We moved to Larchmont, NY in 1980, and soon met our neighbors, Jim and Eileen Hughes and the Gorman’s, Chris and Bridget. So began a splendid friendship that is nearing its 30th anniversary.
Last weekend, we took advantage of the Gorman’s trip to Cape Cod for a family wedding to lure Eileen and Jim up for a few days of re-connection and reminiscing. During this two-day memory-fest, we all enjoyed recalling our many friends and the highlights of life in greater Mamaroneck and especially the Larchmont Shore Club. We recalled our excursions that ranged from the theatres of Manhattan to the West Point gridiron and one truly memorable trek around Italy.
On Monday morning, we piled into the car for a planned trip to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, forty-seven miles up the road in Boston. As we exited the Expressway in Dorchester, we caught our first glimpse of the JFK. Situated on a spit of land that juts out into Boston harbor, the distinctive architecture of I.M. Pei was visible for miles, gleaming against the bright summer sky, its sleek black and white design contrasting nicely with the red brick architecture of the nearby University of Massachusetts. While we had all made previous visits, the facility has evolved continuously since its dedication in 1979. We were all struck by the fresh view that its exhibits provided of the 35th president and his times.
For all of us, the early sixties was a magic time. While Dwight Eisenhower had been a towering hero of World War II, we saw him through the hazy ignorance of our youth as a dowdy old man of our parent’s generation. When John F. Kennedy was elected it was as if the skies had opened to perpetual sunshine. We now had our own president, handsome and quick-witted, who would lead us out of the depths of cold war despair into a new golden age where we would loose the restraints of the old antiquated ways and soar into a limitless future.
Watching the videos of his stirring speeches and the quick give and take of his press conferences brought back the public JFK, every bit a young leader. The snippets of more casual moments showed that the qualities we so admired were an integral part of the man and not just put on for special occasions. And those of us from Boston, and knew where Hyannis Port was located, puffed up even greater with hometown pride.
But the limitless future was not to last and on that terrible Friday afternoon, each of us would learn that our hero was gone, shot down in far away Texas by a muddled punk with a cheap rifle. And then it was all gone and our worldly urbane leader was replaced with a graceless homespun cracker with a funny accent. Under different circumstances, it all might have been fodder for countless jokes. But the jokes were few and far between as this bumbling replacement led us into a meat grinder foreign war that tore our country apart.
Last weekend, we took advantage of the Gorman’s trip to Cape Cod for a family wedding to lure Eileen and Jim up for a few days of re-connection and reminiscing. During this two-day memory-fest, we all enjoyed recalling our many friends and the highlights of life in greater Mamaroneck and especially the Larchmont Shore Club. We recalled our excursions that ranged from the theatres of Manhattan to the West Point gridiron and one truly memorable trek around Italy.
On Monday morning, we piled into the car for a planned trip to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, forty-seven miles up the road in Boston. As we exited the Expressway in Dorchester, we caught our first glimpse of the JFK. Situated on a spit of land that juts out into Boston harbor, the distinctive architecture of I.M. Pei was visible for miles, gleaming against the bright summer sky, its sleek black and white design contrasting nicely with the red brick architecture of the nearby University of Massachusetts. While we had all made previous visits, the facility has evolved continuously since its dedication in 1979. We were all struck by the fresh view that its exhibits provided of the 35th president and his times.
For all of us, the early sixties was a magic time. While Dwight Eisenhower had been a towering hero of World War II, we saw him through the hazy ignorance of our youth as a dowdy old man of our parent’s generation. When John F. Kennedy was elected it was as if the skies had opened to perpetual sunshine. We now had our own president, handsome and quick-witted, who would lead us out of the depths of cold war despair into a new golden age where we would loose the restraints of the old antiquated ways and soar into a limitless future.
Watching the videos of his stirring speeches and the quick give and take of his press conferences brought back the public JFK, every bit a young leader. The snippets of more casual moments showed that the qualities we so admired were an integral part of the man and not just put on for special occasions. And those of us from Boston, and knew where Hyannis Port was located, puffed up even greater with hometown pride.
But the limitless future was not to last and on that terrible Friday afternoon, each of us would learn that our hero was gone, shot down in far away Texas by a muddled punk with a cheap rifle. And then it was all gone and our worldly urbane leader was replaced with a graceless homespun cracker with a funny accent. Under different circumstances, it all might have been fodder for countless jokes. But the jokes were few and far between as this bumbling replacement led us into a meat grinder foreign war that tore our country apart.
I hadn't expected to be as moved by visiting the JFK as I was. But during a weekend of remembering old times with good friends, the sounds and images of those thousand days brought back memories of a long-ago time of brief splendor.
2 comments:
Beautifully written. I felt the same way the last time I was at the museum. Good for you all for taking the time to go and visit it again. It's in a beautiful and meaningful spot and encourages reflection and introspection about our politics; then and now. Thanks.
Hi John
Well done I was at JFK's funeral
in Washington at St Matthew's Catheral as a young Marine. I returned there in July for the first time since 1963. It was a moving experience to attend Mass there. The site is great.
All The Best
Gene
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