A Fond Farewell

• By Ralph C. Jensen
• Aug 27, 2009

Politics aside, I’m saddened like many Americans to hear of Sen. Ted Kennedy’s passing. Like him or not, he was a devoted public servant who held passionate believe that government programs could cure the ills of poverty and lend its voice in social debate.

How can a conservative idealist like myself feel so strongly about a liberal like Kennedy? For me, it was his passion to help others. He didn’t just talk, it was his life’s mission to put his words into action.

Many Americans my age became acquainted with the Kennedy’s when his brother, Jack, was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. I was eight years old, having lunch recess during school when the news came. Instantly, the Kennedy family became larger than life. Brother Robert was gunned down in 1968 in Los Angeles.

Edward Kennedy became everyone’s Kennedy, for better or for worse. Like all of us, he had his moments, but in the long run, he provided a voice of reason from the liberal left. A booming voice that would tackle the social issues, then ask friends from the conservative party if he sounded OK.

I’m thankful for his life well lived, his service to America and his views that brought proper balance to public debate.

Edward M. Kennedy, 1932-2009.