[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 80 (Wednesday, June 22, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 22, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                 TRIBUTE TO JACQUELINE KENNEDY ONASSIS


               a treasured jewel in our national history

  Mr. PELL. Mr. President, the memory of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis 
already has become a treasured jewel in our national history. Her grace 
and presence and her wonderful sense of proportion made her a model 
that will surely endure for generations to come. We knew her since her 
childhood when she spent many happy summers at her family home at 
Hammersmith Farm on Narragansett Bay. Her marriage to our then 
colleague and future President John Kennedy took place in Newport.
  Later, Jackie Onassis brought to the White House her sense of 
harmony, beauty, and style. It was reflected not only in the 
uncompromising good taste of the restoration of the Executive Mansion 
itself, but also in the elegance and verve of the parties and events 
that she hosted there.
  Her sense of style extended into affairs of Government as well. I 
particularly recall her influence on the legislation which I sponsored 
creating the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities.
  In her later years, after the trauma and tragedy of Dallas had long 
receded and after the Onassis era was over, she resumed a life of her 
own in New York. This was particularly admirable because it was so true 
to her own instincts and values. She retained her privacy and she 
brought up her children marvelously well. And she worked as an editor 
at a craft that she enjoyed and at which she excelled. Her mordant wit 
and humor often gave laughter and pleasure to her friends.
  Jackie remained a beautiful person to the end. Her life ended too 
soon and we miss her immensely. But she will remain in our hearts and 
in the memory of the Nation a bright spirit of elegance and style that 
may not soon be equaled.
  I know that my wife and I already miss her immensely, immensely.
  Mr. GLENN addressed the Chair.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Ohio is 
recognized.


                          A Woman for All Time

  Mr. GLENN. Mr. President, I think it is good that the Senate 
leadership has seen fit to set aside some of this time this morning for 
tributes to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
  When she passed away in New York, America lost a heroine, and Annie 
and I certainly lost a very good friend.
  I was privileged to first meet Jackie over 30 years ago shortly after 
my orbital flight when she and President Kennedy were in the White 
House. There were so many good times back then that it would be hard to 
recount all of them.
  Those who have described those years in the White House as Camelot 
surely know that a very large part of the reason was the style and the 
class and the elegance that Jackie brought to her duties as First Lady.
  Along with all other Americans who lived through that period in 
history, Annie and I stood literally in awe--utter awe--of the dignity, 
the grace, and the courage that she displayed in those sad and awful 
days following the President's assassination at Dallas.
  But following that, Jackie refused to live the rest of her life as a 
frozen frame in history, as a single snapshot. She regrouped, she 
remarried, she began and sustained a highly successful career in the 
publishing industry. And all the while she nurtured and raised her two 
children to be well adjusted and outstanding young adults, an 
achievement that she herself regarded and said was the best and most 
important thing that she had ever done.
  Through it all, Jackie remained an intensely private person of whom 
the public could simply not get enough. Though she shunned the 
spotlight, she was generous with her time and always remembered her 
friends. I will never forget when I was first running for office for 
the Senate, getting a call one day. She volunteered to help me campaign 
in Ohio for a seat in the Senate, and did radio spots for us back in 
that campaign.
  The swiftness of Jackie's passing left all of us shocked and even a 
little bit numb. It seemed we just heard she had a problem and she was 
gone. For three decades she has been a fixture in our national 
consciousness. It is hard to believe she is really gone. After all, in 
so many ways and for so many years, she was not just a First Lady, but 
for many Americans--for most Americans, I think--she was ``the First 
Lady of our Nation.''
  For her grace, for her courage, and, above all, for her unfailing 
dignity, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis will be remembered as a woman not 
just for her time but for all time, and we shall miss her greatly.


