The Blog of dreamdancer

Forty years ago 06/05/1968 Bobby Kennedy was assassinated.  I once shook his hand and volunteered in his campaign in 1968 though too young to vote this man had my deepest admiration. I was an idealist then.  Barack Obama almost makes me feel like one again.

OCCASION:  Centennial Re-Enactment of Gettysburg Address

I can shut my eyes and see it. I do not remember the season, but it was warm, the sun was bright, the air clear. There was a breeze. It was 1963. I am pretty sure it was before the JFK assassination. There was a staging area, people all dressed in period costume. The actor Robert Ryan standing tall, stovepipe hat, beard and all, looking very much like Abraham Lincoln..."Four score and seven years ago" he began. Now it was quite novel to see an actor in D.C. up close, but he was not really the attraction. It was the brothers Kennedy who had all of the attention. There they stood Robert and brother Edward, young, vibrant, beautiful. He, Robert, took notice of us, just some of many in the crowd. Maybe we were able to command such attention because of the parochial school uniforms that we wore. What ever it was, he stepped over, and very earnestly addressed us, shook our hands. My poor befuddled brain cannot bring up the words he said, but I remember the eyes, the beautiful smile, the feeling of being important. I was 12. Years later, I worked in his campaign. He might have been able to do great things if only given the chance.