LEGACY JOHN F. KENNEDY
LIBRARY FOUNDATION
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Summer | 2013
Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords Honored with JFK Profile in Courage Award “I believe we all have courage inside. I wish there was more courage in Congress. Sometimes it’s hard to express it. I know. It’s been a hard two years for me. But I want to make the world a better place more than ever.”
– Gabrielle Giffords
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Caroline Kennedy honors Gabrielle Giffords with the 2013 Profile in Courage Award.
On January 8, 2011, Giffords and eighteen others were shot during a constituent meeting she was holding in a supermarket parking lot in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in the Tucson metropolitan area. Six people died, including Arizona District Court Chief Judge John Roll; Gabe Zimmerman, one of Rep. Giffords’ staffers; and a nine-year-old girl, Christina Taylor-Green. Giffords was holding the meeting, called “Congress on Your Corner” in the parking lot of a P12 s
ormer Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was presented with the 2013 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award™ by Caroline Kennedy on May 5, 2013, in recognition of the political, personal, and physical courage she has demonstrated in her fearless public advocacy for policy reforms aimed at reducing gun violence. “Gabrielle Giffords has turned a personal nightmare into a movement for political change,” said Caroline Kennedy, president of the Kennedy Library Foundation. “After an assassination attempt ended her Congressional career and left her with grave injuries, she fearlessly returned to public life as an advocate for new legislation to prevent gun violence. When others would have withdrawn from public life, she has challenged us all to reengage in the political process. When others would have given up hope, Gabby has been unwavering in her belief that politics can solve problems. When others would have looked for excuses, Gabby has inspired action.” “I believe we all have courage inside,” said Giffords. “I wish there was more courage in Congress. Sometimes it’s hard to express it. I know. It’s been a hard two years for me. But I want to make the world a better place more than ever.” Gabrielle Giffords was elected to Arizona’s 8th Congressional District seat in 2006, after more than five years of service in the Arizona House of Representatives and State Senate. In Congress, she quickly became a leading policymaker on border security, energy independence, and support for military families and veterans. In 2010, she was the target of death threats and her office was vandalized following her vote in favor of health care reform.
What’s Inside New Frontier Award
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25th Annual May Dinner
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Civil Rights Microsite
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ON A BEAUTIFUL AUTUMN SATURDAY at the end of October 1963, President Kennedy flew to Amherst College in Massachusetts to take part in a ceremony in honor of the poet Robert Frost. In his moving tribute to Frost and to the power of art in the world, President Kennedy observed that “A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers.” While I have many favorite lines by President Kennedy, this one has always stood out because it speaks to what we do at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library every day: honor a man whose ideas sparked an era of progress and innovation, and whose legacy continues to inspire new generations. In flipping through the summer edition of Legacy, featuring articles on the Profile in Courage Award, the New Frontier Awards, the PEN/Hemingway Award, and the Make a Difference Awards, I found myself thinking back to the Amherst speech, and this line in particular. If a nation—or in our case, an institution—is a reflection of the people it honors, what a privilege it is to see the courage of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords; the idealism of Georgia State Representative Stacey Abrams and humanitarian Veronika Scott; the creative gift of novelist and Iraq War veteran Kevin Powers; and the promise of more than 100 middle school students who each have answered President Kennedy’s call to service, in our metaphorical mirror. Above all, in honoring these people—the politician, the activist, the artist, and our youth— we honor the best in President Kennedy and his vision for our future. And I hope that each of you—the Library’s devoted community of supporters—feels a true sense of pride when you read about these programs, and others. Simply put, they would not exist without your generosity and the donations of thousands of individuals, companies, and organizations each year. I also encourage you to continue to take advantage of the opportunities that are available to participate
TOM FITZSIMMONS
An Idea Lives On
Congressman Joe Kennedy III with Executive Director Tom McNaught at the 2013 Profile in Courage award ceremony.
in our programming, both in person and virtually. From Twitter submissions of Profile in Courage Award nominations, to live webcasts of Kennedy Library Forums; events hosted by our New Frontier Network for young professionals; and new online resources documenting our country’s struggle for equal rights and social justice, there are more ways than ever to connect with President Kennedy’s legacy. President Kennedy’s speech at Amherst was given just a month before his tragic death on November 22, 1963. As the world marks the 50th anniversary of that defining moment in history this November, the Kennedy Library will once again turn to the words of President Kennedy. Guided by his poignant message, “A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on,” we will celebrate the timeless ideas that President Kennedy championed and his vibrant presence in our world today. We look forward to you joining us as we remember our nation’s 35th president, and thank you, as always, for your support.
Tom McNaught Executive Director John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
Attorney General Eric Holder Calls for Voting Reforms
TOM FITZSIMMONS
Attorney General Eric Holder delivers address on voter rights at the JFK Library.
TOM FITZSIMMONS
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n a major policy address on voting rights delivered at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library on December 11, 2012, United States Attorney General Eric Holder reflected on the country’s progress to ensure equal protection for all under the law and the challenges still facing our nation today. Holder’s address, and the subsequent discussion with NPR Legal Affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg, was part of the JFK Library’s programming marking the 50th anniversary of several key milestones in the Civil Rights Movement that took place during the Kennedy administration. Holder began his address by invoking President Kennedy and acknowledging the landmark reforms that the President achieved and initiated: “From the Equal Pay Act of 1963, to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965—these measures have helped to secure a brighter, more inclusive future for the country that President Kennedy loved.” The Attorney General went on to propose using advanced voter technology to help alleviate many widespread voting problems, criticizing the country’s “antiquated registration system,” and calling it the “single largest barrier” to American voters. Holder suggested an updated voter registration system that would rely on government databases to coordinate among states allowing voters to remain registered to vote even when they move. In their discussion, Totenburg asked the Attorney General his thoughts on Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which requires states with a history of voter suppression to first go through the Justice Department before making changes to their voting
Attorney General Eric Holder and Nina Totenberg discuss the history of the Civil Rights Movement.
