Gary,
I guess easily that this was B&W film and you had a long lens. This is the quintessential Ted Kennedy at his peak, advocate for social fairness and access. You have captured his commanding presence and he's either making a great point or accepting a question from a reporter. This shows his vigor and aura of leadership. It wasn't all that way for Ted's is a special path of the fallen man who is redeemed by his good deeds. Thanks for the special picture. When did you take it? It's so archetypical of him in debate! What a special family! The father had a liquor fortune and was really one of the worse examples of whom you'd want to look to for a father figure. However, his wife was organized, thoughtful and cared for the family. She had the vision to build into the kid’s character. So there was the duality of power versus public good that formed the fabric of the Kennedy clan. At the time of the fateful events of Chapaquick, Mary Jo Kopechne for whatever reason was in his car that went off the bridge. This was 39 years ago, well before a lot of readers parents even met! So for that reason only, here's a brief report of what seems to have transpired.
On July 18, 1969, Kopechne attended a party on Chappaquiddick Island, off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, held in honor of the "Boiler Room Girls." This affectionate name was given to the six young women who had been vital to the late Robert Kennedy's presidential campaign and who had subsequently closed up his files and campaign office after his assassination.
Besides Kopechne, the other women, all single, were Susan Tannenbaum, Maryellen Lyons, Ann Lyons, Rosemary (Cricket) Keough, and Esther Newberg. The men in attendance, all married but present without their wives, were Ted Kennedy, Joe Gargan, U.S. Attorney Paul Markham, Charles Tretter, Raymond La Rosa, and John Crimmins. The festivity was held at Lawrence Cottage, rented for the occasion by Gargan, Kennedy's cousin and lawyer. The 12 attendees gathered at the cottage after two Kennedy boats raced in the Edgartown Regatta earlier in the day.
Kopechne left the party at 11:15 p.m. with Kennedy after he allegedly offered to drive her to catch the last ferry back to the Katama Shores Motor Inn in Edgartown where she was staying. (According to Kennedy, they left the party at 11:15 p.m. to catch the last ferry of the night -- at midnight.) Kennedy stated, on his way to the ferry crossing back to Edgartown, that he accidentally turned right onto Dike Road - a dirt road - instead of bearing sharply left on Main Street (Chappaquiddick Rd), which was a paved road. After proceeding one-half mile, he descended a hill and came upon a narrow bridge set obliquely to the unlit road. Kennedy drove the 1967 Oldsmobile Delmont 88 belonging to him, off the side of Dyke Bridge, and the car overturned into Poucha Pond, a fairly narrow tidal body of water. A Reader's Digest investigation estimated that the car was traveling at about 35 miles per hour when it left the bridge.
Kennedy extricated himself from the submerged car but Kopechne died. Kennedy said that he made several diving attempts to free her and, after exhausting himself, rested for fifteen minutes. He then walked some fifteen minutes, past several houses, back to the Lawrence Cottage where the party had been held. When Kennedy arrived back at the cottage, he saw the white Valiant his group had rented parked near the front door. The Senator testified that as he came up to the back of the vehicle, he saw Ray LaRosa. Kennedy made no mention of the accident to LaRosa, however, and instead told him to go get Joe Gargan, Senator Kennedy's cousin and lawyer, and another friend, former U.S. Attorney Paul Markham. Kennedy explained the situation, and although there was a working phone at the cottage, the trio allegedly drove to the scene of the accident to attempt a rescue. The group claimed that the tidal current was too strong and prevented them from reaching Kopechne. Source.
With that, we would have thought, so was his career. However, in some way, redemption was possible. Ted became a stalwart supporter of the rights of the blue-collar workingman and took up causes of universal healthcare as if he was defending his very existence. Who would have though from that odd start, and cheating at Harvard, would come such a fine statesman. Without left and right men of conscience, how would we look at alternatives? They don't each have the answers, but the debate is necessary. As such, I salute the guy. It demonstrates that whatever there is in store for us after death, at least on this earth, we have the possibility of redeeming our character and impact on society.
Here's a man who could have immersed himself in only the life of luxury and personal pleasure, such is his wealth and privilege. Instead he has inherited his mother's conscience, the fear of damnation or a realization that being worthy is of overriding value that he's fought for those who cannot.
Your picture comes at a good time for a reminder. No one is perfect, we all screw up, but one still has the possibility of reaching to do better. Of all the photographs of this Kennedy that I remember, this one will stick in my mind as representing his best!
Asher
