My Mom's Loving Relationship With Her Friend, Teddy
One day when I was working at the Senate my parents came to Washington on one of their rare visits. I met them in the cafeteria. We had lunch. Then we headed to the Senate subway to ride it back to the Capitol.
And then, standing right there waiting for a trolley car, stood Ted Kennedy, alone.
Of course, I saw him all the time in the Russell building (I worked for Carl Levin and both senators had offices there) but my parents -- liberals like you read about -- had never seen him. Never. And they loved the Kennedys, especially the Trinity of Jack, Bobby and Ted. Plus Jackie, John John, and Caroline.
I walked over to Kennedy (he could see I was staff from my badge) and said, "Senator, could I introduce you to my parents.
"Absolutely", he said. "My pleasure."
He greeted them. "So where are you from, he asked.
My dad said, "Rockaway Park, New York."
Kennedy smiled, "Fine place. The Rockaways. Lots of Irish. Cops and firemen."
My dad said that yes, his son-in-law, was a FDNY fire fighter.
Then my father talked to him a bit, about politics, but mom, the shyest person on earth -- even when not in the presence of God -- smiled in a frozen way and said nothing. Not one word.
The senator tried to get her to talk. But she just held his hand and looked at him with adoration.
Then the trolley came. He turned to mom.
"Helen, you ride with me." He put his arm around her and took her up front where the senators rode. We were in the back laughing hysterically. Poor mom. She must be dying.
The ride ended. He said goodbye to us and gave her a little hug.
"Mom, what did you talk about," we asked.
"Nothing. I couldn't utter a word. Finally he asked if I'd like to have his autograph and I nodded," she said.
She showed it to us. "I will keep this forever."
My father was appalled, "You didn't say a goddam word. He must have thought you were a moron."
"I don't think he thought that," she said. "Not at all."
Hey, I got to be the first rec on that!
MJ,that was just beautiful. Thank for you for sharing something vivid, personal, and illuminating as to who was Teddy and how he affected people. Rich stuff! -O.T.
August 27, 2009 6:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
I thank you, OT. And so does mom (now 91).
August 27, 2009 6:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Tell your Mom if you care to, M.J., that her little story touched us. Even her firing back at Dad. Very good stuff indeed! LOL!
We are certain that she is very, very proud of you.
Best, O.T.
August 27, 2009 7:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
I will tell her that. Thank you.
August 28, 2009 2:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
My father was appalled, "You didn't say a goddam word. He must have thought you were a moron."
Ya know, this is exactly what my dad would've said to my mother if she had done the same thing. However, my mother, would've talked Teddy's Irish ass off talking about Kilkenney.
Nooo... Teddy wouldn't think that anyway. It is though, I think, truly classic Ted Kennedy.
August 27, 2009 6:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
As JFK said when he heard that MLK's father voted for Nixon.
"We all have our fathers."
And one thing they have in common is saying that kind of stuff.
Just typing it brought him back!
August 27, 2009 6:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
This was lovely. Thanks, MJ.
August 27, 2009 8:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
I bet she still has the autograph, too. When I was in high school I shook hands with Hubert Humphrey. I couldn't bring myself to say anything to him, either. But 50 years later I'm still the guy who shook hands with Hubert Humphrey.
August 27, 2009 9:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
I got JFK--before the nomination even.A few kids from my high school went to some rally somewhere, and sang some damn song. But I got to shake his hand and wish him good luck--the luck thing ran out....it always does, that's why they call it "luck"
August 27, 2009 11:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
My mother was one of those people like Forest Gump who would accidentally cross stars with famous people.
For instance, as she turned a corner to walk down Chestnut Street in downtown Philadelphia, a crowd of people pushed her toward the curb. She threw out her arms in front of to catch her balance at the very nano second the waiting hand of Robert Kennedy was there to shake it.
A few years later, she was sitting at the coffee shop counter in the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco, enjoying her morning java while holding a 45 minute chat with the kindly old stranger sitting alone on the next stool.
When the nice gentleman left, a small collection of shop patrons ran up to my mother asking if she was somebody famous and how she knew Chief Justice Warren.
My mother responded, "Who was that?"
August 28, 2009 5:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks MJ. That story put a wide grin on my face and brought tears to my eyes.
August 28, 2009 1:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wait a second, was Ted Kennedy maybe trying to hit on your mom? Just sayin...
