The Second Time Around

Last week, thanks to the Seattle Public Library Foundation, where I am board member, I had the special opportunity to have a brief encounter with Caroline Kennedy.  She was here in Seattle as Chair of National Library Week to talk about the value of libraries and her new anthology of poems called “Poems to learn by Heart.”

 

What a lovely and delightful woman she is.  With three grown children, a wry sense of humor and soft spoken nature, it is easy to see that she has a true sense of her place and stature. Casual is a word that comes to mind regarding her demeanor, but the Radcliffe and Columbia Law School grad has her eyes focused clearly on the horizon and knows where she’s headed…even toward a possible ambassadorship, though she dodged it when I asked her…which I think in political speak means she’ll do it, if it’s offered.

 

Ms. Kennedy was enthralled with the students who came to her gathering at the First Baptist Church to recite their own poetry.  In her brief remarks she talked about her new anthology and how she had asked her children to contribute their favorite poems and one of her sons chose the “shortest poem known to man”.  “Not exactly what I hoped for, “ she said, with a crinkle in her nose, “But that’s what I get for letting him choose.”

 

Afterward, she signed her new book and the line was out the door and around the block…literally. She vowed to sign until the end of the line and it was then that I got my opportunity to talk to her.  Having a brief chat meant a lot to me because this was actually the second time I had met her.  The unusual thing was that the two meetings were 50 years apart.

 

My father took a job at the Pentagon before I finished high school and we made the move to DC in stages while I was finishing up.  Though I was not looking forward to my 12^th move in 12 public school years, there was a carrot out there.  Because of my father’s position in the military and my grandfather’s political connections, there was a White House/Capitol Hill internship being dangled in front of me.

 

I’ll skip the details of that story for Caroline’s sake and just say I took the internship and, in many respects, it changed the direction of my life.  That first summer was an incredible head trip.  I was selected to be on a special task force called the White House Seminar.  A group of us interns organized a weekly meeting with a who’s who of the Kennedy cabinet.  Each week, We got to meet and talk with people who are now indelibly a part of political history.  Bobby Kennedy (of course); Lyndon Johnson; Robert McNamara; Newton Minnow (FCC); Hubert Humphrey; Arthur Schlesinger and the list goes on.

 

Twice President Kennedy cancelled and, as we approached the last meeting of the summer, it appeared again that he wouldn’t be joining us. Vice President Johnson was scheduled for an encore, still pretty cool. But literally the day before, we all got calls from the Secret Service checking our security clearances (White House interns had to have at least “Top Secret”).  A little later the word came down that the buses would be picking us up at prescribed locations around the mall for the trip to the White House.  We were Rose Garden bound!

 

It turned out that I had a meeting there anyway so when I finished early, I checked in for a front row seat…there were actually no seats, we all had to stand.  Here was my chance for a brush with greatness and peek at the destiny of our country.  The President’s remarks were about the importance of government service (I still have a copy of the speech).  It was a sunny, hot day but I would have stood there forever, 20 feet away from the President who made public service real to me.

 

When he concluded the speech, the secret service closed ranks but I stepped up and said I wanted to shake hands.  I guess I was not a threat because they let me by. My 30-seconds with him was answering “Who have you  been working with?”  “Bobby told me about your father.” (a story for another time) “You can be anything you want to be.  Think hard about helping us out here in the government.”

 

As he moved on, I realized I was almost to the portico and suddenly, Jackie appeared with “John John” and Caroline.  They started shaking hands with all the interns.  I shook Jackie’s hand. She said “Thank you for your service” and then “John John” and Caroline each shook my hand as well.  All I could manage to say was “Beautiful children.”

 

That day lives on in my mind and I constantly revisit it in bits and pieces depending on the situation.  I really wanted to tell Caroline the whole story but there was just too much going on and I’m sure her hand was getting tired from signing hundreds of books.  I did get an abbreviated version of the encounter out, though, and she seemed engaged by it.  When I finished, she smiled warmly and said “Sorry, but I don’t remember.” It really didn't matter because I did.

 

What impressed me most about my second encounter with Caroline was that, despite the tragedy in her life, she seems to get her strength and drive from her family.  Caroline is the sole survivor, yet she talks so casually and comfortably about them.  “Uncle Teddy always said…” “Mom did this or that” “John and I were…” “I remember when my father…” It’s just as though they are all still with her. For her sake and ours, I hope they are. Another day to remember.