The Passing of Senator Ted Kennedy

With the passing of Senator Kennedy after a year-long battle with brain cancer, the United States lost one of the most revered and influential Senators of our time. Having served almost 50 years in the Senate, he will be remembered for his legislative contributions to civil rights, economic justice, and to the ongoing struggle for healthcare reform. He was the driving force behind Title IX, which dramatically increased girls’ and women’s participation on all levels of sports. The Kennedy family was known for their spirited touch football games. Ted Kennedy may well have been the best player of them all. A tight end at Harvard, Senator Kennedy passed up a chance to try out for the Packers in order to go to Law School. At a time in country when political debate often degenerates into angry shouting, we would do well to remember Senator Kennedy’s gift for working across the aisle to advance the common good. We can do no better to say of Senator Kennedy what he said at the passing of his brother, Bobby, “He saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it.” Hopefully when we pass, others can say that about us.