John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Jr.
This page represents information, articles and
links about John F. Kennedy Jr.; his life, his family and the
tragedy that ended his life as well as that of his wife Carolyn
and her sister Lauren Bessette.
TimeLine:
He was born on Nov. 25,
1960, 2 weeks after his father's election as the 35th president.
The only child ever born to a president-elect, the boy soon
became known to the nation as "John-John" a name
erroneously bestowed on him by a reporter who misheard a
conversation. He grew up in the public eye, from his sad salute
at his father's 1963 funeral until his plane disappeared on the
way to a family gathering in Massachusetts. For many, he has
embodied the "Kennedy mystique," young, good-looking,
seemingly invulnerable.
Graduating from Brown University in 1982, Kennedy showed some
talent as an actor, however his mother frowned on this idea and
after making his debut in Brian Friel's drama "Winners"
in Manhattan; he abided by her wishes.
In the fall of
1986, he enrolled at New York University Law School.
He introduced his uncle, Sen. Edward Kennedy to the Democratic
National Convention in Atlanta in July 1988. John, has "a
zest for life and a love of adventure" said his uncle Ted.
Here John is pictured in Hyannisport with his niece Rose in
1989.
Beginning in August 1989, as a prosecutor, Kennedy does well.
He won all six of his cases, but he said he wasn't fulfilled by
the job. He resigns in July 1993.
In May, 1994 his mother , Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis dies.
In September,
1995 John tries his hand at publishing and launches George
magazine. In September of the following year he marries Carolyn
Bessette. She assisted her husband by offering advice on
Kennedy's magazine; Her experience as a publicist for Calvin
Klein gave her great insight into media relations as well as
style.
Mitchell Fink, a news columnist at the Daily News, was on the
show to give his insight on who Bessette was and why Kennedy
chose her for his wife. Of course, one of the obvious reasons is
that she was a "knock-out." But what really captured
JFK Jr.'s heart was that she was a woman of grace and dignity.
Two of the characteristics that also described his mother
Jacqueline Kennedy-Onasis. And Fink believed that's what got
Kennedy's attention. Not only was Bessette full of grace, beauty
and dignity, but she came from a good family and had a real job.
Like the famous line from the movie Jerry Maguire, "You
complete me" -- well she completed him.
Carolyn Bessette (far right,
in 1982 high school picture). "was a real person," says
a former Boston Universtiy roommate. "We sat in our
sweatpants and ate junk food together."
While John Jr. was well trained to deal with paparazzi,
Carolyn was very new to the attention and demands of being part
of the Kennedy clan. However, she handled the invasion of
her privacy with grace. Plus, John protected her
fiercely. They constantly walked a thin line of balancing
their personal lives, and meeting the obligations of the Kennedy
name.
Lauren pictured here on
April 16, 1999 with actor Merrill Holtzman at an Estee Lauder
party in New York City.
Carolyn's sister Lauren was a Principal and the Operations
Officer of the Financial Sponsors Group in the Corporate Finance
Department of Investment Banking division of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. Lauren spent
most of her professional career at our Firm, and was truly one of
the most beloved and admired members of our investment banking
group. During her eight years there, she worked in Asia and in
the US. She was well-known for her willingness to take time to
help others.
Lauren is described " as the quintessential all-American
girl." by a friend." She was a warm, dynamic, and
fun-loving person, full of spirit and life.
Kennedy's plane went down off Martha's Vineyard, Mass., on
July 16, 1999. Kennedy, his wife Carolyn and his sister-in-law
Lauren died.
John F. Kennedy Jr. left his personal property to his sister’s children and money to family, friends and charities.
Articles about the Crash:
Thursday August 19 1:13 AM ET
Kennedy Flight Came Close to Plane
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - An hour before it crashed, John F.
Kennedy Jr.'s plane came close enough to an American Airlines
plane that a radar controller alerted the crew on the jetliner,
investigators said.
The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed the
incident but it was not clear how close the planes came to each
other, The Providence Journal reported Wednesday.
The planes were close enough to prompt the traffic advisory to
the commercial plane, but there was ``no apparent risk of
collision,'' according to NTSB spokesman Paul Schlamm.
