>> well, we all know how much senator kennedy loved song. and now it's my pleasure to introduce a vocalist he admireded so very much. brian stokes mitchell accompanied by the piano. and a song that captures a lot of what tonight is about. >> thank you.

senator kennedy really loved the arts as we all know and those of us in the arts really have loved senator kennedy also. it's how we met through music through singing and it was rare that we wouldn't greet each other with not a hello but a spontaneous duet of "some enchanted evening" or "oh, what a beautiful morning" and i have to say to my heart, ear, and mind, he is one of my favorite singers ever because he sang with his heart. singing notes is easy, singing from your heart is hard. and he sang as he lived his life and as he did everything else. and there's a song that i sang for him at one of his birthdays quite a few years ago. and i can't sing it now without thinking of him. it's about an impossible dreamer, somebody who dreams the impossible to make the impossible possible. the quest is what's important. and i have to say now that

senator kennedy and this song will forever share a very special place in my heart. ♪ to dream the impossible dream ♪ ♪ to fight the unbeatable foe ♪ to bear with up bearable sorrow ♪ ♪ to run where the brave dare not go ♪ ♪ to right the unrightable wrong ♪ ♪ to love pure and chased from afar ♪ ♪ to try when your arms are too

weary ♪ ♪ to reach the unreachable star ♪ ♪ this is my quest to follow that star ♪ ♪ no matter how hopeless, no matter how far ♪ ♪ to fight for the right without question nor pause ♪ ♪ to be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause ♪ ♪ and i know if i only be true ♪ to this glories you quest ♪ that my heart will lie peaceful and calm when i'm laid to my rest ♪ ♪ and the world will be better

for this ♪ ♪ that one man scorned and covered with scars ♪ ♪ still strove with his courage ♪ ♪ to reach the unreachable star ♪ ♪ this is my quest to follow that star ♪ ♪ no matter how hopeless no matter how far ♪ ♪ to fight for the right without question nor pause ♪ ♪ to be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause ♪ ♪ and i know if i only be true

to this glorious quest ♪ ♪ that my heart will lie peaceful and calm when i'm laid to my rest ♪ ♪ and the world will be better for this ♪ ♪ that one man scorned and covered with scars ♪ ♪ still stroll with his arms of courage ♪ ♪ to reach the unreachable st star ♪

>> senator kennedy's grandfather as you all know has presided over this city many years ago. and the senator enjoyed working in friendly and warm

relationship, the incumbent mayor of the city of boston. we welcome him this morning. the honorable thomas manino. >> thank you, paul. paul -- asking me to sing. i got torn out of the choir when i was in the eighth grade, i haven't sang since. i just wanted to tell you. ted kennedy was my friend. i feel tremendous sadness today. but also a sense of pride. the history books will show that boston wasn't just a cradle of liberty. we birthed champions too.

senator edward kennedy was born here. man in the senate came from the boston neighborhood of dorchester where he now rests. angela and i together with all bostonians are mourning a native son. some of our neighbors have met ted. but the immigrants throughout ports, the hospitals, educated in our schools, they stepped forth on to the greenway, they knew his work. our thoughts and prayers are with vicky and the entire kennedy family. through imprint, i cross a city indelible. the new edward kennedy institute, another lasting legacy of the kennedys from

boston. i hate to say it in these tough financial times, but we need to buy some more red paint to extend the freedom trail. i had the privilege of serving the office of teddy's grandfather once held. would have a good laugh at teddy and me sitting together at fenway park. teddy called me up one day and said let's go to the ball game next week. a very cold night we decided to go. and i said teddy, i'll see you upstairs in the luxury boxes. he insisted we stay out of the sky box so we could be with the people. by about the fourth or fifth inning, senator kennedy finally leaned over to me and said,

mayor, i love the people. but it's freezing. i'll always be thankful he worked so hard to bring the democratic national convention to boston. yes, it put our city on display to the world, but also because it gave the senator kennedy and me reason to spend so much time together. we worked hard, we worked relentlessly. we had tremendous fun doing it. we played so much good cop/bad cop, i couldn't remember sometimes what role i was supposed to say. senator kennedy would say to a person. john, i like to see $1.5 million from you folks. and a half hour later the person call me up and say does he really mean that? if he gave us $1 million i'll be