procedures. With the legislation challenged before the Supreme Court this year, Holder argued that the Voting Rights Act is very much still needed, citing problems the Justice Department has encountered with voter ID laws in Texas and South Carolina, along with the more widespread voter suppression efforts seen elsewhere in the country. Holder affirmed President Obama’s stance on the issue, who said on election night that “we need to fix” long lines at the polls, which occurred predominantly in Democratic-leaning, minority neighborhoods. “We must acknowledge that giving our fellow citizens access to the voting booth for longer hours and over additional days will enable more of them to cast their ballots without unduly interfering with the work or family obligations that so many have,” Holder said. Holder is the nation’s first African American attorney general. He is married to Dr. Sharon Malone, whose sister, Vivian Malone Jones, was famous for her role as one of the first two African Americans to enroll in the University of Alabama, a landmark in the struggle for civil rights during the Kennedy presidency.
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To the Brink Exhibit Opens with Fanfare
Reception Partners: This exhibit is made possible with the generous support of:
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ore than three hundred friends and supporters of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Foundation gathered on April 10, 2013, to celebrate the arrival of the Library’s new special exhibit, To the Brink: JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis, chronicling the thirteen days in October 1962 that brought the world to the edge of thermonuclear war. The riveting new exhibit depicts President Kennedy and his advisers in the throes of deliberation as the United States and the former Soviet Union stood on the Executives from exhibit sponsor AT&T with Kennedy Library Director Tom Putnam and Kennedy brink of a nuclear standoff. Library Foundation Executive Director Tom McNaught. (L-R) Kate Mackinnon, Brooke Thomson, Patricia Jacobs, Chris Nurse, Tom Putnam, Tom McNaught, Bill Leahy, Will Keyser. It is the first special traveling exhibit to be featured in the Kennedy Library’s new 3,000-square-foot gallery since the new wing was completed in 2011. Guests at the reception were treated to a special preview of the exhibit, which centers around six interactive listening stations that allow visitors to listen in on President Kennedy’s top-secret meetings with the Executive Committee of the National Security Council as they worked furiously to avert a nuclear catastrophe. Original documents, artifacts, and photographs from the Kennedy Library and the National Archives complement the tapes in a dramatic presentation that draws the visitor into this milestone 20th-century event. The reception featured red carpet photographs, specialty cocktails including the “Duck and Cover” and “Bomb Shelter,” and footage from 1950s public service announcements instructing American citizens how to protect Reception guests watch the opening film of the To the Brink exhibit. themselves in the event of a nuclear blast. Apple iPads were also available for guests to explore the companion exhibit To the Brink at the JFK Library opened to the public on app created by sponsor AT&T. The app is available for April 12, 2013, and runs through December 1, 2013. It is free download in the Apple Store and at www.jfkcmc.org, made possible in part by the Foundation for the National where Android phone and tablet users can also experience Archives, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, and the exhibit. the generous support of Lead Sponsor AT&T with special Created jointly by the Kennedy Presidential Library recognition to the Lawrence F. O’Brien Family. Reception and the National Archives and Records Administration, partners were Gourmet Caterers, CCR Solutions, and To the Brink premiered at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. last fall. Peterson Party Center.
Caroline Kennedy Honors Recipients of the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award
first African American to lead in the Georgia House of Representatives. First elected in 2006, Abrams has made a mark as a thoughtful, open-minded legislator and a master of detail in the formulation of public policy. In 2010, Georgia House Democrats elected Abrams to lead their caucus. Abrams quickly earned a reputation—and respect—on both sides of the aisle for working across party lines on important legislation. She faced some resistance among Democratic caucus members for her policy of engagement with the Republican majority. However, her approach allowed her to “put her stamp on proposals that could easily have become law without any input from the minority party,” as longtime Atlanta Journal-Constitution political columnist Jim Galloway wrote. In one instance, amid debate over funding reductions for a landmark statewide scholarship program, Abrams negotiated the restoration of a full-day pre-kindergarten program that had been a target for cuts. In January 2012, Governing magazine named Abrams one of 12 state legislators to watch. P6
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Stacey Abrams, 38, is the first woman to lead either party in the Georgia General Assembly, and the
Caroline Kennedy (center) with 2012 New Frontier Award recipients Stacey Abrams and Veronika Scott.
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STACEY ABRAMS HOUSE MINORITY LEADER, GEORGIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY FENN AWARD RECIPIENT
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aroline Kennedy presented the ninth annual John F. Kennedy New Frontier AwardsTM on November 19, 2012, to Stacey Abrams, Georgia House Minority Leader and the first woman to lead either party in the Georgia General Assembly, and Veronika Scott, founder of The Empowerment Plan, an innovative humanitarian project that is creating a new garment industry in Detroit by hiring the city’s homeless women. “Stacey Abrams reminds us that good relationships make for good politics, and that compromise is often the most direct path to progress,” said Caroline Kennedy, President of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and Chair of the Senior Advisory Committee for Harvard’s Institute of Politics. “Veronika Scott turned a class project into an engine of opportunity and hope for the citizens of Detroit. They both are inspiring examples of my father’s belief that every person can make a difference.” The John F. Kennedy New Frontier Awards were created by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and Harvard’s Institute of Politics to honor Americans under the age of 40 who are changing their communities and the country with their commitment to public service. The awards are presented annually to two exceptional individuals whose contributions in elective office, community service, or advocacy demonstrate the impact and the value of public service in the spirit of John F. Kennedy. One of the New Frontier Awards honors an elected official whose work demonstrates the importance of elective service as a way to address a public challenge or challenges. This award, called the Fenn Award, is presented to a young elected official in honor of Dan Fenn, the Kennedy Library’s first director and a former member of President Kennedy’s staff. The other New Frontier Award honors an individual whose contributions in the realm of community service, advocacy, or grassroots activism have had a positive impact on a broad public policy issue or challenge.
