Boston State College - Bostonian / Lampas Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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urtesy LIFE Magazine © 1963 Time In

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ff Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. Those words were uttered by our late President John F. Kennedy in his inaugural address on January 4, 1961. As we now go into the world to instruct the youth of America, let us remember those words and the one who spoke them. None of us will ever forget that tragic event on Friday, November 22, 1963, when John F. Kennedy was struck dead by an assassin ' s bullet. The reaction at first was one of disbelief. Then, the questioning. How, we asked, could that happen here? Why did it happen? Perhaps we shall never know the answers to these questions, but we as teachers can work to prevent a similar occurrence. When a society is such that there is one member who is capable of committing such a despicable deed against his nation and against his fellowman, then there is still much room for improvement. When a society still nurtures a decadence in the form of a person who consciously kills one of the greatest men of history, then that society is itself in some manner corrupt. For just as a chain is as strong as its weakest link, then a society or nation is as strong and as without taint as its weakest member. You may say these are extremely harsh words. It was only one man who killed John F. Kennedy. If you say this, you are wrong. It was all of us who somewhere in our hearts harbor the seeds of hate and allow them to grow and be seen by others. It was those of us who are selfish, who are prejudiced against our fellowman. If these feelings persist in us, the people of a nation, then that nation is not a united nation; it is a divided nation and as such it will fall. Let this tragic event serve as a reminder — a reminder that we have a responsibility to our nation, to the memory of John F. Kennedy and to the world. That responsibility is to spread brotherhood and patriotism. We as teachers are in an opportune position to reach the youth of our country. It is the youth upon whom our country depends for the future; but it is upon us that our country depends for the present. We can best serve it by erasing from our hearts and minds all feelings and thoughts of prejudice and strive for the ideals of equality for which J.F.K. strove. If we fail, there will be no second c hance, for if we of the present do not do what we must, then those of the future will have nothing on which to build. A nation cannot always begin at the beginning; it must go forward and upward to perfection. When you begin to instruct our nation ' s youth, remember your responsibility. The responsibility of the nation is yours. You may not be able to teach all that you wish of the fundamentals of grammar, the intricacies of mathematics, or the dates of history, but you can, by your example, instill in the youth a feeling of love for your fellowman, a desire for the equality of all men, a love of peace and freedom, a hatred for injustice, and — foremost — a love for the ideals of your nation. In memory of John F. Kennedy, do not shirk from your responsibility, but rather say, as he did: I welcome that responsibility. Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. Let these words serve as a constant reminder of what we must and shall do so that our nation will survive, and its ideals become reality. When this happens, J.F.K. will not have died in vain. Geraldine Brown 19