Ted Kennedy to get Harvard honors - Democratic Underground

Source: WP/AP

With Sen. Edward Kennedy battling a malignant brain cancer, admirers are showering accolades on the liberal lion for his decades of work in the U.S. Senate.

The Massachusetts Maritime Academy has announced it will rename its training ship The Kennedy in tribute to the Kennedy clan. Officials in Boston have unveiled a proposal to build a national institute focused on the U.S. Senate and Kennedy's legacy. Kennedy has even won honors from the governments of Mexico and Chile.

The highest-profile event was to come Monday afternoon, with Harvard University set to bestow an honorary degree on the 76-year-old at a special convocation featuring remarks by Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and a performance by cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Harvard says the honor recognizes Kennedy's "lifelong commitment to public service and his tireless efforts as a champion for a range of social issues," including health care, civil rights, labor, the environment and education. Others who have been honored with special convocations include Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill....

Kennedy, who graduated from the school in 1954, said he was "enormously grateful" for the honor. "Harvard holds a very special place in the hearts of all the members of the Kennedy family, and I look forward to accepting this honor," Kennedy said Sunday.

Kennedy suffered a seizure in May and had brain surgery in June followed by chemotherapy. He recently braved cold, windy weather to attend the annual Harvard-Yale football game at Harvard Stadium....

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...

A well deserved honor for...	YvonneCa	Dec-01-08 09:24 PM	#1
I'm so glad Kennedy will be around to win health care for Americans.	applegrove	Dec-01-08 10:29 PM	#2