Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who has been showered with accolades in recent months, was at his most celebrated last night as he was awarded the Profiles in Courage Award - an honor that was named in memory of his brother, announced by his niece, Caroline Kennedy, and presented in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts that bears his famous family's name.
He became more celebrated when the president of the United States walked across the Kennedy Center stage and led an on-its-feet audience in a robust rendition of "Happy Birthday" to the senator, who turned 77 on Feb. 22.
"Happy birthday, dear Teddy," a beaming Barack Obama sang, gesturing with his hands as though he were conducting an orchestra. A bevy of Broadway singers and dancers joined in, while Kennedy and his wife, Vicki, cheered from their box seats. They were accompanied by such stars as Lauren Bacall and Bill Cosby, who declared the commander in chief to be the one man who could keep everyone on key.
The private concert and award ceremony was the latest in a series of tributes to the Massachusetts lawmaker, who was diagnosed last May with a malignant glioma, an aggressive type of brain tumor. Since then, Kennedy has been balancing his own medical treatments with his work in the Senate for a national healthcare plan for all Americans, a goal the senator has pursued for more than three decades.
Kennedy had been nominated many times for the Profiles in Courage Award, which was named for President Kennedy's book and given to public servants who make courageous decisions of conscience. But he was not previously eligible to receive it, since he was on the selection board.
Caroline Kennedy - after joking that she "never thought I'd be in a room with so many senators," a wry reference to her own flirtation with an appointment to a Senate seat from New York - told the assemblage that the award was overdue recognition for the work her "Uncle Teddy" has done for human rights, civil rights, and healthcare.
"For you, there is no end to the commitment, only the next great battle, Caroline Kennedy said. "That is why, when we finally achieve quality healthcare for all, we will all have you to thank," she added, drawing a loud round of applause from the audience and especially from the box where Kennedy and his wife sat with first lady Michelle Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senator John F. Kerry.
"We love you, Uncle Teddy," said Caroline Kennedy, who is also president of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.
The concert - attended by Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston, numerous senators, Cabinet secretaries, political activists, and admirers - was the latest in a series of honors Kennedy has received. Most recently, he was awarded an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II, prompting Cosby and Kennedy Center chairman Stephen Schwarzman to jokingly call him "Sir Ted."
"While this center is a memory to your brother, you have been its guiding light since its inception," Schwarzman said. "You have inspired us so much over the years. Tonight is our night to say that to you."
Cosby warmed up the crowd with jokes. Jazz singer Lizz Wright delivered a powerful rendition of "America the Beautiful." Bernadette Peters sang a sultry rendition of "There Is Nothing Like a Dame," while singer James Taylor, sitting soulfully with his guitar, sang "Belfast to Boston" to mark Kennedy's work on the Irish peace process.
The hosts showed a film honoring Kennedy's life, including pictures of him as a boy and as a senator, and brief remarks from the Senate and Vicki Kennedy.
Near the end, Tony Award-winning singer Brian Stokes Michael had the audience members dabbing their eyes as he sang "The Impossible Dream," a song he noted had a new meaning since he first sang it for Kennedy at the senator's 70th birthday party.
While Kennedy's illness has alarmed and saddened his friends, it has also led them to pay a series of tributes to a man colleagues say rarely demands credit or attention for himself.
In speeches and in interviews, the man with the most famous political name in the Senate directs the conversation to legislative issues or the people he believes need his help. He is known on Capitol Hill for putting colleagues' names ahead of his own on a bill, and for sharing credit on legislative efforts he has spearheaded.
At one poignant Democratic caucus meeting, recalled Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, senators were asked to go around the room and tell a few words about themselves, and most complied, recounting their own career paths and family lives.
But Kennedy, Durbin recalled, leaned over to Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, and told him he was going to tell the story of how Bayh's father saved his life. Then, Kennedy recounted how former senator Birch Bayh had pulled Kennedy out of a small plane after their aircraft crashed in 1964.
Since Kennedy became ill, the verbal and official thank-yous have poured in: in September, the Chilean government gave Kennedy the highest honor awarded to a civilian, the Order to the Merit of Chile, in recognition of his work for human rights in the Latin American nation.
Last month, the National Council of La Raza, the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights group, gave Kennedy its Capital Award for his work on immigration reform and other issues important to Latinos. And last Tuesday, Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain announced that Queen Elizabeth II had bestowed the honorary knighthood on Kennedy.