New Frontier Award recipient Georgia State Representative Stacey Abrams.
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New Frontier Award Recipients Honored
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Two years ago, Veronika Scott, then an industrial design major at Detroit’s College for Creative Studies, began working on a class assignment: “Design to fill a need.” She spent months at a community shelter, learning about the needs of the homeless men and women she met. In particular, she was struck by the needs of those who preferred sleeping on the street to sleeping in the shelter, whether for reasons of privacy, or pride, or drug addiction, or mental illness. For her class project, Scott designed a winter coat that converted into a sleeping bag. In less than two years, she has transformed her project into a non-profit enterprise that stands to make a difference in the lives of thousands. In a previously abandoned warehouse, and using donated materials and equipment from General Motors and Carhartt, Scott is now employing homeless women to make self-heated, waterproof, convertible coats for Detroit’s homeless population. By the end of 2012, working entirely from donations, the women Veronika Scott hired had sewn and shipped 800 coats. Scott hopes to make 2,000 coats in 2013.
TOM FITZSIMMONS
VERONIKA SCOTT FOUNDER, THE EMPOWERMENT PLAN
New Frontier Award recipient Veronika Scott.
With support from:
Elaine de Kooning’s Portrait of President Kennedy Now on Display THE MUSEUM has opened a new display featuring a life-size portrait of President Kennedy by abstract expressionist Elaine de Kooning. De Kooning was commissioned to create the portrait in the fall of 1962 for the Harry S. Truman TOM FITZSIMMONS
Library in Independence, Missouri. On December 28, 1962, de Kooning arrived at the Kennedy family home in Palm Beach to sketch the President. She was known to work quickly, a clear advantage in coordinating with the President’s busy schedule. Although she carried in her mind’s eye a cumulative image of JFK that she had seen in photographs and news accounts, she was taken by surprise when she caught
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Elaine de Kooning exhibit in the Museum at the JFK Library.
recognize him. He was not the grey,
immersed herself in the project over
sculptural newspaper image. He was
the next 11 months, creating hundreds
incandescent, golden and bigger than
of drawings and some two dozen paint-
life. Not that was he was taller than the
ings as she tried to capture the image
men standing around; he just seemed
of the man she saw. Paintings from this
to be in a different dimension.”
series are also currently in the collection
her first glimpse of him that morning,
After several days of sketching
saying, “For one second, I didn’t
President Kennedy, de Kooning
of the National Portrait Gallery and the Truman Presidential Library.
Young Supporters Gather for Special Programming at Library
Digital Archives a Hit on Pinterest
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Presidential Library launched its first Pinterest pinboard, adding to the Library’s growing collection of social media platforms. Pinterest is a photosharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, and hobbies. Users can browse other pinboards for images, “re-pin” images to their own pinboards, or “like” photos. The JFK Library’s digital archives, an online collection of thousands of presidential documents, photographs, and audiovisual recordings, have become a rich treasure trove of content on Pinterest. Users are eager to pin images of President Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy, and documents and artifacts from the Kennedy administration. You can view the Kennedy Library pinboards, featuring themes such as “The Wedding of JFK and Jacqueline Kennedy,” “The First Family,” “JFK: Before the White House,” and “The Dresses of First Lady
JOHN F. KENNEDY LIBRARY FOUNDATION
TOM FITZSIMMONS
embers of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation’s New Frontier Network, a group of young leaders and supporters committed to advancing President Kennedy’s ideals of public service and civic engagement, enjoy unique opportunities to engage with the JFK Library. On March 6, 2013, New CNN Political Correspondent John King mingles with Frontier Network co-chair New Frontier Network guests at a private reception. Steve Kerrigan hosted a reception for members with CNN Political Correspondent John King following a Kennedy Library Forum with the journalist. Originally hailing from Dorchester, King reflected on his Boston upbringing and spoke with members on the need for new generations to engage in politics. The group spent the reception asking King questions about the state of the media, politics, and our nation. This past November, members of the New Frontier Network joined the Library’s curatorial staff to celebrate the arrival of two special exhibits, Alan Shepard’s Freedom 7 Space Capsule and the loan of Pablo Picasso’s Rape of the Sabine Women, at an evening of “Spotlight Gallery Talks.” This after-hours tour gave members an intimate look at these fascinating displays. After the tour, guests enjoyed a cocktail reception in the Kennedy Library’s Mural Room. Led by Honorary Chair Conan O’Brien, members of the New Frontier Network provide a vital source of energy, leadership, and critical funds to the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, all while participating in dynamic programming and activities. For more information about joining the New Frontier Network, contact Sara Kanawati at
[email protected] or call (617) 514-1673.
This past year, the John F. Kennedy
This Oleg Cassini dress worn by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy is featured on the Library’s First Lady fashion pinboard.
Jacqueline Kennedy”
TOM FITZSIMMONS
at www.pinterest.com/ Museum Specialist Heather Joines discusses Picasso’s Rape of the Sabine Women with members of the New Frontier Network.
JFKLibrary.
