One hundred years after his birth, the myth of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, popularly known as JFK, remains more alive than ever in the United States, where many countrymen venerate him as a symbol of his country’s hopes and aspirations.
The thirty-fifth president of the United States would meet on Monday a century since he was born in a relatively modest home in Brookline, just outside Boston (Massachusetts).
Despite fragile health, the only Catholic leader who has occupied the White House did not disappoint his parents, of Irish origin.
An avid reader, well-known donjuán and lover of the sport, Kennedy traveled by Europe, where his father was ambassador of USA. in London; He graduated in Humanities with honors at Harvard University and fought in World War II, whence he came back as a hero.
After serving as a congressman and senator on the Washington Capitol, young John reached the zenith of his political career on November 8, 1960, when he won Democratic presidential candidate Richard Nixon in a fierce presidential election.
It is well known that during his presidency Kennedy dealt with the failed attempt to invade the Cuban Bay of Pigs to overthrow Fidel Castro (1961), the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962), which put the planet on the brink of war Nuclear power plant. And the Soviet Union, and the promotion of the race for the exploration of outer space, among other challenges.
His legacy resonates strongly with his brilliant oratory, exalted in the famous phrase of his speech of investiture pronounced on January 20, 1961: “Do not ask what your country can do for you, ask what you can do For your country “.
And everyone knows, of course, the tragic end of JFK on November 22, 1963, when he received several bullet wounds in downtown Dallas (Texas) that killed his life at the age of 46, a murder recorded at Fire in the US collective memory.
To mark his centenary, Kennedy’s young and optimistic image is reborn in the memory of Americans thanks to the celebration of commemorative events throughout the country.
That image shines on a stamp that the US Postal Service issued to celebrate JFK’s 100th anniversary.
The timbre reproduces Kennedy’s iconic portrait of Kennedy in 1960 during an election campaign rally in Seattle’s Victory Square, where the then Democratic presidential hopeful dressed for the rally wearing a suit and tie raises The look with pensive and optimistic countenance.
Also commemorating the centennial is the Kennedy Center, Washington’s performing arts temple that takes the name of the president and pays homage to his passion for art.
The institution has programmed a series of concerts and shows inspired by its ideals: courage, freedom, justice, service and gratitude.
About ten minutes walk from the cultural center you will reach Georgetown, the most picturesque and elegant neighborhood in Washington, where strolling through its cobblestone streets is immersed in the biography of John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
Not surprisingly, Kennedy resided in Georgetown in his stage of congressman and senator, before moving to the White House.
JFK left a very special imprint on the famous “Martin’s Tavern”, a cozy and historic pub with an unmistakable yellow façade.
Legend has it and, again and again, the owners of the pub, that Kennedy requested marriage in the “Reserved 3” to the journalist Jacqueline Bouvier (better known as Jackie) on June 24, 1953, after returning the girl to cover the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of England for the Washington Times Herald newspaper.
“Every week we have two or three propositions here. They want to ask for a marriage where JFK did,” says Chrissy Gardner, head of marketing for the establishment.
Near the pub, JFK came every Sunday to the historic Church of the Holy Trinity, where he lived his last Mass before his death.
JFK’s remains lie in Arlington National Cemetery on the outskirts of the US capital, along with those of Jackie, who died of cancer on May 19, 1994 at the age of 64.
Day and night, rain or snow, the tomb of Kennedy is lit by the “eternal flame.”
It is a symbol that his memory is still alive and that, as a passage from his investiture speech says, “the glow of that fire can illuminate the world.”
