I was born nearly 2 decades after Kennedy’s presidency and
assassination. I do not have the vivid memories of the tumultuous
60’s like those of my father, colleagues and mentors. They remember
that day in much the fashion that I remember the attacks on September 11, 2001.
The media is blanketing this topic. I do not wish to do the same. My goal is to
remember and commemorate the efforts President Kennedy put into the development
of science and innovation.
Just as is found in science today, competition drove Kennedy’s
two
most prominent initiatives: Space & Energy. We weren’t competing for grant money, or for
the sake of discovery; it was about ‘the American Way’ & democratic
superiority over communism. With global tensions palpable, JFK saw the
opportunity afforded to us through scientific endeavors. In one of his last
speeches, on October 22, 1963, he addressed
the National Academy of Sciences, focusing on the synergy of science and
government – about changing the national ideology of manufacturing and
engineering into one of theoretical thought and discovery.
It was this new emphasis on the sciences that allowed me the
opportunity to take up an education in ecological and evolutionary theory.
As we reflect the passing of a man 50 years ago today, let
us each see the impact for which one person is capable; how one can shape the
future. I leave you with two quotes:
From: Commencement
Address at American University in Washington, D.C. (June 10, 1963).
“For, in the final
analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet.
We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are
all mortal.” - John F. Kennedy
From: Address at the Anniversary
Convocation of the National Academy of Sciences (October 22, 1663).
“In the years since man
unlocked the power stored up within the atom, the world has made progress,
halting, but effective, toward brining that power under human control. The
challenge may be our salvation. As we begin to master the destructive
potentialities of modern science, we move toward a new era in which science can
fulfill its creative promise.” - John F.
Kennedy
