Beirut
Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet.
We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.
— President John F. Kennedy
If you come to my neighborhood in Beirut, you’ll find Rue John Kennedy–a street often referenced by travel writers and Op-Ed columnists alike. Today, while pundits and politicians are busy debating JFK’s legacy on the 50th anniversary of his death, I’ll be strolling past the fresh graffiti on Rue John Kennedy in Beirut–running errands and going to volunteer at St. Jude’s in the AUB Medical Center. And, on the way, I’ll be thinking about JFK’s legacy here in Lebanon.
For instance, the letter below–written by the Assistant to the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American University of Beirut to President Kennedy–references the wide support of Middle Eastern leaders for JFK’s presidency, as well as the construction of a new medical center for the university here in Beirut. So when I’m in the Children’s Cancer Center this week-end at the American University of Beirut Medical Center, I’ll be thinking about how JFK’s support played a part in making it all possible so many decades ago…
To read the letter in full, please click here.
JFK in Beirut...