August 28, 2009 2:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, Ted Kennedy was a Prince. Why, he even learned to laugh about Chappaquiddick, as a few of his friends on the left fondly remembered.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaiTipTtbak&feature=player_embedded
Can you think of anyone in the history of the Republican party who was personally responsible for someone's death, refused to report it in order to save his own political future, then joked about it among friends? Anything even remotely as vile? Anyone, anyone, Bueller?
Of course, there's far, far more - read the 1990 Vanity Fair article by Michael Kelly (no right winger) for a description of the man in full. Carl Cannon also has a very revealing recent piece.
Regardless of how you feel about his politics, on a personal level, Ted Kennedy lived one of the most appalling, depraved and insensitive lives of any public figure in American history. His liberalism was probably of a piece with Bob Packwood's ostentatious support for abortion - compensation for a guilty conscience and a lifetime of misdeeds.
Why you people want to support a man like this and clutch him to your breast is beyond me. Show a little discretion, and at least acknowledge that he was capable of behavior that was simply monstrous and unprecedented for a US Senator (cowardly running away while a woman fought for her life, walking by homes rather than asking for help, never reporting it to police etc.). Common decency demands it.
August 28, 2009 2:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is typical. Someone makes a point and posts a link. But the link doesn't support the point. It's almost as if Cato doesn't think we're going to listen to the link.
August 30, 2009 9:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bush: 4300 dead in Iraq in a war based on a lie he knew was a lie.
Nixon: 25,000 dead in Vietnam after he knew that the war was lost but he had to save face.
That's a start.
Kennedy's act was one of colossal error and immorality (by leaving). He did not go to Chappaquidick with the intention of killing anyone.
Terrible accidents are not like flatout intentional killing.
Also, 100,000 Iraqis for Bush.
Cato, you suffering much this weekend. All this love for Kennedy. Worst day for you since Obama became President.
August 28, 2009 4:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Over 5 million dead in Vietnam due to a war that the Kennedy brothers started. If we're going to start counting. And tons of those were when Nixon was in office. And the death toll in Iraq has been well over a million, so far. All you care about is American lives, MJ?
August 29, 2009 12:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
Not at all MJ, I'm always upbeat - and extremely positive about where the country is heading. If I was a Democrat I'd be very worried about '10 and '12.
No arguments from me about Nixon, I'm definitely not a fan. The thing about Bush starting a war based on a lie he knew was a lie is silly, and I think you know it. If Bush lied, so did both Clintons, Al Gore, Jacques Chirac, Gehrard Schroeder, Mohamed el-Baridei, Kofin Anan and everyone who assumed Saddam had WMDs (which wasn't the ultimate reason for the war anyway). At some point the left will have to face up to the fact that the Iraq war has been a tremendous success...the world will come around soon, the American left maybe not.
And Kennedy's misdeeds go WAY beyond Chappa - check out the Kelly piece.
August 28, 2009 7:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
One day, Dan MacDougal of Tennessee showed up at our unit in the Fourth Division at Camp Enari in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. He'd just been suddenly reassigned and was her EVER happy. Before that, he had been an infantryman humping in the bush with a very bad back condition. His unit commander would not take him out of the field and Dan had to keep humping and suffering mightily.
First he wrote a letter to Al Gore Senior, his own state senator, seeking help. No luck: no response. He then wrote a letter appealing for help to Ted Kennedy. Soon, a helicopter was dispatched to pick him up at his firebase and he was brought back to our base camp and reassigned to the division postal unit. A congressional investigation had been brought about by Senator Kennedy and officials in the Pentagon immediately took action.
I'll never forget Dan's drawn and wasted appearance that day as he walked in for duty. A few weeks later came the incident at Chappaquidick. Since then, I've always believed in Ted Kennedy as a person and although he took responsibility for the death of the young woman at Poucha Pond, I've yet to be convinced that he had been riding in the car with her when it went off the side of that bridge. Yes, he was responsible for her death, but I feel that the real story of what had actually happened might, just might, be soon revealed.
August 29, 2009 12:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
That story was far better than any of the pieces I've seen on TV. My generation was lead to believe that Jimmy Carter was an idiot, Ted Kennedy was a drunk and John Lennon a quack. So seeing him without that lens has always been a struggle. Thank you.
August 29, 2009 7:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Very nice!
You would be great at an Irish wake. :^)
August 29, 2009 3:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, your story made me cry. Your mom understood the magnitude of history born by the man, and the man understood that she knew.
.
August 31, 2009 8:43 AM | Reply | Permalink