For you and me as i was walking that ribbon of highway i saw above me that endless skyway i saw below me that Golden Valley this land was made for you and me ive roamed and rambled and i followed my footsteps to the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts and all around me a voice was sounding this land was made for you and me this land, this land this land, o this land when the sun came shining and i was strolling and the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling as the fog was lifting a voice was chanting this land was made for you and me as i went walking i saw a sign there and on the sign it said no trespassing but on the other side it didnt say nothing that side was made for you and me this land, this land this land, o this land this land, this land this land, o this land oh my in the shadow of the steeple i saw my people by the Relief Office i seen my people as they stood there hungry i stood there asking is this land made for you and me . And you or me and your or me . Nobody living can ever stop me as i go walking that freedom highway nobody living can ever make me turn back this land was made for you and me this land was made for you and me [applause] aint gonna to let nobody turn me round turn me round, turn me round aint gonna to let nobody turn me round im gonna to keep on walking aint gonna to let nobody keep on walking aint gonna to let nobody turn me round im gonna keep on walking to freedom land no, no, no, no, no no, no, no, no, no no, no, no, no, no aint gonna let nobody turn me round turn me round aint gonna let nobody turn me round marchin up to freedom land no, no, no, no, no no, no, no, no, no no, no, no, no, no no, no, no, no, no no, no, no, no, no no, no, no, no, no no, no, no, no, no aint gonna let nobody turn me round turn me round turn me round aint gonna let nobody turn me round im gonna to keep on walking keep on walking marchin up to freedom land marchin up to freedom land [applause] announcer ladies and gentlemen please stand for the presentation of colors by the 54th massachusetts volunteer regiment color guard. O say, can you see by the dawns early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilights last gleaming . Whose bright stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight oer the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming . And the rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there o say, does that starspangled banner yet wave oer the land of the free and the home of the brave . [applause] announcer ladies and gentlemen please welcome that Kennedy Institute for the United States president dr. Jean maccormack. [applause] dr. Maccormack good morning everyone. There is a little chill in the air, but there is a lot of warmth that you came out to be with us today. On behalf of the Kennedy Family, our board of directors, and all our wonderful staff, i want to welcome you to the dedication of the edward m. Kennedy institute for the United States senate. This magnificent building was designed by renowned architect Rafael Vinoly and constructed by lee kennedy and associates. The dynamic exhibits inside were brought to life by the incomparable Ed Schlossberg and his design team efi. [applause] we are grateful to all of them for all of their work, to create this incredible project and bring it to life. For so many of us and many people have been involved in this journey to get here today we are very grateful. But for me, this journey is intensely personal. I grew up three miles from here on donner avenue, and let me tell you, when i was growing up, this area was a forbidden place. It was a landfill that fascinated children and frightened parents. Who could have imagined that this landfill where we played as kids would become the home of a worldclass university, a gleaming president ial library, and the wonderful state archives . And now, the newest jewel in that crown come the beautiful institute that you see behind me. You will hear a lot today about the mission of the institute to improve Civic Education and engage the next generation of leaders. This is what really speaks to me. That a girl from dorchester could grow up and be a University Chancellor and have the chance to create the first public law school in massachusetts, that speaks to the heart of equal opportunity and the path of education to make things possible for every succeeding generation. That is what the institute is about. We are going to demonstrate the awesome power of our democracy and we are going to light a fire in each and every person who walks through these doors. And i for one cannot wait to get started. It is my great honor to be able to introduce Cardinal Omalley the archbishop of austin. Boston. Im delighted that he was able to be with us this way. Cardinal omalley and senator kennedy often traversed the same path during decades of working for people they served. Cardinal omalley knew the District Of Columbia well, having spent 20 years there advocating for immigrants from Central America who sought refuge from political and military unrest. They came here to build a better country for themselves and their families. And also the cardinal was well familiar with the parishes and homes of hyannis port, having served as the bishop of the