But last night's celebration - attended by the entire Kennedy clan - has been Kennedy's biggest evening of honor, and one his admirers indicated would not be his last.
He became more celebrated when the president of the United States walked across the Kennedy Center stage and led an on-its-feet audience in a robust rendition of "Happy Birthday" to the senator, who turned 77 on Feb. 22.
"Happy birthday, dear Teddy," a beaming Barack Obama sang, gesturing with his hands as though he were conducting an orchestra. A bevy of Broadway singers and dancers joined in, while Kennedy and his wife, Vicki, cheered from their box seats. They were accompanied by such stars as Lauren Bacall and Bill Cosby, who declared the commander in chief to be the one man who could keep everyone on key.
The private concert and award ceremony was the latest in a series of tributes to the Massachusetts lawmaker, who was diagnosed last May with a malignant glioma, an aggressive type of brain tumor. Since then, Kennedy has been balancing his own medical treatments with his work in the Senate for a national healthcare plan for all Americans, a goal the senator has pursued for more than three decades.
Kennedy had been nominated many times for the Profiles in Courage Award, which was named for President Kennedy's book and given to public servants who make courageous decisions of conscience. But he was not previously eligible to receive it, since he was on the selection board.
Caroline Kennedy - after joking that she "never thought I'd be in a room with so many senators," a wry reference to her own flirtation with an appointment to a Senate seat from New York - told the assemblage that the award was overdue recognition for the work her "Uncle Teddy" has done for human rights, civil rights, and healthcare.
"For you, there is no end to the commitment, only the next great battle, Caroline Kennedy said. "That is why, when we finally achieve quality healthcare for all, we will all have you to thank," she added, drawing a loud round of applause from the audience and especially from the box where Kennedy and his wife sat with first lady Michelle Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senator John F. Kerry.
"We love you, Uncle Teddy," said Caroline Kennedy, who is also president of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.
The concert - attended by Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston, numerous senators, Cabinet secretaries, political activists, and admirers - was the latest in a series of honors Kennedy has received. Most recently, he was awarded an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II, prompting Cosby and Kennedy Center chairman Stephen Schwarzman to jokingly call him "Sir Ted."
"While this center is a memory to your brother, you have been its guiding light since its inception," Schwarzman said. "You have inspired us so much over the years. Tonight is our night to say that to you."
Cosby warmed up the crowd with jokes. Jazz singer Lizz Wright delivered a powerful rendition of "America the Beautiful." Bernadette Peters sang a sultry rendition of "There Is Nothing Like a Dame," while singer James Taylor, sitting soulfully with his guitar, sang "Belfast to Boston" to mark Kennedy's work on the Irish peace process.
The hosts showed a film honoring Kennedy's life, including pictures of him as a boy and as a senator, and brief remarks from the Senate and Vicki Kennedy.
Near the end, Tony Award-winning singer Brian Stokes Michael had the audience members dabbing their eyes as he sang "The Impossible Dream," a song he noted had a new meaning since he first sang it for Kennedy at the senator's 70th birthday party.
While Kennedy's illness has alarmed and saddened his friends, it has also led them to pay a series of tributes to a man colleagues say rarely demands credit or attention for himself.
In speeches and in interviews, the man with the most famous political name in the Senate directs the conversation to legislative issues or the people he believes need his help. He is known on Capitol Hill for putting colleagues' names ahead of his own on a bill, and for sharing credit on legislative efforts he has spearheaded.
At one poignant Democratic caucus meeting, recalled Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, senators were asked to go around the room and tell a few words about themselves, and most complied, recounting their own career paths and family lives.
But Kennedy, Durbin recalled, leaned over to Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, and told him he was going to tell the story of how Bayh's father saved his life. Then, Kennedy recounted how former senator Birch Bayh had pulled Kennedy out of a small plane after their aircraft crashed in 1964.
Since Kennedy became ill, the verbal and official thank-yous have poured in: in September, the Chilean government gave Kennedy the highest honor awarded to a civilian, the Order to the Merit of Chile, in recognition of his work for human rights in the Latin American nation.
Last month, the National Council of La Raza, the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights group, gave Kennedy its Capital Award for his work on immigration reform and other issues important to Latinos. And last Tuesday, Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain announced that Queen Elizabeth II had bestowed the honorary knighthood on Kennedy.
But last night's celebration - attended by the entire Kennedy clan - has been Kennedy's biggest evening of honor, and one his admirers indicated would not be his last.
Go to:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/03/09/obama_leads_star_studded_birthday_salute_to_kennedy/
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