Such advisories are not rare, Schlamm said. He said the
incident was not serious enough to require a course adjustment.
Kennedy's plane went down off Martha's Vineyard, Mass., on
July 16. Kennedy, his wife and his sister-in-law died. One
possible explanation for the crash is that Kennedy was
disoriented by nighttime haze.
A radar controller on New York's Long Island issued the
traffic advisory to the American Airlines crew while the two
planes were northwest of White Plains, N.Y., 150 miles from the
crash site. The pilot told the radar controller that he could see
the smaller plane from his cockpit.
Kennedy's Piper Saratoga, which was heading from New Jersey to
Massachusetts, did not receive an advisory, Schlamm said.
Copyright © 1996-1999 The
Associated Press.
Air
Pollution To Blame In JFK Jr. Crash?
Florida Scientist Says Filthy Air May Have Made
Horizon, Martha's Vineyard Invisible
| MIAMI, Posted
11:20 a.m. August 2, 1999 -- Air pollution
may have caused John F. Kennedy Jr. to crash his
plane. According to NewsChannel5, a University
of Miami atmospheric scientist claims the air
over Martha's Vineyard was not haze, but filthy
air.
Joseph Prospero released an analysis of the
conditions on July 16. He claims while Kennedy
was flying above the muck, when he descended for
landing, the horizon and Martha's Vineyard may
have been invisible and that he may have become
disoriented.
Kennedy, his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy,
and her sister, Lauren Bessette, died in the
crash.
However, The National Transportation Safety
Board said Friday that Kennedy had received a
weather forecast via the Internet for his flight
from Fairfield, N.J., to Martha's Vineyard. The
report, issued about two hours before takeoff,
was for good visual-flight-rules conditions, with
six to eight miles visibility.
Other pilots reported in-flight visibility
over the water was significantly reduced that
night.
The NTSB also has indicated that there were no
signs Kennedy's plane malfunctioned.
Copyright ©
1996-1999 The Associated Press
Related Stories
Links to the Kennedy Family History:
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JOHN F. KENNEDY, JR.
WAV FORMAT AUDIO CLIPS |
JFK, JR. TIMELINE:
-Nov. 25, 1960:
Born in Washington, D.C.
-Jan. 20, 1961:
Father, John F. Kennedy, becomes president.
-Nov. 25, 1963:
Salutes his father's casket as the funeral
cortege of the assassinated president passes by a
Washington church.
-Fall of 1964:
Moves from Washington to New York, where he
attends a Catholic private school then the
Collegiate boys' school.
-Fall of 1976:
Enters 11th grade at the Phillips Academy in
Andover, Mass.
-Spring of 1982:
Graduates from Brown University in Providence,
R.I.
-Fall of 1986:
Enrolls at New York University Law School.
-July 1988:
Addresses Democratic National Convention in
Atlanta.
-August 1989:
Hired as a Manhattan prosecutor. He resigns in
July 1993, after attaining a 6-0 conviction
record.
-May 19, 1994:
Mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, dies.
-September 1995:
Launches George magazine.
-Sept. 21, 1996:
Marries Carolyn Bessette on Cumberland Island in
Georgia. They make their home in Manhattan.
-July 1999:
Kennedy, his wife and her sister, Lauren
Bessette, die when JFK, Jr.'s plane crashes into
the ocean off the coast of Massachusetts.
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CUT 1:
recalling his childhood visits to the oval
office
CUT 2:
he learned about his father's presidential
administration through the media's eyes
CUT 3:
his was a relatively normal life
CUT 4:
how or why his father was assassinated was
never his main concern
CUT 5:
dedicating the Kennedy Library in Boston,
1979
CUT 6:
keynote speaker at the 1988 Democratic
National Convention
CUT 7:
announcing the death of his mother,
Jacqueline Onassis, 1994
CUT 8:
he had told his mother of his plans to start
a magazine
CUT 9:
launching George magazine, 1996
CUT 10:
making a surprise appearance at an air show
in Wisconsin, 1997
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©1999 Archer Audio Archives
This information and associated links were
compiled by Jack Sottile
and Marshall from
above noted sources and People Magazine
08/09/99 pg's 112 - 116
Class
Project for Internet Literacy, PGCC-CIS-182-June,1999
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