The Spirit of the Class of 1964
“Where were you on the afternoon of November 22, 1963?”
Every member of the Class of 1964 will remember that day vividly, no
matter how many years go by, as the day that President John Fitzgerald
Kennedy was assassinated. Having spent more time on campus during the
thousand days of the Kennedy administration than any other class, we
were the Cornell students most marked by the idealism and enthusiasm
that our young president brought to the office and to our country. We
were the first beneficiaries of Kennedy’s efforts to tap the leadership
potential of America’s youth with such programs as the Peace Corps and
the White House Summer Seminar. We were witness to his election and
inauguration our freshman year, and as seniors watched as his funeral
cortege made its way to Arlington National Cemetery.
In response to the sense of loss we felt then, and to perpetuate our
slain President’s commitment to service, the Class of 1964 established
the John F. Kennedy Award as the expression of deeply-held beliefs that
touched us all, in spite of our broad diversity. With hope for the
future, we have chosen to support Cornell graduates’ efforts in the
field of public service. Rather than donate more concrete manifestations
of our generosity such as gates, benches, or trees to the campus, we use
our class’ funds each year to foster the career of Cornell students who
exhibit a dedication and idealism similar to that which we ourselves
experienced as representatives of “the Kennedy generation.”
Throughout his presidency, John Kennedy fought to bring together the
intellectual knowledge of our nation’s college and university scholars
with the practical abilities of politicians and statesmen in order to
provide the best leadership for our country. The Kennedy Award expresses
the strong commitment our class feels to the support of Cornell
graduates with both the desire and demonstrated ability to participate
in this combination of intellectual and political endeavor.
However, the Class of ‘64’s overarching commitment to public service is
not limited to the Kennedy Award. Many members of our class have already
shown this by the dedication they have demonstrated in their lives and
the contributions they have made to others. Through a variety of career
choices, some in government or law, others in less obviously related
fields such as education, business, or volunteer work, the members of
our class have made a difference over the years, both to local
communities across the nation and to the country at large. The general
character of the Class of ’64 is apparent in this dedication to public
service – a value that consistently seems to influence our choices.
Gradually, through the years since we graduated, our country’s belief in
political leadership has become progressively more eroded. We try to
remember that when we were undergraduates “politics” did not seem to us
a dirty word, the foreign service was a desirable career path, and
patriotism was a motivation we could admit to without embarrassment or
fear of being misunderstood. With every year our country’s need grows
ever more acute for dedicated college graduates in the fields of
government and public service, working to help solve the serious social
problems which continue to prevail and increase. Our class champions
this cause, both by individual example and by our annual gift of the
John F. Kennedy Memorial Award.