“John Fitzgerald Kennedy inspired our America; Robert Kennedy challenged our America; and Teddy changed our America,” said Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut. “He was a champion for countless people who otherwise might not have had one, and he never quit on them, never gave up on the belief that we could make tomorrow a better day. Never.”

Frequent Laughter

The audience laughed frequently at the stories told by speakers. Dodd recalled that after he underwent prostate surgery a few weeks ago, Kennedy called him, saying in a booming voice, “between going through prostate cancer surgery and doing town hall meetings, you made the right choice!”  daughter of

Kennedy’s niece Caroline Kennedy,the late president, spoke about how her uncle used to take his nieces and nephews on “family history trips,” including one miserable campout that he abandoned to check into a Ritz hotel.