Senator Kennedy has died

[ASTalumna06]

Growing up in New England, it was weird to move somewhere else and not have people fully understand The Kennedys as they are known in the far northeast. As someone has already said, they really were like royalty.

I didn't agree with Senator Kennedy's policies much at all, and I've made the same comments and jokes about Chappaquiddick that everyone else has. But I was able to listen to 96.9fm (a Boston station) this morning on the internet, for only an hour before work, and I can't even tell you how many phone calls were made in to the show by people who had a good memory to share about Ted Kennedy. And not just things that they saw on tv, but actual interactions that they had with him, whether it be in person, on the phone, through email or letters.

There was one woman who called in who said that her mother died not too long ago, and while going through her things, she found a letter from Kennedy that, to sum it up, basically said, "Thank you for all of your support during this time." This was shortly after the Chappaquiddick story broke, and she assumed that her mother wrote a letter to the senator saying that she was still standing behind him.

Another person mentioned how one of his friends was in the military, and while fighting overseas, his wife was killed in a car accident. He returned home, and was obviously extremely upset. They told him some time later that he would have to return to active duty, but he was still extremely upset and didn't feel that he would be able to perform his job as he did before. He contacted the senator, and a short time later he received word that he would not be required to return.

Someone else called and said that he had met Kennedy at a charity event, they struck up a conversation, he gave the senator his business card, and he received a "holiday card" from Kennedy a couple weeks later. The two then began conversing, and from then on would just chat on the phone every so often, about everyday things.

Whatever his policies, he definitely was someone who looked out for the people of Massachusetts, and for everyone in this country, and who was always willing to take a few minutes out of his busy schedule to help out the little guy.