                 tribute to jacqueline kennedy onassis

  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. President, last month, our Nation mourned the 
passing of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, whose style, 
grace, dignity, and elegance made her a much admired American.
  Her influence is difficult to overstate. As First Lady, Jacqueline 
Kennedy used her position to raise the stature of the arts in America. 
She encouraged donations of important pieces of art and furniture and 
raised private funds to restore and redecorate the White House. Mrs. 
Onassis also worked to preserve the beauty of Lafayette Square and its 
surrounding historic residences. She invited prominent artists to 
perform at the White House, as part of her effort to transform 
Washington into a cultural center.
  Her influence was not confined to the United States. Few will forget 
her trip to Paris with President Kennedy. Said the President at the 
time ``I am the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris--and I 
have enjoyed it.'' The French were charmed by Mrs. Kennedy. Her wit and 
charisma captivated France and the world.
  Although she became a virtual living legend, Jacqueline Onassis most 
treasured her private family life. She took great pains to shield her 
young children from the insatiable curiosity of the public. She 
understood that the most precious gift she could give to Caroline and 
John, Jr., was the gift of time, and she gave it as generously as she 
could.
  Mrs. Onassis never asked to be a legend. But once she was thrust into 
the national and international spotlight, it was something she could 
not avoid. She conducted herself with grace and dignity that others 
could only emulate. Her contributions to the cultural heritage of this 
Nation are numerous, and we, as Americans, owe her a tremendous debt of 
gratitude.
  Mr. President, at this time, I ask unanimous consent that the remarks 
of Senator Kennedy which were made at the funeral service for Mrs. 
Onassis be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the Remarks were ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

 Remarks by Senator Edward M. Kennedy, St. Ignatius Loyola Church, May 
                                23, 1994

       Last summer, when we were on the upper deck on the boat at 
     the Vineyard, waiting for President and Mrs. Clinton to 
     arrive, Jackie turned to me and said: ``Teddy, you go down 
     and greet the President.''
       But I said: ``Maurice is already there.''
       And Jackie answered: ``Teddy, you do it. Maurice isn't 
     running for re-election.''
       She was always there--for all our family--in her special 
     way.
       She was a blessing to us and to the nation--and a lesson to 
     the world on how to do things right, how to be a mother, how 
     to appreciate history, how to be courageous.
       No one else looked like her, spoke like her, wrote like her 
     or was so original in the way she did things. No one we knew 
     ever had a better sense of self.
       Eight months before she married Jack, they went together to 
     President Eisenhower's Inaugural Ball. Jackie said later that 
     that's where they decided they like Inaugurations.
       No one ever gave more meaning to the title of First Lady. 
     The nation's capital city looks as it does because of her. 
     She saved Lafayette Square and Pennsylvania Avenue.
       Jackie brought the greatest artists to the White House, and 
     brought the arts to the center of national attention. Today, 
     in large part because of her inspiration and vision, the arts 
     are an abiding part of national policy.
       President Kennedy took such delight in her brilliance and 
     her spirit. At a White House dinner, he once leaned over and 
     told the wife of the French Ambassador, ``Jackie speaks 
     fluent French. But I only understand one out of every five 
     words she says--and that word is DeGaulle.''
       And then, during those four endless days in 1963, she held 
     us together as a family and a country. In large part because 
     of her, we could grieve and then go on. She lifted us up, and 
     in the doubt and darkness, she gave her fellow citizens back 
     their pride as Americans. She was then 34 years old.
       Afterward, as the eternal flame she lit flickered in the 
     autumn of Arlington Cemetery, Jackie went on to do what she 
     most wanted--to raise Caroline and John, and warm her 
     family's life and that of all the Kennedys.
       Robert Kennedy sustained her, and she helped make it 
     possible for Bobby to continue. She kept Jack's memory alive, 
     as he carried Jack's mission on.
       Her two children turned out to be extraordinary, honest, 
     unspoiled and with a character equal to hers. And she did it 
     in the most trying of circumstances. They are her two 
     miracles.
       Her love for Caroline and John was deep and unqualified. 
     She reveled in their accomplishments, she hurt with their 
     sorrows, and she felt sheer joy and delight in spending time 
     with them. At the mere mention of one of their names, 
     Jackie's eyes would shine brighter and her smile would grow 
     bigger.
       She once said that if you ``bungle raising your children 
     nothing else much matters in life.'' She didn't bungle. Once 
     again, she showed how to do the most important thing of all, 
     and do it right.
       When she went to work, Jackie became a respected 
     professional in the world of publishing. And because of her, 
     remarkable books came to life. She searched out new authors 
     and ideas. She was interested in everything.
       Her love of history became a devotion to historic 
     preservation. You knew, when Jackie joined the cause to save 
     a building in Manhattan, the bulldozers might as well turn 
     around and go home.
       She had a wonderful sense of humor--a way of focusing on 
     someone with total attention--and a little girl delight in 
     who they were and what they were saying. It was a gift of 
     herself that she gave to others. And in spite of all her 
     heartache and loss, she never faltered.
       I often think of what she said about Jack in December after 
     he died: ``They made him a legend, when he would have 
     preferred to be a man.'' Jackie would have preferred to be 
     just herself, but the world insisted that she be a legend 
     too.
       She never wanted public notice--in part I think, because it 
     brought back painful memories of an unbearable sorrow, 
     endured in the glare of a million lights.
       In all the years since then, her genuineness and depth of 
     character continued to shine through the privacy, and reach 
     people everywhere. Jackie was too young to be a widow in 
     1963, and too young to die now.
       Her grandchildren were bringing new joy to her life, a joy 
     that illuminated her face whenever you saw them together. 
     Whether it was taking Rose and Tatiana for an ice cream cone, 
     or taking a walk in Central Park with little Jack as she did 
     last Sunday, she relished being Grand Jackie and showering 
     her grandchildren with love.
       At the end, she worried more about us than herself. She let 
     her family and friends know she was thinking of them. How 
     cherished were those wonderful notes in her distinctive hand 
     on her powder blue stationery!
       In truth, she did everything she could--and more--for each 
     of us.
       She made a rare and noble contribution to the American 
     spirit. But for us, most of all she was a magnificent wife, 
     mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend.
       She graced our history. And for those of us who knew and 
     loved her--she graced our lives.