archdiocese of fall river during the 1990s. He joined the Kennedy Family there and prayed with them in times of celebration and also in their most difficult moments. The senator and the cardinal were always committed to using the resources entrusted to their care for the good of all seeking to help people in their times of need. It was a blessing for me to have the opportunity to work with the cardinal during my tenure as chancellor at the university of massachusetts dartmouth, and personally experienced his care and concern for others. At this time, i am very happy to invite Cardinal Omalley to lead us in prayer. Cardinal omalley thank you very much, jean, and, first of all, i would like to congratulate vicki kennedy, the members of the Kennedy Family, and all of those who have worked so hard to establish this magnificent institute. I am sure that senator ted kennedy would be most pleased for what we have achieved here today. The lord be with you. Let us pray. Lord god almighty, we praise and bless your holy name. You are the source of all good things, the gift of life, the gift of newness of life in our faith. As we invoked your blessings on all those gathered here to inaugurate this new edward m. Kennedy institute for the United States senate, we ask you to enlighten and inspire the American People and our leaders to further the ideals of our democracy, based on your decalogue, and on the unwavering conviction of the dignity of each and every human being. Enable us to Work Together for the common good, to communicate truth, to foster love, to uphold justice and right, to protect the weak and vulnerable, to raise up those who are oppressed and impoverished, and to ensure that all can partake of the blessings of creation and the dignity of work. May we strive tirelessly for that Justice Without which there can be no lasting peace and harmony. Help us to be committed to building a Community Based on solidarity and a lively sense of our shared destiny. Help us overcome all animosity rivalries, and prejudices that tear at the fabric of all humanity. Give us the current and courage and generosity needed to be artisans of peace. We import you to make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let there be love. Where there is doubt, faith, where there is despair hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life, amen. Dr. Maccormack it is now my pleasure to bring to their podium our wonderful partners from the university of massachusetts, president robert caret and the chancellor, keith motley. [applause] president caret welcome to this beautiful spring day at Columbia Point. [applause] president caret as the book says, Columbia Point is a decent place to live. I am serving in three roles today, president of university of massachusetts, a founding board member of this wonderful institute, and a proud citizens citizen of the commonwealth and of this nation. Today the missions of those institutions all intercept and leverage each other. The mission is to inspire the nest generation of citizens to engage in the civic life of their community. The umass mission is to advance knowledge and improve the lives of people, people of the commonwealth, nation, and world. The umass Boston Mission is help our students realize their potential, and to encourage abilities of leadership and civic participation in this society. Our Founding Fathers recognized that education was the cornerstone of a strong democracy. Today, with the opening of this institute, we provide an invaluable resource to ensure that that cornerstone mains strong long into the future. On behalf of the university of massachusetts, i bid you welcome here to the edward m. Kennedy institute. Thank you for being with us. [applause] chancellor motley so thank you, president caret. Good morning. Audience good morning. Chancellor motley welcome to the celebration of the edward m. Kennedy institute for the United States senate. And welcome to the campus of the commonwealth of massachusetts, capital city Public Research university, the university of massachusetts boston. I am so glad [applause] i am so glad you stopped in on such a wonderful day. It is always sunny out here on the peninsula. [laughter] im also excited to welcome back president barack obama back to this university where he, as a United States senator, received an Honorary Degree from us. We are grateful. Just a few steps from here where we stand today, and of course, we also thank the first lady, but we are also grateful to have our Vice President with us today. Thank you for being here. [applause] so i guess you cannot tell that i am thrilled. [laughter] im thrilled to be able to welcome all of you to this momentous celebration, and i am very proud to have the edward m. Kennedy institute on the campus of bostons Public Research university. Now, i was thrilled no, i was ecstatic when senator kennedy shared with me that he wanted to locate an Institute Focused on the United States senate here on this campus with a vision of quality Higher Education made accessible to persons who might otherwise have not had this opportunity in every day. That is a reality here. That is his work, the work he cherished, and we are so grateful for that. American democracy is, located and institutions that