happy. and that happened so often, we'd raise the money for the democratic national convention. i know that want -- the great highlights of his career addressing that convention. today teddy called boston a place where every street is history's home. that's true with the old church and the hall. it's true now of all the places senator kennedy walked. we followed the steps to equality and opportunity. teddy was always out front on the issues. it's something i admired and tried to emulate. sometimes it got us into trouble. several years ago, at the beginning of the green revolution, we were supposed to green event together. i was driving around in a

compact hybrid, i complained all the time it was tiny. well, our staffs thought -- staff always get you in trouble. our staff thought it would be good for teddy and i to ride to the event together in my hybrid. we're both small guys, by the way. of course, it was really too small for me and certainly too small for the two of us. like two overgrown peas in a pod. we sought alternate transportation, but we never stopped fighting for our progress together. on occasion of teddy's 70th birthday, i threw a party for him in boston. made him an honorary harvard master. i mentioned it because thinking about him that day makes me smile. the senator took a bit too seriously.

i set out to try to actually direct traffic on boston harbor. i imagine also because i think for the role suited to him. the harbor master is a guardian. he watched out for the tired and the weary and the worn out. that was ted kennedy. when the phone rings, i miss teddy's voice on the end of the line. the debates raged, i'm sad he won't echo in the well of the senate. the sounds of school kids accepting diplomas, immigrants taking that citizenship oaths, neighbors offering, neighbors are helping hand will forever hear his call for justice. he'll always hear the familiar tones of a loyal friend. i also would like to say that

helped the city of boston, one of our schools. it's dedicated to health care. i sent a letter to the board of trustees the other day. all they do is train kids to get in the health care field. we know, teddy, how much he loved health care, how he believed in it, and he led the charge and sharply we will have reforms in health care because of ted kennedy and that school in boston reminds everybody how hard teddy fought for those things. vicky and the family, thanks, thank you for what you are. thank you.

>> john culver was a harvard classmate of senator kennedy's, football teammate, worked in his senate office, went back home to iowa, served in the congress of the united states and then the senate of the united states. a great friend for a long time, john culver. >> thank you very much, paul. to vicky who as orrin hatch said really was the love of ted's

life, to his sister jean smith who always told me she was ted's favorite sister, and to all of the children, ted's children, vicky's children, and all of the extended kennedy family. in a real sense everyone here in the room who i think feels very strongly part of that extraordinary family. it was in the winter, i believe of 1975 and ted called me and said i'd like you to come up to boston with me and they've suggested several sites for the john f. kennedy museum and library. and i'd like you to come along. so i did. and i remember it was a winter day rather cold and overcast and there was snow on the ground. and when we came to this

particular place and looked across dorchester bay, i saw boston, saw the water. ted turned to me and he said, you know, i think jack would like this place. and of course it wasn't many years later that this library was built. and i think we all agree jack would really like this place. but also -- also i was reminded again as i came here to the library of that little sailboat out front, the ventura, which joe kennedy talked about. and i have a fond memory, i guess it's a fond memory. of the ventura myself. and it was when ted and i one time were in summer school in

1953 at harvard. and ted said to me one day, you know, why don't you come with me this weekend. i'm going down to the cape. it's a lot of fun. there's going to be a sailboat race. it's called the nantucket regata, it's a lot of fun and i want you to come down and be part of my crew on the sailboat race. and i said, ted, i'm sure that's an honor to be invited to be on your crew in a sailboat race, but i've never been on a sailboat. i think i've seen a picture of a sailboat. i said i come from iowa. and the only boat i ever saw were barges on the mississippi river. he said there's nothing to it. how many times have we heard ted say there's nothing to it?

at that time we were both young, i didn't quite understand that comment as i grew to understand later. i said okay. so we got in the car and ted and i were driving down to the cape and we were enjoying the trip, listening to music and this was on friday afternoon. and suddenly the radio broadcast was interrupted with a bulletin and the bulletin said serious storm warnings. and it said danger at sea, don't anyone go out in the ocean. and i said, well, ted, i guess the sailboat trip's off. there's nothing to it. and i said well the fellow on the radio thought there was something. he said there's nothing to it. so i said he must know what he's

doing. he lives down there. and i've never been on the ocean. so when we got down, when we got down to the house -- when we got down to the kennedy house, it was about 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon. and there were dark black storm clouds gathering, but i said, ted, it looks kind of scary. he said, nothing to it. so i said well i'm hungry, he said i'm hungry too. and so it was about 3:00 and we'd missed lunch and we went right to the kitchen. where i often went with him. we were down there right to the kitchen. and the cook -- the cook was still there, and he said i'm just finishing up here, but i have some leftover salmon salads -- mixed salmon salad and i could make you boys some sandwiches if you'd like and i

