J.F.K. Presidential Library and Museum

Went to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum today. It's located on a peninsula called Columbia Point, which is mostly taken up by the University of Massachusetts. It's a striking location with its views of the harbor and Boston to the north. However, the building, designed by I.M. Pei, is the most breathtaking aspect of the institution. I hope my photos can give even a glimpse of his genius. For those not familiar, Pei also designed the East Wing of the National Gallery, the Jacob Javits Convention Center and, for those Dan Brown fans out there, the Louvre Pyramid.



As I mentioned in my first post, it's been a desire of mine to get to this place for a long time. I found that I had already known a great deal about the Kennedy era and its politics, which didn't surprise me. This country and, indeed, the world was thrown into a deep shock after his assassination. However, these particular facts and stories were new to me:

The death of the President was still fresh in the hearts and minds of the American public and by March of that year [1964, AFN] $4.3 million had been pledged, including 18,727 unsolicited donations from the public. Large donations came from the Hispanic world with Venezuela pledging $100,000 and Governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Muñoz Marín offering the same...Some notable donations include $900,000 handed over to the Postmaster General, John A. Gronouski on July 9, 1964. It was the sum of a campaign encompassing 102 Federal agencies. Gronouski said many of the Federal employee contributions were in the form of a $5 withholding each payday for a period of three years. The next day the Indian Ambassador to the United States, Braj Kumar Nehru presented Mr. Black with a check for $100,000 during a ceremony at the River Club. Mr. Nehru said that the Indian people were hit by a “sad blow” when the President died, and that they held him “in the highest regard, esteem and affection.” He desired for Indian students abroad in the US to utilize the library, at the time, still planned for construction at Harvard along the banks of the Charles River.

from Wikipedia
(click here to see whole entry, including references)

The picture is taken from the broadcast during which Walter Cronkite announces the president's death. That particular photo captures a momentary flash of emotion, a 'lapse' in professional journalism, but certainly a indication that even the great Cronkite was one of us, a man who is overwhelmed by sadness. Click here to see the video; Mr. Cronkite announces the death around at around 4:55 into the video)


For whatever your think of Kennedy's politics, his history and his administration, it's awe-inspiring and moving to see how this man, and especially, this country, generated such positive feelings from around the world. I left the museum with a renewed sense of similar positivity. When you're done walking around the exhibit, you exit to the glass-enclosed pavilion (pictured at the top of the post and in the photos I'm sharing with you after this entry). At the corner of this space, you'll find the Profile in Courage Award, given by the Kennedy Foundation to people who have acted based on their conscience in opposition to their own self-interest. Past winners include Senators John McCain and Russ Feingold, civil rights leader and U.S. Representative John Lewis and a joint awarding to the New York Police Department, the Fire Department of New York and all military who assisted in saving lives on September 11, 2001. What a fitting way to end...