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JFK50: Justice for All Event Touts Importance of Diversity in Workplace
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Caroline Kennedy speaks with a student at the Museum of Tolerance.
students in the history of the Kennedy administration and the Civil Rights Movement. “Fifty years ago, the struggle for civil rights defined my father’s presidency,” Caroline Kennedy said. “Today it remains the unfinished business of our society. Through programs such as these we hope to motivate new generations to focus on the continuing challenges we face to keep America true to its ideals.” Following the enormous success of the JFK50: Justice for All forums held in New York City and Los Angeles, the Foundation will partner again with Bingham McCutchen to present a final forum on “Leading with Diversity in a Global Economy” to take place on September 10, 2013 at the San Francisco Jazz Center in San Francisco, California. The panelists who have been invited and accepted to date are William Swanson, chairman & CEO of Raytheon, Thurgood Marshall Jr., and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
ALL PHOTOGRAPHS BY BART BARTHOLOMEW.
he John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and global law firm Bingham McCutchen LLP joined together at the acclaimed Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, California on November 15, 2012, to host a panel discussion, “Leading with Diversity in a Global Economy.” The event was the second in the JFK50: Justice for All series of forums underscoring the importance of diversity in the workplace. Eleanor Clift, noted journalist and author, moderated the evening’s panel discussion. The distinguished panel included Dr. Wanda M. Austin, president and CEO of Aerospace Corporation; Kamala Devi Harris, attorney general of California; Thurgood Marshall Jr., Bingham partner; Hilda L. Solis, U.S. Secretary of Labor; William H. Swanson, chairman and CEO of Raytheon Company; and Antonio R. Villaraigosa, mayor of Los Angeles. “Global business leaders are increasingly committing themselves and their organizations to the ongoing issues of diversity in the workplace, including the demand for talent and the challenges of leading across cultures in a global economy,” said Jay Zimmerman, chairman of Bingham McCutchen. “Civic, government, and business leaders see the value of diversity through different but equally important lenses. This program’s goal, through its diverse panel, is to awaken new ways of approaching one of the greatest challenges our country and the world economy continues to face.” In addition to the forum, Bingham and the Kennedy Library Foundation presented a morning event with Los Angeles–area high school students at the Museum of Tolerance. Caroline Kennedy, Thurgood Marshall Jr., and civil rights activist Sylvia Mendez led a tour of the museum for one hundred students who participated in a learning program that immersed
Bingham McCutchen Chairman Jay Zimmerman introduces the panel at JFK50: Justice for All. 8
The panel at JFK50: Justice for All (L-R): Dr. Wanda Austin, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, California Attorney General Kamala Devi Harris, William Swanson, Secretary Hilda Solis, and Thurgood Marshall Jr.
Iraq War Veteran Kevin Powers Honored with PEN/Hemingway Award
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atrick Hemingway, the son of Nobel Prize-winning writer Ernest Hemingway, presented the 2013 PEN/Hemingway Award to Kevin Powers, author of the critically acclaimed The Yellow Birds (Little Brown), during a March 24, 2013, ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. “The Yellow Birds is written with an intensity which is deeply compelling; every moment, every memory, every object, every move, are conjured up with a fierce and exact concentration and sense of truth,” said novelist Colm Tóibín, who delivered the keynote address at the ceremony. “The music of his prose has an exquisite mixture of control and then release which mirrors the action of the book, and the psychological and physical pressures under which the characters are placed.”
“…every moment, every memory, every object, every move, are conjured up with a fierce and exact concentration and sense of truth …” – Colm Tóibín
TOM FITZSIMMONS
Born and raised in Richmond, VA, Powers served with the U.S. Army in Mosul and Tal Afar, Iraq in 2004 and 2005 where he worked with bomb disposal squads and as a machine gunner. He studied English at Virginia Commonwealth University after his honorable discharge and received an M.F.A. in poetry from the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin in 2012. The Yellow Birds, called one of the most notable works of fiction in 2012, examines the bond between two privates, and the traumas the two men suffer in battle.
Colm Tóibín delivers the keynote address at the ceremony.
2013 PEN/Hemingway Award winner Kevin Powers with Patrick Hemingway.
Powers received a $10,000 prize from the Hemingway Foundation and PEN New England, as well as a residency in The Distinguished Visiting Writers Series at the University of Idaho’s MFA Program in Creative Writing. The PEN/Hemingway Award is given annually to a novel or book of short stories by an American author who has not previously published a book of fiction. Past recipients include Ha Jin, Edward P. Jones, and Jhumpa Lahiri. The judges for the PEN/Hemingway Award this year were acclaimed writers Oscar Hijuelos, Amy Bloom, and Craig Nova. The Ernest Hemingway Collection at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library spans Hemingway’s entire career, and contains ninety percent of existing Hemingway manuscript materials, making the Kennedy Library the world’s principal center for research on the life and work of Ernest Hemingway. The PEN/Hemingway Award presentation is sponsored by the Kennedy Library Foundation, the Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, PEN New England, Cerulli Associates, the Friends of the Ernest Hemingway Collection, the Ernest Hemingway Foundation/ Society, and the Ucross Foundation.
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Record-breaking $2.5M Raised for 25th Annual May Dinner
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n May 5, 2013, Kennedy Library Foundation Board Members Gerard F. Doherty and Ronald L. Sargent, CEO of Staples, co-chaired the most successful May Dinner ever—raising over $2.5 million in unrestricted support for the Kennedy Library’s education and public programs. Hosts Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg were joined by five hundred guests in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum’s Stephen Smith Center. The May Dinner is the Foundation’s annual gala that celebrates the life and legacy of President Kennedy, honors the Profile in Courage Award recipient, and raises critical funds to support the Kennedy Library. A highlight of the evening was remarks made by Profile in Courage Award honoree Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly. Introducing Giffords, Caroline Kennedy said, “In a triumph of uncommon grace and courage, she embraced a call to service when she would have been forgiven for staying home to recover from her wounds.” Following the meal, legendary singer Tony Bennett—who performed at the White House for President Kennedy over 50 years ago—concluded the evening with a special performance of his classic hits. The Kennedy Library Foundation received an outpouring of support, led by Legacy Laureates Domtar, Richard K. and Nancy L. Donahue, Feinberg Rozen LLP, Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg, Clive F. Palmer, Raytheon Company, Jill and Ron Sargent, and Staples, Inc. For more information about this year’s event, or if you wish to participate in the 2014 May Dinner being held on May 4, 2014, please contact Maura Hammer at
[email protected] or (617) 514-1580.