thought, well, that's -- we both thought that was a good idea. we didn't have a lot of time, he said, so i only had two salmon salad sandwiches. and i had a quart of milk with it. and i would have had more, but we didn't have time really. so ted says come on, we've got to get going now. and now it's about 4:00. and so we get out, and in those days they didn't have all of the fancy docks and everything even around the family compound, it was just kind of a beach as i remember. and he said we've got to get in the boat. i said okay and i looked out on horizon looking for this boat. and i said where's the boat, and he said there's the boat. well, if any of you have seen

the maya out front, that was the boat. the maya is exactly 20 -- i mean the -- excuse me, not the maya, the ventura, that little boat out front, that's the boat i'm talking about. that's the boat he pointed out saying we were going on a sailboat race with. and it's 26 feet long. and ted and i both weighed at the time over 200 pounds. we were both over 6 feet tall. and i said, that's -- he said that's it, that's the boat, let's get it out in the water. so i did what i could to help get out in the water, but the water at that time, there were huge waves now. there was thunder, there was lightning, the sky was black. and i could hardly get in the boat. it was bouncing so much. and he was i guess the tiller or something.

and suddenly i realized this friend of mine i thought i knew quite well started screaming at me. shouting at me. i was terrified. and after a while i was more terrified of him than the storm. and i didn't know -- i didn't know this man. and so he kept screaming at me the spinker, the jib, port side, secure that, you know, whatever. and you know ted's not always easy to understand when you know what he's talking about. and here with a roar -- with a roar -- with the incredible roar now of the ocean and the waves

and this little tiny, it's like a cork -- we're being bounced all over and it's my fault. and so i'm just hangingen for dear life and about -- we've only got about 200 yards out and i lost the sandwiches. and i thought -- i thought i was going to die. and i'd never been so miserable. i'm hanging over the side of the boat and he's screaming at me. i mean, do you think he said, hey, i'm sorry, do you feel bad? forget it. and so somehow -- somehow i pulled myself together. somehow we righted this boat in this incredible storm really unbelievable. i'm still scared thinking about it. so we finally, finally get all the way over to nantucket. it's 11:00 at night and i'm

saying to ted, well, which motel do we stay in? and ted said we're not staying in a motel. i said we aren't? we're all wet, we're all cold. where are we staying, teddy? we're staying on the boat. so i mean i realized then i was with something out of captain ahab mobe dick. believe it or not there were four cushions, they were all wet. there were four cushions and he took two, i wanted to take three, but he took two, i took two, there were 3 inches of water, cold sea water, seaweed, everything, was pull the boat up on the beach and that's where we spent the night. well, this was a lot of fun so far. so the next day -- the next day

we got up and we needed a third man on our crew. ted said i didn't have any idea what we needed. i needed a lot more than one more man. and he -- so we go walking down to nantucket and sure enough there's this poor little guy who was a salesman at the endover shop in cambridge. and ted went up to him and said would you like to go sailing with us today? and the poor kid said yeah. we took him, and just like i was, he would pull him on the boat and me on the boat and off we go for the races. so the races start, i guess, and from that point on, all i remember is ted yelling, yelling, yelling about me to get up on the right side front of the boat or the left side and he always claims that when i was to rotate with the other little guy that i said you heard him, get up there. and of course it was really my

turn to go up. so anyway, somehow this race was mercifully over. i didn't see anything except this cold water coming and pouring on me, sunburned, t-shirt, it was a nightmare. and i -- i didn't even see any other boats, but we kept going around and around and around. so finally -- finally, finally this thing was mercifully over. and ted seemed satisfied. i had no idea, probably i was satisfied, i lived through it. but i looked out and it was like a mirage, it was this yacht. ted wanted to surprise me, he knew and we all know how much fun ted has making his friends uncomfortable at times. and he hadn't told me, but ambassador kennedy had come out to watch the race. and had brought three or four of his friends along and they were

out there in the big honey fits named after ted's grandfather. and it looked like the -- i'd never seen anything that looked so good to me. he said we're going to get aboard the boat and we're going to, you know, they're going to tow, they're going to tow us back behind the boat. i said my god, okay. so we come alongside -- come alongside the honey fits, and i remember, like eddie rickenbacker on the south pacific. starving to death out in the water. cold, cold miserable, and i remember ambassador kennedy had a megaphone and leaned over the side of the boat and said good race, good race, teddy, but i've got some bad news for you. the captain says the sea is far too rough to tow you boys back

