[Paddlewise] postscript on JFK Jr.

Today's NY Times covered the burial at sea and had some articles about
Kennedy on an inside page.  One was titled "The Celebrity Who Was a
'Regular Guy'."

That article was quite moving in its quiet way about the man's common
touch.  He did a lot of volunteer work for charities such as Reaching Up
which helped disabled people and how much some of them appreciated how
he knew how to talk with them with no awkwardness or condescention. The
article winds up with the following two paragraphs that bring the whole
thing into our realm.  To quote:

Early in 1995, he went to the Downtown Boat House, a center for kayakers
near his apartment, to ask about keeping his kayaks there.  When it was
explained that everyone volunteered their time to keep the place going,
Mr. Kennedy was eager to do his part. Then he was reminded what a
disruption he might become.

"If we had had something to do tht didn't involve contact with the
public, he would have been happy to volunteer," James Wetteroth, the
boathouse president, recalled. "Still he was part of the community here.
He just had to walk a little faster than everybody else to keep ahead of
his celebrity."

ralph diaz

 
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Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter
PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024
Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com
"Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag."
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