May Dinner Co-Chair Ronald Sargent and Kennedy Library Foundation Board Vice Chairman William Swanson.
Christine Daly, Kennedy Library Foundation Director Emeritus Chuck Daly, Kennedy Library Foundation Board Member Anne Finucane, and Kevin Daly.
David Letterman, Regina Letterman, Caroline Kennedy, Ed Schlossberg, and Harry Letterman.
Senator Ed Markey, Kennedy Library Foundation Board Member Jim Brett, and Congressman Joe Kennedy III.
ALL PHOTOS BY TOM FITZSIMMONS
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Kennedy Library Foundation Board Member Shari Redstone and Carl Goldberg.
Camille Biros, Kennedy Library Foundation Legendary singer Tony Bennett performed at the dinner. Board Chairman Ken Feinberg, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
Twenty-Fifth Annual May Dinner May 5, 2013 Legacy Laureates
Domtar Richard K. and Nancy L. Donahue Feinberg Rozen LLP Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg Clive F. Palmer Raytheon Company Jill and Ron Sargent Staples, Inc.
Legacy Champions
3M Company Avery Bank of America Camrose & Kross, LLC Hewlett-Packard Ted Hoff and Kathleen O’Connell Shari Redstone Toshiba
Presidential Partner
AT&T Bingham McCutchen, LLP BNY Mellon David Boies, Chairman of Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP Brown Brothers Harriman Canon U.S.A., Inc. Cognizant Margot C. Connell and Family EMC Corporation Epson America Fidelity Investments Richard and Nancy Friedman Genpact Ironshore John Hancock Financial Robert K. Kraft The Letterman Family
Liberty Mutual Insurance McCann New York News Corporation Northeast Utilities Sony Corporation of America Viacom David Weinstein Anonymous (2)
Anniversary Patrons
The American Ireland Fund BIC Corporation The Boston Consulting Group Jill Ker Conway Marilyn and Gerard F. Doherty Esselte Corporation Fellowes, Inc. Gourmet Caterers Greenberg Traurig, LLP The Hartford IBM Corporation International Paper, John Faraci, CEO The Joyce Foundation Michele and Howard Kessler The Lombard Family Carolyn and Peter S. Lynch Richard and Sally Phelps Ryder Dedicated The Schooner Foundation Stephen E. Smith Sovereign|Santander Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr Yawkey Foundation Anonymous
Dinner Sponsors
Nancy and Ziggy Alderman Amazon Kindle Bank of America Merrill Lynch Barclays
Carrie and George Bell Governor and Mrs. James J. Blanchard Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts David and Trixie Burke Colliers International–Boston CompuCom Courier Express Express Courier International, Inc. Fereydoun Firouz Georgia-Pacific Goldman Sachs Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. HSBC Nicole and Tom Hynes Mrs. Joan B. Kennedy Senator & Mrs. Paul G. Kirk Jr. Sydney and Peter McKelvy Mt. Tom Companies NFI The Elva and Lawrence O’Brien Family Trust OnTrac James A. Molinaro, Penske Truck Leasing PNC Bank, National Association Prestige Delivery Systems PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Procter & Gamble Red Sox Foundation Dr. Margaret A. Reed & Patricia Fernandes Robert and Carol Riley Stan and Liz Salett SapientNitro Elaine and Gerald Schuster Jim and Cathy Stone Mr. & Mrs. Paul E. Tryder
United Stationers Supply Co./ Lagasse University of Massachusetts Boston Velocity Express, LLC Veterans Distribution of Chicago, Inc. Weber Shandwick Wells Fargo Corporate Banking Werner Enterprises Anonymous
Contributors
Philip J. Baduini Harold Basser Sheila L. Cassidy Ranny Cooper John J. Cullinane Deutsche Bank Edward Fire Robert Fitzsimmons Carol and Patrick Hemingway M&M Transportation Jacqueline B. Mars New England Motor Freight, Inc. Thomas and Rosemary O’Keeffe O’Saraceno Restaurant Pacer Sherry Penney and Jim Livingston Phyllis N. Segal Maria Shriver Stonehill College Charles C. Tretter Mr. and Mrs. Wade Suzanne and Marc Winkelman Wynright Corporation Yahoo!
ALL PHOTOS BY TOM FITZSIMMONS
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Safeway store when Jared Lee Loughner drew a pistol and shot her in the head at point-blank range before proceeding to fire on other people. After a year of rehabilitation, she resigned from Congress in order to focus on her recovery. On the second anniversary of the shooting, Giffords and her husband, retired Navy Captain and astronaut Mark Kelly, launched Americans for Responsible Solutions to encourage elected officials to support measures to prevent gun violence and promote responsible gun ownership. During the ceremony, Caroline Kennedy acknowledged her own family’s history with gun violence, saying, “Our family is still suffering the heartbreak caused by gun violence. No one should have to lose a husband, a wife, a father, a child to a senseless murder. But as our honoree has shown, out of that pain and tragedy, we must find the strength to carry on, to give meaning to our lives, and to build a more just and peaceful world.”
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Gabrielle Giffords and husband Mark Kelly during the 2013 Profile in Courage Award ceremony.
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The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award is presented annually to public servants who have made courageous decisions in the public interest without regard for personal or professional consequences. The award is named for President Kennedy’s 1957 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Profiles in Courage, which recounts the stories of eight U.S. senators who risked their careers, incurring the wrath of constituents or powerful interest groups, by taking principled stands for unpopular positions. For more information about the Profile in Courage Award, visit our website—www.jfklibrary.org. Ed Schlossberg, Caroline Kennedy, Gabrielle Giffords, and Mark Kelly at the 2013 Profile in Courage Award ceremony.
