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“Where were you on the afternoon of November
22, 1963?”
Every member of the Class
of 1964 will remember that day vividly, no matter how many years go by, as
the day that President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated. Having
spent more time on campus during the thousand days of the Kennedy
administration than any other class, we were the Cornell students most
marked by the idealism and enthusiasm that our young president brought to
the office and to our country. We were the first beneficiaries of Kennedy’s
efforts to tap the leadership potential of America’s youth with such
programs as the Peace Corps and the White House Summer Seminar. We were
witness to his election and inauguration our freshman year, and as seniors
watched as his funeral cortege made its way to Arlington National Cemetery.
In response to the sense
of loss we felt then, and to perpetuate our slain President’s commitment to
service, the Class of 1964 established the John F. Kennedy Award as the
expression of deeply-held beliefs that touched us all, in spite of our broad
diversity. With hope for the future, we have chosen to support Cornell
graduates’ efforts in the field of public service. Rather than donate more
concrete manifestations of our generosity such as gates, benches, or trees
to the campus, we use our class’ funds each year to foster the career of
Cornell students who exhibit a dedication and idealism similar to that which
we ourselves experienced as representatives of “the Kennedy generation.”
Throughout his
presidency, John Kennedy fought to bring together the intellectual knowledge
of our nation’s college and university scholars with the practical abilities
of politicians and statesmen in order to provide the best leadership for our
country. The Kennedy Award expresses the strong commitment our class feels
to the support of Cornell graduates with both the desire and demonstrated
ability to participate in this combination of intellectual and political
endeavor.
However, the Class of
‘64’s overarching commitment to public service is not limited to the Kennedy
Award. Many members of our class have already shown this by the dedication
they have demonstrated in their lives and the contributions they have made
to others. Through a variety of career choices, some in government or law,
others in less obviously related fields such as education, business, or
volunteer work, the members of our class have made a difference over the
years, both to local communities across the nation and to the country at
large. The general character of the Class of ’64 is apparent in this
dedication to public service – a value that consistently seems to influence
our choices.
Gradually, through the
years since we graduated, our country’s belief in political leadership has
become progressively more eroded. We try to remember that when we were
undergraduates “politics” did not seem to us a dirty word, the foreign
service was a desirable career path, and patriotism was a motivation we
could admit to without embarrassment or fear of being misunderstood. With
every year our country’s need grows ever more acute for dedicated college
graduates in the fields of government and public service, working to help
solve the serious social problems which continue to prevail and increase.
Our class champions this cause, both by individual example and by our annual
gift of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Award.
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