express our democracy are at times with a certain mysteriousness. It places them leon the reach beyond the reach of many, and senator candidate reached out, and this institute will work to lift that of history and make accessible to the public and to future leaders the rich history, the complex operations, and that significant accomplishments of those, this most venerable institution, that we call the United States senate. I want to thank dr. Kennedy and, yes, thank you, vicki, but also the Kennedy Family. I want to try to steal that blanket a little bit later from you. [laughter] chancellor motley for entrusting this precious legacy to this institution and to his people. We now regard this as a sacred responsibility to keep this standard high, and to cast the seeds of his good work broadly. We joyfully celebrate the launch of a grand Civic Mission here today, and we welcome you all to the first of what we hope will be the first of many visits your campus and this institute. Positioned on this beautiful oceanfront, looking out to the world, as a Great Monument to a great man and great people who have served in the senate whose lives will impact us all for generations. Thank you for stopping by today. See you again soon. [applause] announcer ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Emk Institute board member, former Senate Majority leader tom daschle. [applause] senator daschle as someone with the opportunity to serve on the edward m. Kennedy board, let me join in welcoming you this morning. There have only been 1963 men and women who have had the opportunity to serve in the United States senate. Each of us when we are sworn in are given a number in sequence. Senator kennedys number is 1608. He was one of only eight people to serve more than 40 years in that institution. But regardless of how long any of us has served, we have all experienced the power and majesty of the United States senate. It is the ultimate arena for american democracy. We have all witnessed on the senate floor how our decision s actually affect peoples lives in a very profound way. And we want to replicate that experience in this extraordinary institution. Each of us who have been called to serve and had that moment when we were inspired to heed the call to public service. It may have been a teacher. It may have been a place. It may have been a leader. It may have been an event. But something triggered that desire to serve. That is exactly what we want to provide here. We want to provide that experience, we want to inspire and we want to bring people to a realization they, too, could have had one of those numbers someday. We have all seen the polls. We know how difficult it is to serve. We know peoples confidence has declined in government and civic action. But we hope through this center we can change that, by bringing the senate alive, by bringing to people and appreciation of its relevance and importance and everyones life and how critical it is in this democratic republic. We can do that here. And so in working with scholars and teachers and students and people all over the country and maybe even the world, maybe we can bring people to that aspiration. So as we celebrate this auspicious beginning, let us hope that it can be a transformational moment for some who walk through these doors. I thank you all for coming and appreciate your collective support for senator kennedys inspiring vision. [applause] announcer ladies and gentlemen please welcome Emk Institute board member, former Senate Majority leader trent lott. [applause] senator lott yes, a republican from mississippi [laughter] [cheers] senator lott is proud to be here today. [laughter] senator lott and i have enjoyed so much serving on the board of the edward m. Kennedy institute for the United States senate. When i first talked to vicki, i said, oh, vicki, why me . [laughter] senator lott she said we need a little republican representation, and i know you worked with ted. So i said, tell me about him and she told me about the vision that senator kennedy had and that she had, the Kennedy Family has for this great edifice here behind us and i said yes. This is a worthwhile project. This is nothing like this anywhere else in america to honor this Great Institution created in our constitution. And one that senator kennedy dearly loved and made a better place when he was there. Oh, yes, we disagreed, we had some fiery discussions, but we came together many times in a bipartisan way to get a result for america. He knew how to give and take and get results. I must say also here today that i thought it was important that we could have somebody that could speak southern other than vicki. [laughter] senator lott i now know why all the kennedys have so much hair. It to keep their head warm. [laughter] [applause] senator lott my apologies for not bringing a 75degree temperature here from jackson, mississippi today. I will tell you one story. When i was majority leader in 1997, the legislation that would bring to being the individuals with disabilities education act was gridlocked in the senate. I guess you know that word now. We have a lot of gridlock. But i thought it was something that needed to be done. It was not partisan. It was not regional. It was about people that had