[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 71]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     AUTHORIZING USE OF THE ROTUNDA

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Con. Res. 2.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the concurrent 
resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 2) authorizing the 
     use of the rotunda of the Capitol for an event marking the 
     50th anniversary of the inaugural address of President John 
     F. Kennedy.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
concurrent resolution.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, we run through these resolutions, and 
sometimes don't understand the importance of what we do to individuals. 
I just read about a half an hour ago one of the nicest letters I have 
ever received from Caroline Kennedy regarding this. When I think of Ted 
Kennedy, when I came to the Senate he was somebody I could never 
believe I would be working with. As you come into my Capitol office, as 
you walk in the door, I have a letter that was sent to me by President 
Kennedy between the time he was elected and before he was inaugurated. 
Ted used to come in to my office and many times he would look at that 
letter from his brother. He said, ``And that's his real signature.'' It 
was a letter to me congratulating me on establishing the first Young 
Democrat Club at Utah State University. And then to have this wonderful 
letter from Caroline.
  These things we do affect people and there is no better example than 
that nice letter I got from Caroline today regarding her father and 
saying thanks for doing this for my father.
  I further ask that the concurrent resolution be agreed to, the 
preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the 
table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements related 
to this measure be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 2) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The concurrent resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                             S. Con. Res. 2

       Whereas John Fitzgerald Kennedy was elected to the United 
     States House of Representatives and served from January 3, 
     1947, to January 3, 1953, until he was elected by the 
     Commonwealth of Massachusetts to the Senate where he served 
     from January 3, 1953, to December 22, 1960;
       Whereas on November 8, 1960, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was 
     elected as the 35th President of the United States; and
       Whereas on January 20, 1961, President Kennedy was sworn in 
     as President of the United States and delivered his inaugural 
     address at 12:51 p.m., a speech that served as a clarion call 
     to service for the Nation: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring),

     SECTION 1. USE OF THE ROTUNDA OF THE CAPITOL FOR AN EVENT 
                   HONORING PRESIDENT KENNEDY.

       The rotunda of the United States Capitol is authorized to 
     be used on January 20, 2011, for a ceremony in honor of the 
     50th anniversary of the inaugural address of President John 
     F. Kennedy. Physical preparations for the conduct of the 
     ceremony shall be carried out in accordance with such 
     conditions as may be prescribed by the Architect of the 
     Capitol.

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