John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site Celebrates 50th Anniversary

U.S. Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III addresses his family’s legacy of public service at John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site on 50th Anniversary of its opening day.  Seated in the background are National Park Service staff, Kennedy family scholars, and local pubic officials.

NPS Photo

On May 29, 2019, John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site celebrated President Kennedy’s 102nd birthday, the 35th annual Coolidge Corner School program “What JFK Means to Me”, and the 50th Anniversary of its opening day in a public ceremony. Guest speakers included Northeast Regional Director for the National Park Service Gay Vietzke, U.S. Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III, and Kennedy scholars and award-winning authors Barbara Perry, David Nasaw, and Fredrik Logevall, among other Town of Brookline and State of Massachusetts officials.

Around 400 visitors attended, including 120 third grade students from the Coolidge Corner School who participated in a month-long exploration of the life and legacy of John F. Kennedy. Class poems and student essays were read aloud by NPS staff and the students sang Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind.”
Special recognition was paid to audience members Robert Luddington and Lee Adlerstein who attended the site’s opening day on May 29, 1969. Mr. Luddington was instrumental in helping the President’s mother, Rose Kennedy, restore the home to its 1917 appearance and Mr. Adlerstein was a park ranger who worked at the site during its first season.

After the ceremony, visitors enjoyed birthday cake which featured an artistic rendition of the historic house’s front façade.

U.S. Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III addresses his family’s legacy of public service at John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site on 50^th Anniversary of its opening day. Seated in the background are National Park Service staff, Kennedy family scholars, and local pubic officials. Seated in the foreground are invited guests and members of the Brookline and Greater Boston Communities. Credit: NPS/ Matt Teuten Photography.