on that boat, so you'll have to sail back. i mean i couldn't believe my ears. i wanted to jump out of the boat, take my chances they might pick me up. so anyway -- anyway, but he said i have something for you here in this container, hot clam chowder hot vacuum packed with these clamp things and he's lowering it over a rope and teddy claimed that i grabbed it ripped off the top without opening it, just tore the top, and just proceeded to chug-a-lug the whole canteen about this much and the only thing i missed was what went down my t-shirt and i said boy, that's good, and he said what about me? i'm supposed to have some of that. well, i don't think it was entirely true i drank all of it, but i drank most of it. so anyway, they pulled the rope up and we're on our own again.

i'm 24 hours on this boat. and so now we head back home, i guess. well fortunately the trip back wasn't all that bad after what i'd been through. and it was fairly calm, but we now get within sight of hyannis after how many hours? i don't know. but you can see the lights of the house probably half mile away and i'm thinking, we'll be hot shower in no time. and suddenly the ship stopped, a boat just stopped, and no wind. and i said, no wind, we weren't moving, i could see the house. but i didn't know how we were going to get there. it was too far to swim. i said teddy, what do you do now? he said we get out of the boat and he said one of us has got to push and the other pull the rope ahead of the boat. you can't believe it can you? i can't believe it.

so after 24 hours on this boat, now it's 11:00 or midnight, we climb out of that boat into the water again and he's pulling and i'm pushing, and after a while we get -- we finally make it to shore. well, when we were back at summer school, it was a whole week before i could get the seaweed taste out of my mouth. but you know, in the following years i was fortunate to take many, many sailboat trips with ted. not only around hyannis and the islands, but also to maine, also to the caribbean, also to the greek islands. and those were some of the most memorable really truly enjoyable and pleasurable memories that i could ever enjoy. always full of fun, always full

of joy. and full of laughter. and ted was awfully good about it. i never learned how to sail, but teddy always gave me a pass on those voyages. and for that i'm always grateful and for those memories. smooth sailing, teddy. thank you. >> if the sides aren't too sore from laughter, the boston

community corps. ♪ ♪

♪ come walk with me ♪ come walk with me ♪ ♪ walk close to me ♪ walk close to me ♪ walk with thee ♪ i -- i'm weak but thou art strong ♪ ♪ jesus, keep me from harm

♪ how i'll be satisfy ied, oh y i will ♪ ♪ and i said take my hand and walk with thee ♪ ♪ just a closer walk with thee ♪ just a closer walk with thee ♪ just a closer walk with thee ♪ just a closer walk with thee ♪ precious he ♪ precious he ♪ just a closer walk with thee ♪ barely walking close to me

♪ merrily walking close to me ♪ through this world of toils ♪ if i falter lord -- ♪

♪ just a closer walk with thee ♪ just a closer walk with thee ♪ just a closer walk with thee ♪ just a closer walk with thee ♪ precious is he ♪ just a closer walk with thee ♪ walking close to me ♪ walking close to me ♪ lord let me be ♪ ♪ when my people life is over ♪ oh, when -- on this earth no

more ♪ ♪ you know if you trust the lord he can guide ♪ ♪ he will guide and save me ♪ oh, lord, please listen to the kingdom ♪ ♪ just a closer walk with thee ♪ just a closer walk with thee ♪ just a closer walk with thee ♪ just a closer walk with thee ♪ precious is he that rescues me ♪ ♪ precious he that rescues me ♪ walking close to me

♪ merrily walking close to me ♪ merrily ♪ merrily ♪ lord let me be ♪ just a closer walk with thee ♪ oh, we need closer ♪ just a closer walk with thee ♪ oh, lord we want to -- ♪ merrily walking close to me ♪ merrily walking close to me ♪ merrily walking close to me ♪

♪ ♪ lord let it be ♪ merrily

♪ lord let it be >> ladies and gentlemen, please join me. welcoming a good friend of senator kennedy's and all of ours, the vice president of the united states joe biden. >> thank you very much, paul.

vicky and all the children. john used to regale us like that all the time at lunch. in the senate dining room. and john's acting like teddy always took advantage of him. you should have seen it when they both teamed up on somebody else. john, i remember we were talking about angola once and you and teddy were working out a deal with some of our more conservative friends. and you agreed on a particular course of action. and i was along with your colleague dick clark, you and dick and teddy, myself, and teddy's office. and me naive i was as a young senator, we started about how we were going to approach this issue on the floor and teddy said we've got to do this and i said but that's not what we said. we told these guys we were going to do that.

