where the Irish immigrants came ashore. We toured the Kennedy Library and had picnic at the Boston Harbour Lighthouse.
Although the rule for history trips was that they were day trips only, we all knew that to Teddy, Boston was special. He had a surprise for us, which was that we were going to get the chance to camp out on Thompson Island. He didn't tell us that for most of the year, this facility is used for juvenile detention until after we had set up our tents in the dirt. It was about 98 degrees. The bugs were out. It smelled like low tide all night long, and the planes from Logan were taking off and landing right over our heads. We figured Teddy was trying to teach us something, but after a boiling hot 16 hour history day with 20 children under 10, we weren't quite sure what it was. In any event, that was when Teddy decided that even he had had enough of history, finally, and snuck out under Cover of Darkness on his secret getaway boat, and headed for the Ritz <laugh> Once again, he had it all figured out.
Yesterday, as we drove the same route up from the Cape, I thought about all the gifts that Teddy gave us, and the incredible journey he took. I thought about how lucky I am to have travelled some of that journey with him and with all the wonderful people that he embraced, so many of whom are here tonight. I thought about how he touched so many hearts and did so many things that only he could have done. I thought too, about all the things he did that we all could do, but we just figured Teddy would do them instead.
As we drove through the Boston that he loved and saw the thousands of people who loved him back, I realised that it was our final history trip together. Now, Teddy has become a part of history, and we have become the ones who have to do all the things he would've done for us, for each other and for our country.