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BOSMXJ12

Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.

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F ront Runners Rose, Edward, John Jr., and Jacqueline Kennedy, 1977 from left: Caroline, boston's first family digs in W THE KENNEDYS BROKE GROUND 35 YEARS AGO FOR JFK'S MEMORIAL, NEXT TO A SITE THAT WILL SOON IMMORTALIZE HIS BROTHER. by alex solomon hile some famous figures are simply memorialized in history, John F. Kennedy was given a more perma- nent place in his native city. To honor the late president, his family established the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, the sole national memorial in his name. On June 12, 1977, in the com- pany of 500 guests including Governor Michael Dukakis, the family opened the ceremony with a mass followed by remarks from Senator Edward Kennedy and other speakers. Also present were Caroline, Rose, John Jr., and Jacqueline Onassis Kennedy, all of whom hoisted shovels for the official breaking of ground. Funds for the $12.8 million memorial were raised by the John F. Kennedy Library Corporation. The library and museum complex, designed by architect I.M. Pei, was completed and dedicated in October 1979. Since its opening, more than 6.5 million visitors have explored the Presidential Library and its vast archives. The library holds a trove of Kennedy treasures, including letters the president wrote to his family, the Bible on which he took the oath of office, and personal effects from his Oval Office desk. Furthering the work of Boston's most famous family, the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate is set to open in 2013 on land adjacent to the JFK Presidential Library. The Cape House—the home of Joseph P. Kennedy and his wife, Rose, on the family's compound in Hyannis Port—was recently gifted to the Institute and will be used for selected educational seminars and forums. Perhaps "Kennedy think tank" will one day roll off the tongue as fluidly as "Kennedy compound." BC 16 bostoncommon-magazine.com photography courtesy of the john f. kennedy presidential library and museum

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