and teddy very politely, teddy jr. tried to say to me, no, we're going to -- and this went on for a few minutes and suddenly john in a roaring voice said, biden, what do you think this is? boy state. this was my introduction to the squeeze of kennedy and culver. what do you think this is? boise state? i know we're all here today to celebrate. celebrate the life of an incredible man. but i want to first say that the whole kennedy clan. i want to give thanks, thanks for your father, thanks for your husband, thanks for your uncle, thanks for your brother who in an astonishing and totally unexpected way ended up playing an important part in every critical moment of my adult life.

it was literally an accent of history. but he had -- he crept into my heart and before i knew it he owned a piece of it. today i was thinking about how teddy was -- i wouldn't be standing here were it not for teddy kennedy. i wouldn't be standing here as vice president of the united states, i would not be a united states senator were it not for teddy kennedy for he was the catalyst for my improbable win as a 29-year-old kid running for the senate in a year when the senator only got 35% of the vote in my state. i was running against a fella who was extremely popular. an incumbent senator. and although surprised the hell

out of people and we came we were coming astonishingly close, we needed something else, and out of the blue, literally, about eight days before the election, teddy kennedy showed up, and he showed up in a neighborhood in wilmington, delaware. and drew a crowd, it was actually a dinner of a couple thousand people. and a community that would vote nationally for the democrats but on all the statewide offices always voted republican. including for the senate and the house seats. i ended up winning that neighborhood. i ended up winning the election by 3,100 votes. and although i don't know for certain, it seems highly unlikely, congressman, i would have ever won were it not for your father energizing people

the way he did at the very end. he stood there and ended the speech by saying i only have one problem with joe biden, i think he's a little too young to be a senator. and literally the next day the "wall street journal" played it straight, kennedy says biden too young for the united states senate. but seven weeks later when my wife and daughter were killed in an automobile accident and my two boys were very badly injured and hospitalized, one of them is with me here today, hunter, and the other's in iraq. i got a call from your dad. and i didn't know your dad too well. i just met him that one time. and here i was an irish-catholic kid from scranton, pennsylvania, who only thought of teddy kennedy in the entire kennedy family in sort of a distant

terms, a hushed tone. here he was on the phone. and not only on the phone but he called me in that hospital almost every day and about every other day i turned around literally, vicky, and there was another specialist from boston, massachusetts, one of your great hospitals. sitting next to me, who i never asked for and didn't know i needed, but i needed. he was the prod who convinced me to -- to go to the senate because i had told my governor after that election, the governor-elect to be precise, my brother did that we were going to appoint someone else that i didn't want to go to the senate. and it was your brother who came to see me to tell me that i owed

it to my deceased wife and my children, at least to be sworn in and stay for at least six months. and when i got to the senate, he would literally come by once or twice a week to my office in the middle of the afternoon and i didn't want to be there, i wanted to get home, i didn't want to be around. and john, he took me for the first time i ever went to the senate gym. he'd come by and take me to the senate gym. i'll never forget the first time he took me. i hadn't met any of these famous players. i got sworn in late compared to the other senators and i'll never forget walking into the senate gym and him introducing me to senator jack jabbots, stark naked when i met him. i remember, oh my god, senator, how are you?

but he never -- he sort of took on the role of being my older brother. he just was there all the time. and i never asked. and i never could really understand, to tell you the truth at first. i didn't understand why he was going out of his way for me this way. he got me on the committees that i ended up chairing, he -- and he was sort of my tutor, sort of exposing this kid from scranton to a world that i had never seen and didn't fully understand. i used to go home every night in the beginning, i went home every night for 36 years, but i went home every night. as soon as the sun was out and i never once accepted any invitation in washington not out of the desire not to be in washington, i just wanted to get home. after one afternoon teddy came to my office and said, joe, look, i've got to give you a

piece of advice. he says this is -- i got a call from pamela, this is the fourth invitation you've gotten from the governor harem to come to one of his dinners. i didn't know enough to know that was a big deal. i really didn't. and he said, joe, you've got to go. you've got to go, it just doesn't look good. i'll go with you. and i'll never forget going into the home in georgetown and sitting and he was sitting in an armchair -- excuse me a wing chair, i was on the couch next to the chair, teddy was next to me, henry kissinger was across from me, both arms control experts. and i was this 30-year-old kid, and he had a way of sort of trying to include everybody in the conversation. they were talking about a complicated arms control agreement, used to be the salt