needs and could be helped, and so i started working with senator kennedy, and sure enough we got it done. Then he came to my Leader Office and he was very generous in his remarks about how we had worked together and wanted me to go to the bill signing at the white house, and i said i would pass on that. But i wrote him a letter telling him how much i enjoyed working with him and how proud i was that we got a result for individuals with disabilities and their need for education. And at the bottom, i wrote a p. S. , and i said if the world only knew i did not know it for many years, but he framed that letter and hung it on his wall. I did not actually want the world to know [laughter] senator lott i have a feeling he is laughing broadly somewhere right now. But we worked on a lot of things together. One of the last things we worked on was Immigration Reform in 2007. We worked together, and we tried our best and we also had a procedural vote. I went up to him afterwards and i said i got a couple of threats to my life on that one, and every time i work with you i get in trouble, man. But just think how Different Things would be now if we had passed Immigration Reform in 2007. [applause] senator lott and so this institution is dedicated to the history and the preservation of the United States senate. Irish eyes are smiling today and i have a feeling that the spirit of ted kennedy, that indomitable spirit, will reside in this building, in its heart and in the senate in perpetuity. Thank you. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, please come mayor martin j. Walsh. Mayor walsh thank you very much the president is on his way. Governor baker, United States senators, Cardinal Omalley, the things guests, welcome to kennedy country. Vicki, teddy, patrick, and your families, on family members and friends of 70 kennedy who are here, welcome home. It is with pride that i and the people of boston accept the honor of hosting senator kennedys fitting legacy. The institute for the United States senate, like the great president ial library next or from is truly home here at Columbia Point in the city of boston. Let me tell you how i know this. I was born nearby in the same Saint Margarets hospital where senator kennedy came into the world. As a child, i walked this short. She had stories of the Kennedy Family standing up for people like us. And then i learned it first hand. As a young man, i went to the dedication of the wells avenues and harley street in dorchester to rose kennedy. It was my predecessor. He went to congress and fought to protect immigrants against hatred. We heard the echoes when senator kennedy stood up for justice and whatever he sang sweet adeline. I talked to roses son, the lion of the senate. He was not larger than life beauty was on the corner talking to his mother, like any good irish boy. He listens to us, talk with us he was at home with us. So when he stood up for working people in the senate, we knew what it meant to us, our homes our streets, our communities. His impact was more real to boston. We lived it every day, from head start to meals on wheels, more police on the streets, more students in college, more affordable housing, to Clean Harbors for it on your way out today a few hundred yards away youll pass the health center. It has a big impact. In 1966, senator kennedy won its federal funding. He made it a model for legislation that brought highquality care to all families all across america. He listened to people of this neighborhood. He talked to the doctors who served them, and he shared their stories with his colleagues. He change this neighborhood and the country for the better. Senator kennedy was one of the most effective legislators in history, but because he brought federal resources home, but because he brought our homes our neighborhoods, and our voices to washington. Our cares for his concerns always great he fought for the children, he fought for the poor, he fought for the worker. And take it for me, a union laborer, American Workers never had a better friend. As he told us [applause] mayor walsh as he told us many times in many conferences in washington, the way you spell kennedy is labor, and dont you forget it. He never did. He showed us that democracy itself must be a labor of love whether it is quietly visiting a grieving parent or writing a heartfelt note to a political opponent. He moved us forward by bringing us together. That is the people power of democracy. Senator kennedy loved this city. The places were special to him and the people were special to him. The square in dorchester Mission Church and mission field. The rose kennedy greenway. I want to thank everyone who helped bring the special place our city, this labor of love the edward m. Kennedy institute for the United States senate. Here generations of children from all over new england and america and the world will learn what we learned from senator kennedy, how to make their voices heard, fight for their causes, keep hope alive, and make sure their dreams shall never die. Thank you. