[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 85 (Wednesday, June 29, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 29, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                 TRIBUTE TO JACQUELINE KENNEDY ONASSIS

  Mr. HEFLIN. Mr. President, America and the world lost an icon and 
living legend on May 19 when former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy 
Onassis died after a battle with cancer. Even now, over a month after 
her sudden passing, people everywhere are still trying to articulate 
what she meant to them personally and to assess her place in history. 
The most striking aspect of her death to me has been the tremendous 
outpouring of love and affection from all over the world, accompanied 
by descriptive terms like style, grace, elegance, dignity, and class. 
This remarkable woman was indeed all of these things and more, and she 
embodied the very best things that we like to think characterize 
America itself.
  Of course, we don't have royalty in this country, and Jacqueline 
Kennedy Onassis never wanted to be our Queen. She just wanted to raise 
her children and live her life in her own way, pursuing the things she 
enjoyed and devoting herself to causes about which she felt strongly. 
Even decades after she left the White House, she marveled at the 
exalted place she occupied in the eyes of the public, once remarking to 
a friend that she couldn't understand why anyone would care what she 
did or said.
  Perhaps Jackie herself didn't understand her fame, but to millions of 
people, she was the closest thing America has ever had to royalty, and 
they were intensely interested in her and everything she did. 
Ironically, while her celebrity was unparalleled, she could be spotted 
in Central Park spending quiet time with her grandchildren or strolling 
along the streets of Manhattan alone. Her public, for the most part, 
respected her privacy, admiring her from afar.
  Maybe it was her mystery that made her so appealing to so many. After 
leaving the White House, she gave no public interviews, wrote no 
memoirs, and did no talk shows. Many wished she had. But somehow it was 
appropriate that she remained private to the end, because that 
mysterious and private image is, to a large degree what made her who 
she was. She felt no need to involve herself in politics other than to 
lend her support to her family whenever they needed it. Jackie just 
wanted to live her life in quiet dignity, surrounded by her close 
friends and family.
  Her children, Caroline and John, Jr., were Jackie's greatest passion, 
and are certainly her greatest legacy. A large part of her life over 
the last three and a half decades was devoted to the task of making 
sure her children were raised the right way. She deserves a great deal 
or credit for the job she did, especially since she succeeded so well 
in spite of the unique challenges faced by single parents. The glare of 
the media spotlight certainly didn't make her job any easier.

  Cultural pursuits were Jackie's other great passion. She was always 
fascinated by the arts and literature, and for the last decade and a 
half of her life as a book editor in New York, she was responsible for 
the publication of some remarkable works. I had the privilege of 
working with her while she was editing former Alabama Congressman Carl 
Elliott's book ``The Cost of Courage: The Journey of an American 
Congressman'' a few years ago. Congressman Elliott was the first 
recipient of the JFK Profiles in Courage award, and she took an abiding 
and personal interest in his life and the sacrifices he made in the 
name of principle. Last December, she sent him a bouquet of flowers for 
his 80th birthday. Her accompanying note read, ``Pretend that I'm there 
holding your hand because I wish I could be.'' In January, he received 
another letter from her saying how much she had enjoyed seeing a 
televised documentary about his life. Stories abound about such 
selfless and simple acts of kindness on her part. These were among her 
trademarks.
  Jackie was an international figure, loved around the world, yet she 
was quintessentially American. It made us proud when she charmed 
DeGaulle and Khrushev. She proved to an often skeptical world that 
refinement and culture were not strangers to us. She spoke several 
languages fluently, and was treated as royalty wherever she went.
  As First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy has a unique position in a changing 
world. She and John Kennedy were partners in the reinvigoration of 
America. She brought youth, vitality, intelligence, and, of course, a 
new style to the White House. We owe her a great deal of thanks for 
restoring the White House to its place as a showplace of American 
design and architecture, and for working to make the Federal Government 
a source of support for the arts in our country. The national 
endowments for the arts and humanities are direct results of her 
efforts to enhance the place of culture and literature in our society.
  It is an understatement to say that America has never known--and will 
probably never know again--anyone else like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. 
When she died, people who had never met her spontaneously broke into 
tears, unable to explain exactly why. Perhaps it was because she was 
our last link to ``Camelot'' and all that it symbolized, a living 
symbol of all-too-brief slice of the past during which anything seemed 
possible. Or perhaps it was because of the way she held the Nation 
together that dark weekend after her husband's tragic death. Or maybe 
it was that she was such an integral part of us--an American original--
despite her intensely private nature.
  Jackie's final resting place next to John Kennedy and the eternal 
flame she lit over 30 years ago is both fitting and poignant. Even 
though she lived over three decades after the assassination, we still 
feel cheated because she died so suddenly and untimely. She was active 
and vibrant until the very end. There was so much more that we looked 
forward to from this extraordinary woman, just as was the case with her 
husband. And yet as sad as her death was, it is somewhat fitting that 
she is finally reunited with him, because visitors to that special 
sight will now come to focus more on them as a team and what together 
they meant to our Nation.
  They will remain symbols of hope for generations to come, and will 
continue to remind us of the very best things about ourselves and our 
country. Through her style, grace, elegance, dignity, and class in the 
aftermath of one of the greatest tragedies to ever befall the Nation 
and world, Jackie secured her rightful place in history. Her strength 
and determination comforted us, and taught us a great deal about 
ourselves. We will miss her, and will be forever grateful to her.

                          ____________________