DALLAS TOO BUSY TO HATE!
Mayor of Dallas Mike paid tribute to our nation’s 35th President during “The 50th: Honoring the Memory of President John F. Kennedy” at Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas. The solemn and dignified public commemoration was held on the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination in downtown Dallas.
“We honor the life, legacy and leadership of the man who called us to think not of our own interests, but of our country’s,” said Rawlings. “We pay tribute to an ‘idealist without illusions’ who helped build a more just and equal world … We stand in awe of a dreamer who challenged us – literally – to reach for the moon, though he himself would not live to see us achieve that goal.”
Held before more than 5,000 Kennedy admirers from Dallas and around the globe, “The 50th” honored the late President with music performed by the 60- member U.S. Naval Academy Men’s Glee Club.
Bishop Kevin J. Farrell of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas gave the opening invocation and prayers were also offered by Rev. Zan W. Holmes Jr., Pastor Emeritus of the St. Luke’s Community United Methodist Church of Dallas.
The President’s death was marked by a tolling of the bells and a moment of silence at 12:30 p.m. A planned flyover salute by the Centex Unit of the Commemorative Air Force was cancelled due to weather-related problems.
The first designated event the city of Dallas has ever held in Kennedy’s memory, “The 50th” also gave Mayor Rawlings the chance to speak about how Dallas has changed since the tragedy and how Kennedy’s legacy has inspired its citizens.
“These five decades have seen us turn civic heartbreak into hard work. They’ve seen us go from youthful invincibility to existential vulnerability, towards greater maturity as a city and a community,” Rawlings said.
“Today, because of the hard work of many people, Dallas is a different city. I believe the “New Frontier” did not end that day on our Texas Frontier. And I’d hope that President Kennedy would be pleased with our humble efforts toward fulfilling our country’s highest calling: that of providing the opportunity for all citizens to exercise those inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” Rawlings said.
Hundreds of media members from around the world covered the event from a two-story press riser facing the stage. All three major U.S. broadcast networks covered the commemoration from a special location on the Commerce Street Plaza area, opposite the grassy knoll. The event was also streamed live online at www.50thHonoringJohnFKennedy.com.
“The 50th: Honoring the Memory of President John F. Kennedy” was free and open to the public, with some 5,000 tickets distributed by a random allocation process. Thousands who couldn’t get tickets watched the event on large LED video screens throughout Dallas at AT&T Plaza at American Airlines.