                       jacqueline kennedy onassis

  Mr. SIMON. Mr. President, first, just in commenting on the tribute 
paid by Senator Mitchell to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, he used the 
word ``grace.'' That really described her, how she handled herself so 
well in so many difficult situations.
  The tribute paid by Senator Kennedy, as well as her friend Maurice 
Tempelsman, at the funeral, I thought were both eloquent.


                 tribute to jacqueline kennedy onassis

  Mr. MATHEWS. Mr. President, I would like to take just a moment this 
morning to pay tribute to the memory of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
  As a young assistant to then Governor of Tennessee, Frank Clement, it 
was my privilege to get to know President Kennedy as we put together a 
program for the Appalachian region of this country, which has proven to 
be very advantageous and very helpful to the people of this Nation.
  I never knew Jacqueline Kennedy. Of course, I knew of her. But, Mr. 
President, I, like many Americans, came to feel that she was a member 
of my family.
  The passing of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis left our Nation poorer in 
grace, elegance, and dignity. The example of her life has left us an 
ideal to honor and to hold.
  Two generations of Americans remember personally the terrible events 
that she met with incredible measure and presence. From her, a nation 
learned how to face the loss of our President. But we who remember that 
time also learned from her how to find composure and steadiness when we 
faced tragedy in our own lives. She taught us again--and she taught us 
more--in the way she confronted her own death.
  We still speak of Camelot, and we still ask ourselves what might have 
been. We will do so throughout the years to come. And when we do, we 
will remember the woman who remains the Nation's First Lady in more 
ways than we can recount. She will always be with us.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.


                 tribute to jacqueline kennedy onassis

  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to the memory of 
an American heroine, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. When Mrs. Onassis 
passed away in May, she left a void in the hearts of not only 
Americans, but people all over the world. We are all saddened by her 
untimely death.
  We mourn her loss, not just as an American icon, but for her rich 
legacy. As a young First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy fulfilled the role 
perfectly. But she was more than the poised and beautiful wife of our 
President, John F. Kennedy. She brought with her to the White House, a 
love and knowledge of history and culture, and a desire to make the 
White House the most important home in America.
  She filled it with donated pieces of American furniture and art, 
appropriate for the home of a President. She also brought prominent 
musicians and artists to the White House and helped to make our 
Nation's Capital a cultural center. Most important of all, she made the 
White House a home and filled it with the laughter of her children, 
Caroline and John, Jr. whom she adored. Her desire to maintain their 
privacy made us respect her even more.
  And she taught a nation how to mourn. When President Kennedy was 
assassinated, she orchestrated the arrangements. We were all with her 
that sorrow-filled weekend, and we paid tribute to our slain President 
as our Nation had honored another assassinated President, Abraham 
Lincoln.
  We will hold forever in our memories the sight of a riderless horse, 
and a little 3-year-old boy saluting his father one last time, and an 
eternal flame which still blazes brightly at Arlington National 
Cemetery. With her courage and the great dignity she possessed, 
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis helped our Nation heal following the loss of 
the President.
  Over the years and in private life, she maintained her commitment to 
historic preservation, and worked diligently to save historic sites, 
including New York's Grand Central Terminal. As a book editor, she 
continued to promote culture, and was instrumental in the publishing of 
books on art, history, and dance.
  Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis leaves many lasting and significant 
contributions, and I am honored to join my colleagues in paying tribute 
to her. Admired and loved by all Americans, we will miss this 
extraordinary woman.