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, please welcome governor charlie baker. [applause] governor baker first of all, i want to thank you on behalf of the commonwealth of massachusetts for being here today. I want to congratulate all those who are involved in raising the money to make this possible, and i want to thank the Kennedy Family for choosing this site and this organization and this operation to pay tribute to ted kennedy. Senator lott, yeah, i am a republican governor from massachusetts. [laughter] governor baker many years ago i was with a group of health care professionals, and we went down to washington to meet with senator kennedy to talk about health care. When we got done there we were told when we got to his office in the rayburn building that the senate was in session, but he could meet with us in a little anteroom off the Senate Chamber if we hustled over there quickly. So we all hustled over there and gathered in this little room off the Senate Chamber, and he came bustling in and sat down with us. The next 30 to 40 minutes, we all talked with him about health care while literally a dozen members of the u. S. Senate at one point or another poke their head in. In those kinds of conversations you have with people that you really know, abbreviated little, did you look after yeah, i am on that back and forth, back and forth, between him and his colleagues in the u. S. Senate. And when we left that day, i thought to myself, in a business where it is so much easier to stop something from happening and it is to actually find your way to get something done, this is how this guy succeeds. Relationships, trust followthrough. It was all on display that they as a sidebar to the meeting that we were having about health care. In short, senator kennedy absolutely was the bigfoot from massachusetts in so many ways if you wanted to get something done in d. C. There was a special reason why so many pieces of legislation that passed with his name to a republicans over the course of a career. It was because in that line of work he knew how to build relationships, establish trust and follow through to get the work of the senate, the work of the nation accomplished. And it was not just the big stuff. Every friday night for many years i used to stop at a Chinese Restaurant on my way home in revere and pick up food for myself and for the legion of children that would be hanging out of my house when i got there waiting for me to arrive. And one friday night it was about 7 30, a big group of us sitting around the kitchen table, eating dinner, phone rings, my sixyearold daughter walks over and answers the phone. She gets very quiet and a litter demure, as only six euros can. She puts the phone that, comes over, that, theres summit on the phone who says he is senator kennedy. [laughter] governor baker that led to a lot of hilarity between my kids and my wife and everybody else about which one of my friends might be pranking me. I answered the phone, and sure enough, it was senator kennedy. Friday night, 7 30, and he is calling to thank me for agreeing to serve on the conservancy board. We talked for a few minutes, said how important it was to him that he get done right, and if we had any questions or concerns to feel free to give him a call. I hang up the phone and i said that was senator kennedy. Which no one believed. But the interesting to me is this is somebody who played on the big issues in the Big Questions of his time in washington. But i polled every member of that board and we all got a phone call like that, and they came at all hours of the day and night and on weekends, and he stayed with that as we went through the process of launching that port and making that greenway a reality. We live in a world when people do not take what it takes to get stuff done in government. Id dearly hope as somebody who believes deeply in the capability and the quality of public life to truly make life better for everyone that this building and this institute finds a way to communicate how important relationships, trust and follow through are to truly being successful in public life, because to me, that embodies what senator kennedy was all about. Thank you very much. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, please welcome senator ed markey. [applause] senator markey mr. Vice president , vicki, teddy, patrick, and your beautiful families, ted loved all of you so much. You were the lights of his life, and he would be so proud of what you have accomplished together on this incredible day. Ted made impossible dreams come true as the greatest senator of all time in the United States of america. [applause] and you have made this possible today. And there could be no more Perfect Place for this Innovative Institute than umass boston, and extraordinary learning institution which educates over from just about every country in the work of all races, all countries, all incomes. This institution is what ted kennedy was all about. And deep appreciation to jack connors and john fish and Nick Littlefield and ed for the fantastic job they did for bringing us to this day. [applause] this 21st century edifice is now etched into the indelible history of this city and our nation. And much like Teddy Kennedys lasting impact, it will rise beyond our imagination. As a boy sitting on the floor in my living room, i watched on television as john f. Kennedy accepted the nomination for president of the United States. That moment opened up the