23 Peace Monuments for John F. & Robert F. Kennedy
-- President John F. Kennedy
Right click image to enlarge.
September 4, 1938, to May 30, 1942 - Monument à la gloire des Américains / Monument to the Glory of the Americans, Point-de-Grave (mouth of Gironde River), Le Verdon (France). Thanked US for help during World War I. 75 meters tall (vs. 45.5 meter Statue of Liberty). Cornerstone laid Sept. 6, 1919, by French President Raymond Poincaré [1860-1934]. Dedication (lower left image) attended by John F. Kennedy [1917-1963] representing his father, US Ambassador in London. Lower right image shows a stele (plaque) about 10 meters high erected in 1947. Its inscription reads: "Ici s'élevait le monument érigé à la gloire des Américains - Aux soldats du général Pershing défenseurs du même idéal de droit et de liberté qui conduisit en Amérique La Fayette et ses volontaires partis de ce rivage en 1777 - Le monument symbolisait la fraternité d'armes et l'amitié franco-américaine - Il fut détruit le 30 mai 1942 par les troupes d'occupation allemandes - Il sera réédifié par le peuple français - They have destroyed it, we shall restore it." Simultaneous 70th anniversary of Pershing's arrival & 210th of LaFayette's departure observed here in 1987.
After October 14, 1960 - Kennedy Marker, on steps of the Michigan Union building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (USA). Embedding on spot where President Kennedy stood when he announced the idea of the Peace Corps on October 14, 1960. Entry #490 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001). Visited by EWL.
November 25, 1963 - John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame, Grave of President John F. Kennedy, Arlington Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia (USA). A temporary eternal flame was used during President Kennedy's funeral on November 25, 1963. The permanent flame was consecrated and opened to the public on March 15, 1967. /// Right image shows relative locations of the graves of three Kennedy brothers downhil from "Arlington House," home of Robert E. Lee before the Civil War.
December 24, 1963 - John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York City, New York (USA). "On December 24, 1963, Idlewild Airport was rededicated JFK in memory of the nation’s 35th president. Today, JFK is the nation’s leading international gateway, with more than 80 airlines operating from its gates."
Christmas Day, December 1963 - Peace Corps Memorial Monument, Old Hilo County Hospital site near Rainbow Falls, Hilo, Big Island (Hawaii). "Upon learning of Kennedy's assassination November 22, 1963, members of the the Peace Corps Training Center donated a dollar apiece from their $10.50 weekly salary to pay for a bronze plaque bearing the words, 'And So, My Fellow Americans, Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You, Ask What You Can Do For Your Country,' from his inaugural address."
1964 - John F. Kennedy Torch of Friendship, Bayfront Park, Miami, Florida (USA). Contains seals of Latin American countries. "In 1960, The Torch of Friendship monument in Miami was built to signify the passageway for all of Florida’s friends coming from Latin America & the Caribbean. The gas fed flame was meant to act as a welcoming beacon for all new and old immigrants to the nation. [In 1964] it was re-dedicated to the memory of John F. Kennedy Jr. The burning torch sitting 18 feet above Biscayne Boulevard was then said to be an extension of the burning candle then burning at the fallen president’s gravesite in Arlington. Now days, the candle just doesn’t burn at all! Some say its Miami’s way of expressing disgust with the war going on overseas in Iraq and Iran. Others say that so much construction is going on in Downtown Miami that one or more of the pipes leading into the torch were damaged."
May 14, 1965 - Kennedy Memorial, Runnymede (England). Near Magna Carta memorials (see map). "This acre of English ground was given to the United States of America by the people of Britain in memory of John F. Kennedy."
November 11, 1965 - Bust of John F. Kennedy, Military Park, Newark, New Jersey (USA). By sculptor Jacques Lipchitz (who also did a different bust of JFK unveiled in London on May 15, 1965).
After June 26, 1963 - Gedenktafel / Plaque, in front of Rathaus Schöneberg, borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg, Berlin (Germany). Commemorates speech by US President John F. Kennedy [1917-1963] on this date to about 450,000 people during which he twice pronounced "Ich bin ein Berliner / I am a Berliner." JFK spoke here because this building served as West Berlin's city hall during the East/West division of the city.
Date? - Bust of John F. Kennedy, Freetown (Sierra Leone). World traveler Don Parrish of Dowers Grove, Illinois,seems to be the only person ever to spot this unusual nude bust of JFK & to upload an image to his website, but even Mr. Parrish labeled it incorrectly ("Freetown, Senegal"), thus creating doubt about its precise location (under a highway overpass?).
1966 - John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA). Originally the Harvard Graduate School of Public Administration (GSPA) founded in 1936.
