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| Sorensen and JFK |
John F. Kennedy is remembered today for what he did and for how he died so dreadfully 50 years ago. But like the greatest of great men Kennedy continues to be remembered and honoured for the things he said. The eternal strength and clarity of his language continues to thrill millions around the world to this day. His direct words were set within sentences that gripped our hearts and souls. Who is not moved even now by his call to self-sacrifice and service in his inaugural address? “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. He made the same searing impact with his solemn vow to spare no cost in defense of freedom. “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” It was a time when much of the world lived under rigid dictatorship. Kennedy wrote his inspiring speeches in collaboration with a studious assistant, Theodore (Ted) Sorenson. Sorensen died in 2010 at the age of 82. Kennedy owed much to his speech writer but it was JFK’s appreciation of his duty to render his words worthy of his office that has endowed this U.S. president with the greatness we admire today.