                 tribute to jacqueline kennedy onassis

  Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, few first ladies have impacted the 
country in the manner of the late Mrs. Jacqueline Onassis. It is a 
distinct honor to join my colleagues in recognizing her contributions 
to our Nation which, because thanks and praise were not her 
motivations, too often went unnoticed.
  Perhaps the most fitting and most lasting tributes to Mrs. Onassis 
exist already. They are found in the buildings she herself worked to 
preserve in Washington and in New York. Mrs. Onassis will be remembered 
for redecorating the White House, but should be remembered also for 
instigating its restoration and preservation. In addition, were it not 
for her efforts the stunning Old Executive Office Building next door 
would not be still standing. Her foresight in preserving the 
architecture of years past is reflected for us all in the elegant 
buildings which grace Pennsylvania Avenue today.
  We must also not overlook her passion for books an later for 
publishing. It was due to her efforts that an array of distinctive 
books were made available to the rest of us. She was known for 
searching out new authors and ideas. The arts were a personal passion 
she brought with her to the White House and which engaged her for the 
remainder of her life. The influence on the rest of the country of this 
beloved interest will be lasting.
  Nineteenth century author Mary Ann Evans, known to the world as 
George Eliot. once wrote:

     Ideas are poor ghosts until they become incarnate in a 
           person.
     Then, they look out through eyes of compassion,
     They touch with warm, redemptive hands,
     And then,
     They shake the world like a passion.

  Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, with a manner which was subdued but never 
frail, shook this Nation, Ironically, without ever intending to do so. 
Her work to both preserve our Nation's history and to foster its ever-
evolving artistic culture deserves tremendous credit and thanks. She 
will remain an inspiration for generations to come.


                       jacqueline kennedy onassis

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, with the death of Jacqueline Kennedy 
Onassis, the final curtain has been drawn on one of the most inspiring 
and exciting eras in our Nation's history. She represented and meant so 
much to us. Dedicated and glamorous First Lady, accomplished editor, 
loving mother, and role model to millions are just some of the labels 
that have been affixed to this truly unique woman over the decades. But 
she really was more than just the sum of all her roles.
  We grieved for Mrs. Onassis not just because she was taken too young 
leaving behind two wonderful and accomplished adult children and 
because she was such an important part of the history of the last five 
decades. We grieved for Mrs. Onassis because she reminded us of a time 
when we were more sure of ourselves and of our place in the world.
  When she burst onto the American scene in the late 50's and early 
60's it seemed as though people had more faith, not just in themselves 
but also in their Federal Government. Vietnam, Watergate, Iran-Contra, 
and Whitewater were a long way off and there was a sense during the 
Kennedy era that we could accomplish almost anything, if we set our 
minds to it. That sense carried on into the triumphs of the Great 
Society and ultimately to our victory in the cold war, but along the 
way we seemed to lose some of that sense of optimism.
  The various crises we have faced since the death of President Kennedy 
have left the American people more cynical and distrustful than they 
were in the early 1960's. This change is understandable, given all that 
has transpired in the past 30 years. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis reminds 
us of how we were before this change and because of the power of 
nostalgia, her death makes that time see further away than ever before. 
We have all lost an important part of our past. She remains one of 
America's most beloved First Ladies whose grace and courage during the 
dark days following President Kennedy's tragic death will long be 
remembered.


             jacqueline kennedy onassis: profile in courage

  Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, when Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis passed 
away last month, it was a former First Lady who died, but the Nation 
mourned as though it had lost a beloved former President. Certainly, 
those of us in this body who were privileged to know her feel a 
profound sense of loss. However, I would not say that our grief is any 
greater than that of millions of Americans who never met her yet who 
revered her in a very special and personal way.
  As First Lady, Jackie Kennedy was not politically active on the model 
of Eleanor Roosevelt or Hillary Rodham Clinton. However, I dare say 
that she served the country more intensely and profoundly than any 
First Lady in history. She did so in the course of those dark days in 
November. At a time of unspeakable personal loss, when we should have 
been supporting and steadying her, it was she who supported and 
steadied us. It was a veiled and valiant Jackie Kennedy who supported 
and steadied on entire nation. For that act of sustained courage and 
fortitude, our beloved former First Lady will be remembered and honored 
for centuries to come.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I understand we are in morning business?
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator is correct.
  Mr. DOLE. And leaders' time was reserved?
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Leaders' time has been reserved.

                          ____________________