Profile in Courage Award Committee Albert R. Hunt, Chairman Executive Washington Editor, Bloomberg News
Antonia Hernandez President and CEO, California Community Foundation
Martha Minow Dean and Jeremiah Smith Jr. Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
Christopher J. Dodd Chairman and CEO, Motion Picture Association of America and former U.S. Senator (D-Connecticut)
Elaine Jones Former Director-Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund
Shari Redstone President, National Amusements, Inc.
Donna F. Edwards U.S. Congresswoman (D-Maryland) Kenneth R. Feinberg Chairman, John F. Kennedy Library Foundation Lindsey O. Graham U.S. Senator (R-South Carolina)
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Caroline Kennedy President, John F. Kennedy Library Foundation Paul G. Kirk Jr. Former U.S. Senator (D-Massachusetts) Chairman Emeritus, John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
John Seigenthaler Founder, Freedom Forum First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University David M. Shribman Executive Editor, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Olympia Snowe Former U.S. Senator (R-Maine)
Indiana High School Student Wins National John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest
RICK FRIEDMAN
TOM FITZSIMMONS
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amie Baer, a senior at Homestead High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, was this year’s winner of the national John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest for High School Students. Baer’s prize-winning essay tells the story of former New York State Senator Roy McDonald, who, in June 2011, crossed party lines to vote in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage in the state. Baer received a $10,000 award for her first-place essay. The national essay contest is sponsored by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and generously supported by John Hancock Financial. The annual Profile in Courage Essay Contest invites high school students from across the nation to write an essay on an act of political courage by a U.S. elected official. The contest is a companion program of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award™. This year, 1,814 students submitted essays from all fifty states and Washington, D.C., along with U.S. citizens in Chile, Egypt, India, and Taiwan. In her winning essay, Baer describes how McDonald, a conservative Republican from Saratoga County, “shocked his constituents” when he voted for marriage equality. With a Republican majority in the New York State Senate, the decision to legalize gay marriage was uncertain until the final votes were cast. McDonald, along with three other Republican senators, voted to support the law, making the New York Senate the first legislative body with a Republican majority to legalize same-sex marriage.
Profile in Courage Award Committee Chairman Al Hunt and essay contest winner Jamie Baer.
Baer explains how McDonald, serving in his first term as a New York state senator, faced dire consequences for his vote. Groups opposed to gay marriage organized a “backlash against McDonald and other supporters of the Marriage Equality Act,” Baer wrote. Regardless of pressure from conservative groups, Baer recounts that the senator from Saratoga was not apologetic about his break with party values. Baer quoted McDonald in saying that he had “‘faith that his course was the best one.’” Baer asserts that McDonald’s controversial vote cost him his senate seat: he lost the 2012 Republican primary to Kathleen Marchione, who made McDonald’s reversal on marriage equality an issue in the campaign. Baer received a $5,000 cash award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation which was matched with $5,000 from John Hancock Financial to be contributed to a John Hancock Freedom 529 College Savings Plan. Her nominating teacher, Constance Christophersen, received a John F. Kennedy Public Service Grant in the amount of $500 to be used for school projects that encourage student leadership and civic engagement.
Nominating teacher Constance Christophersen, Caroline Kennedy, and 2013 Profile in Courage Essay Contest winner Jamie Baer.
With support from:
www.jfklibrary.org 13
Spielberg’s Lincoln Screened for High School Students
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JENNIFER FAUXSMITH
n celebration of Black History Month and President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, some 80 area high school students attended a special screening of the motion
picture Lincoln on Tuesday, February 12 at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. The film, directed by Steven Spielberg, focuses on the 16th president’s tumultuous final months in office when he pursues a course of action designed to end the Civil War, unite the country, and abolish slavery. The JFK Library co-sponsored the Lincoln Day celebration with Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin, the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus, and the Massachusetts Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission. DreamWorks Pictures made the motion picture available for the special screening. Students hailed from Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School and Haverhill High School. Students from local community organizations, including ABCD, the West End Boys and Girls Club, the Urban League of Boston, Project Hip Hop, and Project Right, also were in attendance. The event featured remarks by Tom Putnam, Director of the JFK Library, Secretary Galvin, and Rep. Byron Rushing of Boston,
Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin welcomes students to the Lincoln screening.
and a question-and-answer session discussing the historical context of the film following the screening with Dr. Kerri Greenidge of Suffolk University. As part of the event, the JFK Library displayed a letter from President Lincoln to Union Army General Mason Brayman, which is from President Kennedy’s personal collection of historical documents, and a bronze bust of President Lincoln which was displayed in the White House Cabinet Room during the Kennedy administration.
Students Act as Economic Advisors in Federal Budget Simulation
Students were asked to play the part of economic advisors to President Obama, where each of them analyzed the discretionary budget for fiscal year 2013 and then designed a FY 2014 budget with a group of their peers. In light of this year’s sequestration, students were forced to make mandatory cuts to defense and discretionary spending at the same time our nation’s policymakers were given the same task. Science and space technology, veterans’ benefits, education, interna 14
issues. This kind of analysis and skill-building will serve them well and help them be better informed citizens as they become voters,” said Nancy McCoy, director of education and public programs for the JFK Library.
ABBIE ROWE
THIS PAST SPRING, 761 high school students from more than 29 schools across Massachusetts participated in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library’s “Federal Budget Simulation,” a program designed by the JFK Library’s department of education and public programs to help students learn and debate our nation’s priorities by establishing their own simulated federal budgets.