windows of the world for me and for every young boy and girl in the United States. And then in 1962, ted kennedy ran for the senate for the first time against george cabot lodge. This was my political education, about how a campaign for senator could make an historic difference for massachusetts and for our country. The undreamed of possibilities that teddy and his brothers, president kennedy and bobby, shared inspired a generation of public service. The kennedy brothers taught us to give back to our country, which has given so much to us, and they taught us to be bold. That is what the legacy is of ted kennedy. And it was an honor to serve with and to learn from ted kennedy in congress for 35 years. Teddys compassion was unmatched. His mentorship without peer. His dedication to justice unsurpassed. His ability to work across the aisle the best of any member of the United States congress. And this institute, a hub of history, will take teddys personal touch and at the power of technology. It will showcase how ineffective Public Policies have fueled groundbreaking discoveries and progress across all fields. It will spread dreams across town to nations, building bridges of understanding. It will demonstrate how leadership, teamwork negotiation, and compromise are all essential ingredients of moving our country forward. You see, when i was first elected to congress, the son of a no plan from malden, i had never been to washington, d. C. Until the day of my swearingin as a member of the United States congress. But now i to Kennedy Institute any young person can come here to learn and to experience how our democracy works, to stand on the senate floor, to debate the big issues of our time. Teddy turned the summit on the the sermon on the mount to the sermon on the senate floor. Blessed are the poor, the sick the children of the elderly, and blessed are the peacemakers, for teddy, blessed were those programs to address the needs of the most vulnerable amongst us. Blessed are headstart, social security, medicare, Medicaid Health care for our, and blessed are the peacemers for Northern Ireland and on the urban streets of america. That is what Teddy Kennedy preached. And so while there is [applause] senator markey while there is no building that can match the strength of teddys soul, no material that could replicate the fiber of his character, note architecture that could begin to scrape the height of his vision, this institute and in doing so will inspire the new leaders and more engaged citizens. For teddy, education was always more than books. It was an opportunity, and experience to be grasped every day. That he found vision while holding the tiller of his sailboat or his lectern on the senate floor, and he had great fun every minute he was working on the most important issues in the world. And now, through its innovative ideas and timehonored ideals, the institute, a place where hope and history will rhyme, will allow teddys words to echo throughout time, and it will or a new generation of dreamers to service. This institute will a neighbor the leaders of tomorrow to learn to participate, to soar, and to Work Together for a more educated, more healthy, more peaceful, and more fair nation and world. That is ted kennedys legacy. This is truly a great day. Thank you also much. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, please welcome senator elizabeth warren. [applause] [cheers] senator warren thank you. And thank you all for being here today in boston for such a wonderful day of celebration thank you, mr. Vice president. Thank you, gene and fred for your tremendous leadership to make this day possible. And thank you, vicki, thank you, ted, thank you patrick, for your support, your advice, and for your friendship. I am truly honored to be with you on such a happy day. Were here to dedicate the Kennedy Institute, a place designed with one of the loftiest goals possible to inspire, to encourage, to engage. It is a lofty goal, but it is the right one for an Institute Honor ted kennedy. And here is how i know how. Back when i was a law professor, i studied early that the middle class was in serious trouble. I studied people in bankruptcy. People went to college, who got married, had kids, who ended up pushed over a financial cliff. Solidly middleclass folks, and more than 90 in bankruptcy because of a medical problem, a job loss, or a family breakup. The squeeze on the middle class was getting tighter and more and more families were deep in debt. Bankruptcy was there last option to scratch their way back to deadflat broke and try to build some kind of future. Credit Card Companies solve this and they figured out that they could boost their profits if they squeezed these people a little harder. Then he wanted to change the bankruptcy laws so that hundreds of thousands of people more every year would be locked out of bankruptcy and left mired in debt. Their profits, by squeezing people, drowning in medical debt and dealing with job losses. I was truly appalled. Understand how this fight shaped up. Credit Card Companies were smart. He had already lined up a lot of powerful folks to support them democrats and republicans. They had money galore. They had lobbyists galore. And if a family is going bankrupt, they had