July 4, 1966 - Yad Kennedy, John F. Kennedy Peace Forest, near Moshav Aminadav, Jerusalem (Israel). On one of the highest hills on the southwestern outskirts of Jerusalem, Israel, is a memorial to John F. Kennedy, President of the United States. At the southwest outskirts of Jerusalem is Yad Kennedy, reached by following the winding mountain roads past Aminadav Moshav. On top of an 825 m. high mountain is a monument in the shape of a cut tree trunk, symbolizing a life cut short. 51 columns, each bearing the emblem of a state of the Union, plus the District of Columbia, encircle the mountain top memorial. An eternal flame burns in the very centre. The site was opened in 1966 with funds donated by Jewish communities in the USA. The monument and adjoining picnic grounds are part of the John F. Kennedy Peace Forest. Chief Justice Earl Warren arrived for the dedication July 4 of a peace forest and memorial to President Kennedy. Warren chaired the Warren Commission, which was formed to investigate the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
1970 - John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial, West End Historic District, Dallas, Texas (USA). In downtown Dallas near where the President was assassinated. Designed by noted architect Philip Johnson. "The design is a 'cenotaph,' or open tomb, that symbolizes the freedom of Kennedy’s spirit... The walls consist of 72 white precast concrete columns, most of which seem to float with no visible support two feet above the earth. Eight columns extend to the ground, acting as legs that seem to hold up the monument. Each column ends in a light fixture. At night, the lights create the illusion that the structure is supported by the light itself. A square granite memorial...reads, "The joy and excitement of John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s life belonged to all men. So did the pain and sorrow of his death. When he died on November 22, 1963, shock and agony touched human conscience throughout the world. In Dallas, Texas, there was a special sorrow. The young President died in Dallas. The death bullets were fired 200 yards west of this site. This memorial, designed by Philip Johnson, was erected by the people of Dallas. Thousands of citizens contributed support, money and effort. It is not a memorial to the pain and sorrow of death, but stands as a permanent tribute to the joy and excitement of one man’s life. John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s life.'"
1971 - "War or Peace," Kennedy Center, Washington, DC (USA). By Jurgen Weber [1928-2007]. "On the east side of the plaza at the entrance to the Kennedy Center. A gift from the West German government. [Figures representing peace include] a seated female nursing a baby & a male figure standing behind them (represents the family as a shield against War); a group embracing male & female figures dancing to music created by a nearby figure of Pan playing his flute, (represents Peace in the form of dancing lovers); an amphitheater filled with performers such as a conductor, Louis Armstrong & other jazz musicians, can-can girls, Hamlet with his mask, Mephistopheles with his mask of Faust, Pan playing the saxophone, and characters from the Three-Penny Opera with Diogenes carrying his lantern in search of an honest man (represents Peace as a creative arena)."
1996 - "A Landmark for Peace," MLK Park, one block west of 17th Street & College Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana (USA). Marks the spot where presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy [1926-1968] announced on April 4, 1968, to a large, mostly Black audience that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. [1929-1968] had just been assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. (Kennedy was assassinated on June 6, 1968.) Designed by Indiana artist Greg Perry, the monument includes busts of King & Kennedy sculpted by controversial artist Daniel Edwards from handguns melted down after a police buy back program. Click here for a description by Rev. Chris Buice of Knoxville, Tennessee, including text of Kennedy's speech which helped prevent race riots as occured in at least 110 other US cities. Click here for a 2009 video about the event and monument. Click here for air view of the park & monument. A plaque credits Diane Meyer Simon and various Simon family interests as major contributors. The plaque also says that the monument is "Dedicated to the memory of Larry Conrad" but says nothing about Conrad (a local lawyer and Democratic politician who died in 1990). Visited by EWL 08Aug09.
July 4, 2008 - Kennedy Monument, The Quai, New Ross, County Wexford (Ireland). "Dunganstown, 6 km (4 mi) south of New Ross is the ancestral home of the Kennedy family which includes Joe Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the USA, Robert Kennedy and Massachusetts senator Edward Kennedy whose great-grandfather Patrick Kennedy emigrated to America from there." President Kennedy visited New Ross on June 27, 1963.
September 12, 2010 - Two Robert F. Kennedy Murals, Paul Schrade Library Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools, Los Angeles, California (USA). By Professor Judy Baca. Named "Tiny Ripples of Hope" & "See Through Others Eyes" (RFK with Caesar Chavez [1927-1993]). "The schools are a K-12 complex located on the site of the Ambassador Hotel where Senator Robert F. Kennedy [1925-1968] was assassinated on June 5, 1968. Schools in the RFK Network embody Kennedy's social justice legacy." Paul Schrade was wounded in the same shooting.
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EJune 21, 2013 - Gaia Peace Grove, Golden Bay Headland, Ghajn Tuffieha (Malta). "The area around Ghajn Tuffieha lends itself to peace & tranquility, with its outstanding coastline, sensational landscape & peaceful groves. The grove at Golden Bay Headland was planted 10 years ago around the Watchtower, which dominates the headland, in an area notorious for its windy conditions & sea spray washing over the land. However Gaia was determined to turn this abandoned agricultural land into a fine grove for the public to enjoy while taking a stroll to admire the unique Ghajn Tuffieha view. The [Gaia] Foundation thought that it was fitting to choose such an area, which has flourished despite the harsh conditions, to honour & commemorate a number of personalities who have worked so hard & courageously, and made such sacrifices to build a better a world, thus allowing the persons visiting the area to remember such great persons & to keep their legacies in our collective memory. The area lies within a Natura 2000 site. The peace grove is being inaugurated on the Summer Solstice, the first day of summer, which is also fitting as the persons honoured have worked and contributed to a new phase in a troubled world. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the death of President John F. Kennedy [1917-1963], who has come to symbolise the road towards greater democracy & good governance. He is among the distinguished persons listed in the grove. The persons mentioned in the grove include a number of Nobel Peace Prize winners. So far the list includes: Nelson Mandela, John Kennedy, Aung San Suu Kji, Steve Bico, Martin Luther King, Benazir Bhutto, Mahatma Gandhi, Yitzak Rabin, Chico Mendes, Robert Kennedy, Dian Fossey, Ken Saro Wiwa, Bob Marley, John Lennon, Vandana Shiva, Malcolm X, Oscar Romero, Pope Jean Paul I, Patrice Lumumba, A number of outstanding journalists, Italian Anti Mafia Judges & Police Commissioners, Mikhail Gorbachev, The Dalai Lama, Dag Hammerskjold.