President Kennedy points to an economic recovery chart during a press conference.
tional affairs, and energy were just a handful of programs up for spending cuts. Through the simulation, students learned the importance of the budgeting process and the difficult task of prioritizing national programs. “Given the tools for understanding the make-up and allocation of funds in the federal discretionary budget, students enjoy the challenge of applying critical thinking skills to national funding
JFK Library staff and volunteers facilitated groups of approximately 10–15 students in their budgeting sessions. After discussing the pros and cons of deficit spending and designing their FY 2014 discretionary budgets, representatives from each group presented their rationales for their group budgets. The Federal Budget Simulation program is made possible through the generous support of NStar.
Middle School Student Volunteers Make a Difference
TOM FITZSIMMONS
C
Mark Reilly, Tom Putnam, and Steve Grossman, pose with award recipients.
TOM FITZSIMMONS
lose to one hundred middle school students from across Massachusetts were honored with the John F. Kennedy Make a Difference Award™ on April 9, 2013, at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in recognition of volunteer work the students have performed in their communities. Some of the student projects included helping fellow students with disabilities, working at local food pantries and senior centers, organizing recycling and “green” environmental initiatives, developing outreach efforts to discourage cyber-bullying, volunteering for Best Buddies, and participating in relief efforts after Hurricane Sandy. The students hailed from schools across Massachusetts, including Barnstable, Dorchester, Dracut, Everett, Longmeadow, Provincetown, Quincy, Roxbury, Winchester, and Worcester. The John F. Kennedy Make a Difference Award is given to students who are nominated by a teacher or principal for an outstanding contribution they have made to their school, neighborhood, town, or the global community. “President Kennedy believed that every person can make a difference and each of us should try,” said Library Director Tom Putnam. “These students are an inspiring example of JFK’s timeless call to service.” At the ceremony, each student received a personalized certificate recognizing their work on the project for which they were nominated. Special guest speakers at the ceremony included Massachusetts State Treasurer Steve Grossman and Mark Reilly, Senior Vice President of Government and Regulatory Relations for the Northeast Division of Comcast Cable. The John F. Kennedy Make a Difference Award is made possible with generous support from Comcast.
Steve Grossman congratulates a recipient of the John F. Kennedy Make a Difference Award.
HH COMING SOON HH
KENNEDY FAMILY COLLECTION
Rose Kennedy’s Family Album
The Kennedy family at Eden Roc, France. Back row: Kathleen, Joe Jr., Rosemary, Rose, and Teddy. Middle row: Jack, Eunice, Joe, and Pat. Front row: Bobby and Jean. Cannes, August 1939.
IN THE FALL OF 2013, Grand Central Publishing will publish the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation’s Rose Kennedy’s Family Album, a coffee table book comprised of 300 images of the young Kennedy and Fitzgerald families from 1878 through 1946. The photographs show the often unseen personal side of John F. Kennedy, his parents, and siblings. Caroline Kennedy wrote the foreword to the book as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of her father’s presidency. In accordance with the family’s wishes, all the proceeds will be shared by the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation and the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. www.jfklibrary.org 15
Deluxe Commits $500,000 to Digitize Archive Footage
Victura Society Spotlight: Dr. Barbara Perry
THE JOHN F.
r. Barbara Perry, a respected Supreme Court scholar, Kennedy family biographer, and proud Louisville Cardinals fan, is the newest member of the Kennedy Library Foundation’s Victura Society. The Victura Society recognizes individuals and families who have included the Kennedy Library Foundation in their charitable estate plans. Their generous gifts ensure that the legacy of John F. Kennedy and the work of the Foundation continue to inspire future generations. As the author of 11 books and more than 30 scholarly articles, Dr. Perry has lectured throughout the United States and served as a media commentator for major news outlets such as CNN, National Public Radio, and the Washington Post. She was inspired by John F. Kennedy at a very young age and can vividly recount attending her first Kennedy campaign rally on October 5, 1960, in her native Louisville, Kentucky. “Picture a little girl, four years old, standing in front of a podium, showered with confetti, in awe of the enthusiastic crowd surrounding her,” she recalls. “At such a young age, I couldn’t comprehend his speech, but years later I teased my mother that she had turned me into a political scientist at only four years of age when she took me to a Kennedy presidential campaign rally!” Dr. Perry credits President Kennedy’s life and legacy with inspiring her own work in the realms of politics and public service. She learned about the Victura Society while researching programs at the Kennedy Library and wanted to share the inspiration. Dr. Perry believes that the Victura Society’s mission “corresponds perfectly with the course that has guided my vocation and avocation. It is an honor to join in the Kennedy Library Foundation’s worthy endeavors.” Currently a senior fellow at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, Dr. Perry’s latest book, Rose Kennedy: The Life and Times of a Political Matriarch, will be published by W.W. Norton on July 15, and Dr. Perry herself will participate in a Kennedy Library Forum at the JFK Library on July 22. If you have included the Kennedy Library Foundation in your estate plans, or would like more information on how you can make a legacy gift to the Foundation, please contact Maura Hammer at (617) 514-1580 or
[email protected].
FOUNDATION is
proud to announce a new partnership with Deluxe, a preeminent Hollywood film company that specializes in the preservation, digitization, and metadata cataloguing of film footage. This generous gift of in-kind services, valued at $500,000, will make possible the preservation and digitization of some of the archive’s most important and historical film footage and audiovisual assets. Deluxe has already fully restored and digitized the original color footage of President Kennedy’s Inaugural Address. Plans are now under way to redesign the Museum’s Inaugural Exhibit so that visitors can see this exciting restoration and digital enhancement. Deluxe’s digitization efforts are the first steps toward creating a museum experience that is even more engaging and meaningful to a younger, technologically sophisticated audience. The Kennedy Library Foundation is grateful to Deluxe for their meticulous work and shared belief in the importance of preserving history for new generations.