agreement. and this discussion was going on, and all of a sudden he looked at me and said, well, joe, what do the young people think about this? i didn't know what to say, john, i was scared to death, i didn't want to make a fool of me. here i was a united states senator. so i reached over and picked an object up off the coffee table. and i was nervous and i was flipping it back and forth in my hands like this as i answered the question. and i noticed everyone stiffened up when i was talking. and the butler came in and said time for dinner and everybody immediately got up and bolted for the dinner table. grabbed my arm and my arm and said, dammit, put that thing down. that costs more than your house. it was a faberge egg in my hand.

so the sophisticated kid from delaware. it seemed like every single thing i did, he was there when my character was under attack, i sat with the committee and said maybe he shouldn't chair this committee until this gets settled and your father stood up and said, no. you stay right where you are. i said, well, let me explain. he said before ten of my colleagues, he said we know you, you don't have to explain a single thing and walked out of the conference room. we walked back into the hearing. you have no idea what that meant to me at that moment because my character had never, ever, ever been questioned. you know, i was sitting in wilmington, delaware, after recuperating se ining six montho

cranial aneurysms. i was feeling sorry for myself. up my driveway comes a cab and out jumps teddy kennedy. he had a great big, turns out to be, a picture frame under his arm. was about 2 1/2 by 3 feet. i was sit buying a pool and he walked over and he said, where can i change? he had a bathing suit with him. put on his bathing suit, came back out and said i want to give you this. he gave me this picture of a big irish stag. he said, to my irish chairman, come back, i need you. he sat there for six hours with me. got back, called a cab, got back on the train and went back. you know, for 36 years i had the privilege of every single solitary day going to work every morning with teddy kennedy. i had the privilege every day for 36 years to witness history.

i had the bridge the last 20 of those years to sit literally next to him every single day. in the process, he had an incredible impact on me and i noticed, everyone around him. he constantly renewed my faith and optimism in the possible. i never once saw your father with a defeatist attitude. he never saw him petty. i never saw him act in a small way. as a consequence, he made us all bigger. both his friends, his allies and his foes. his dignity, his lack of vitriol. his lack of pettiness forced

some of the less generous of our community to act bigger than they were. it was remarkable to watch. people say and we all have our theories why teddy was so successful as a legislator. one of them was people didn't want to look small in front of him, even the people who were small. the astounding thing to me after 36 years having the consequences of, as my mother would say, living long, i've gotten to meet almost every major political figure in the world. that's not hyperbole, it's literally true. and your father was one of the few who i ever met that, at the end of the day, it was never about him. it was always about you. a truly remarkable character

trait. so many others, when it got down to the end, it was about them, not about others. with teddy, it was never, ever about him. the interesting thing to me is that i think the legacy of teddy kennedy, and it's presumptious for me to say this because who am i to judge, but the legacy of teddy kennedy can be measured in no small part as a consequence of how we in america look at one another. how blacks look at whites, how gays look at straights, how straights look at gays. how we literally look at one another. and in turn, how we look at ourselves. because when you were with him, you had to measure yourself

against him. it always required you to be larger than you were inclined to be. you know, his death was not unlike his life, as we all know. overcoming pain and loss with the sense of dignity and pride that is amazing. he met his death on the same, brave generous terms that he lived his life. r.g. ingersoll could have been thinking about your father when he wrote, "when the will defies fear, when duty throws the gauntlet down to faith, when honor scorns compromise with death, this is heroism." your father was a historic figure. he was a heroic figure beyond

that. i'll remember and celebrate his life every single time i see a young adolescent kid coping with, rather than cowering from having to make a decision about his sexuality. i'll celebrate your father every single time i see my granddaughter stand up with those boys and smack something over the second baseman's head. i'll think of your father every time a woman stands up and demands, and is granted, exactly what she's entitled to. i'll think of your father every time i see an individual walk out of recovery and start a new life. and start over again. and vicki, i'll think of you

every time i recall those words of christopher marlowe who said, "come live with me and be my love and we will all the pleasures prove." this is exactly what the two of you did and everyone could see it. the pundits are writing, and they mean well by it, that this is the end of an era. that this is the end of the kennedy era. but i watched at eunice's funeral, and i invite everyone to look around this room today and take a look at this incredible family. take a look -- i mean it. take a look at this generation of ken