nothing literally nothing. They had no lobbyists. They were miserable and so humiliated they probably would not have shown up for a political rally if they had been invited. Senator kennedys counsel had heard me give a talk, and she came up afterwards and said to be, you need to meet my boss. I never met him. Was april 17, 1998. I showed up in his office on the 24th floor of the jfk building. Understand, i did not know anything about politics. I had never met anyone like this. In fact, i was a rubbers shirt i was a registered republican. The senator greeted me like we had known each other for each other. He pointed out Old North Church and talk so fast i could barely understand him. We had 15 minutes on the schedule, and we sat down and started to talk about what was happening to working families, about how hard some of them are getting squeezed, about how hard they worked, and how much was going wrong, and about that bankruptcy bill. And a 15minute meeting turned into an hour and a half. And at the end, senator kennedy stood up, and he gave me that big, beautiful smile, and he said, you have done it professor. You have my vote. I went straight back at him and said, we do not need your vote. We need your leadership. That is a big difference. It felt like the difference between being the kindly uncle who drops by a dry time with a Birthday Gift and being the parent who really has to raise the kid every single day and make it work, to be the one who gets out there and trades and pushes and pulls. We needed him to agree to be the leader, and it was a really big ask. He stood there, i remember a second what he looked like. His eyes were puffy. He was a little stooped he was in constant back pain. He looked tired, and he looked over at that big satchel of papers that he always carried. The satchel, for his billion other commitments that he had already made, the fights that he had already agreed to fight. He looked at it and looked back at me, looked again, and then he just said, i will do it. And that is what he did. He kept his word, and he led that fight for 10 years. I left his office, and i went out to the Elevator Bank and put my head against the wall, and i cried. Senator kennedy changed my life that day. I had liked politics. All the lobbyists and cozy dealings and special favors for those who could buy access. But i stood in the lobby outside ted kennedys office, and i felt clean. I come into his office, with no political connections, no money, improving the bankruptcy system was not going to help in his next reelection campaign, and, everyone knew that eventually we were going to lose this. Senator ted kennedy, the lion of the senate, agreed to lead this fight because it was the right thing to do for millions of people hanging on by their fingernails who just desperately needed a little help. He changed my life and he changed what i understood about public service, what it means to fight for working people just because it is the right thing to do. This institute will give millions of people an opportunity to be inspired. That is the perfect way to honor the memory of ted kennedy. Thank you. [applause] senator kennedy loved music and i the celebration, and you cannot have one without the other. We are happy to provide some of that. This is one of his favorite songs. Feel free to sing along. Theres a bright golden haze on the meadow theres a bright golden haze on the meadow the corn is as high as an elephants eye and it looks like its climbing clear up to the sky o, what a beautiful morning o, what a Beautiful Day i got a beautiful feeling everythings going my way all the cattle are standing like statues all the cattle are standing like statues they dont turn their heads as they see me ride by but a little brow maverick is winking her eye o, what a beautiful morning o, what a Beautiful Day i got a beautiful feeling everythings going my way all the sounds of the earth are like music all the sounds of the earth are like music the breeze is so busy it dont miss a tree and an old weeepin willer is laughin at me o, what a beautiful morning o, what a Beautiful Day i got a beautiful feeling everythings going my way o, what a Beautiful Day o, what a Beautiful Day ive got a b beautiful feeling everythings going my way oh, what a Beautiful Day o, what a beautiful o, what a beautiful o, what a Beautiful Day [applause] ladies and gentlemen, please welcome senator edward m. Kennedy, jr. [applause] senator kennedy thank you everyone. I want to thank the incredible boston pops for being with us. And i just want to say one thing. It is not true that my father really wanted to be president. Who he really wanted to be is brian stokes mitchell. [laughter] that is the life he really wanted to have if he did not want to be in the senate so much. I want to thank you for being here and joining us in this incredible celebration. I have the honor and, great honor of introducing to you a great. He reminds me of my father in that way. His patriotism, his love of this country, his stick to it in this, and his willingness to put aside differences and find ways to really get things done. Senator mccain, my father so enjoyed his collaboration with you here after year, and he really looked upon his senate days working with you as some of