ROBERT CAPON
D
KENNEDY LIBRARY
The Annual Fund—Raising Critical Unrestricted Funds THE ANNUAL FUND, launched in summer 2012, is the Kennedy Library Foundation’s source for unrestricted philanthropic support to relieve and enhance the Foundation’s annual operating budget. The importance of unrestricted support is crucial to ensure the success of our education and public programs and allows us to honor and promote John F. Kennedy’s long-lasting 16
accomplishments, including the fight for civil and equal rights; the calls to public service and a peaceful and just society; the commitment to space exploration and technology; and the recognition of the importance of the arts. We need your help today to continue the kind of programming that has earned the Kennedy Library the national recognition it enjoys. To contribute, visit www.jfklibrary.org or email
[email protected].
New Microsite Marks Civil Rights Milestones During the Kennedy Presidency
O
ROBERT KNUDSEN
n June 11, 2013 the Kennedy Library launched a new microsite “1963— The Struggle for Civil Rights” marking the anniversary of key civil rights milestones during the Kennedy presidency. Found at http://civilrights.jfklibrary.org, the interactive site enhances the understanding of this pivotal period in American history as viewed through the lens of the primary source material found in the Kennedy Library Archives. As a virtual, exploratory learning environment, the site engages visitors in learning about this critical chapter in our nation’s past and provides teachers with first-hand resources that bring the history to life in new ways. A look inside the pages of the civil rights microsite. “1963—The Struggle for Civil Rights” presents the 1963 civil The site is organized into seven key milestones of the Civil Rights Movement during 1963, including rights narrative through audio the March on Washington shown here. recordings, videos, photographs, handwritten letters, personal Bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church; and 1963 civil correspondence, and other primary source materials. rights legislative initiatives. Thousands of assets, most of which have never before been Each “event” begins with a synopsis of its story and context publicly displayed, are organized into seven key event chapters within the greater Civil Rights Movement in order to provide that mark significant turning points in the struggle for the user with a base level of knowledge. Users are then free racial equality, including the integration of the University of to explore the assets through a scrolling mosaic of images, Alabama; President Kennedy’s televised address on civil rights; textual documents, audio clips, and video clips. In addition to the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom; the the site itself, “For Students” and “For Teachers” pages provide resources for school audiences, including targeted lessons based on the featured assets. “1963—The Struggle for Civil Rights” is made possible with funding from the Bingham McCutchen JFK50: Justice for All program. Visit “1963—The Struggle for Civil Rights” at: http://civilrights.jfklibrary.org.
One of many assets within the civil rights microsite: a 1961 image of President Kennedy meeting with a group from the NAACP.
www.jfklibrary.org 17
Forums RICK FRIEDMAN
TOM FITZSIMMONS
Kennedy Library
Thomas Jefferson, The Politician, January 16, 2013
Acclaimed author John Irving discussed his latest novel, In One Person, with novelist Tom Perrotta.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham discussed his latest novel, Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, with veteran journalist Mike Barnicle.
KEIKO HIROMI
TOM FITZSIMMONS
A Conversation with John Irving, January 31, 2013
A Conversation with Al Gore, February 5, 2013
Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphy on Whitey Bulger, March 21, 2013
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Al Gore discussed his new book, The Future, with Harvard professor Graham Allison.
Boston Globe journalists Shelley Murphy and Kevin Cullen discussed their new book, Whitey Bulger: America’s Most Wanted Gangster and the Manhunt That Brought Him to Justice, and the changing nature of Boston and its politics. WBUR reporter David Boeri moderated.
Selected Letters of William Styron, January 28, 2013
TOM FITZSIMMONS
Rose Styron, wife of the late William Styron, and their daughter, Alexandra, discussed the publication of Styron’s letters to leading artists of his day, including several describing time spent with President and Mrs. Kennedy. Robert Brustein, a longtime friend and colleague of William Styron, moderated the conversation.
18
TOM FITZSIMMONS
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Celebrating the Life of Tip O’Neill, December 9, 2012
Watch or Listen to Forums LIVE Online
On the centennial of the birth of former House Speaker Tip O’Neill, journalists Mike Barnicle, Al Hunt, Cokie Roberts, Steve Roberts, and Chris Matthews shared their memories of the Speaker with former ABC World News host Charlie Gibson. The panel was introduced by Speaker O’Neill’s former scheduler Christine Sullivan Daly with closing remarks made by his son Kip O’Neill.
@ jfklibrary.org/forums
HHHHHHHHHHHHH Stay Connected
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A Conversation with John Paul Stevens, May 20, 2013
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Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens discussed his long career on the bench and his views of American jurisprudence with Harvard Law professor David Barron.
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Third Annual Family Festival Brings Record Attendance
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President Lincoln is joined by two young fans dressed in Civil War garb at the Kennedy Library’s Presidents’ Day Family Festival. ALL PHOTOS BY TOM FITZSIMMONS
ver 1,400 visitors celebrated Presidents’ Day at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library’s third annual Family Festival on February 18, 2013, setting a new attendance record for the event. Performances by presidential re-enactors, make-and-take craft activities, and special presentations in the exhibit galleries brought history to life for children and visitors of all ages throughout the day. Families enjoyed constructing President Lincoln–inspired stovepipe hats; designing White House china; testing their dining etiquette skills; and playing a game of presidential bingo. Additional highlights of the day included visits by Abraham Lincoln (played by Lance Mack) and Ulysses S. Grant (played by Sam Grant), a make-your-own sundae bar, and a docent-led gallery talk of the Freedom 7 space capsule. The day ended with a special performance by the Harvard “Din and Tonics,” who serenaded guests with Kennedy campaign theme songs and music from the 1960s.
A Kennedy Library docent helps design a Lincoln stovepipe hat with a young visitor at the Family Festival.
The Harvard “Din and Tonics” sing an impromptu concert for visitors in the Museum.
