| Kennedy To Receive Bush Public Service Award |
 COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Oct. 3, 2003 - The George Bush Presidential Library Foundation today announced that United States Senator Edward M. Kennedy would receive the 2003 George Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service at a dinner ceremony held at the Bush Library Center on the Texas A&M campus on November 7. Former President Bush will present the award to the Massachusetts Democrat, who will join former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl as Bush Award recipients. The award will be presented in a ceremony at the Library Center following a 5 p.m. address by the Senator at Rudder Auditorium. Senator Kennedy has represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate since he was first elected in 1962 to fill the seat vacated by his brother, President John F. Kennedy. Since then, he has been re-elected seven times, and is now the second most senior member of the Senate. Throughout his career, Senator Kennedy has fought for issues that benefit the people of Massachusetts and the nation - particularly the effort to bring quality health care to every American. "During his remarkable career spanning over four decades, Senator Kennedy has consistently and courageously fought for his principles - and has rightly earned the respect of his Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle," said Bush Foundation Executive Director Roman Popadiuk. "His commitment to excellence in public policy and his devotion to public service serve as an inspiration to all Americans and make him a superb recipient of the Bush Award." Today, Senator Kennedy is active on a wide range of issues - including all aspects of homeland security and national defense, restoring economic growth and helping the unemployed, improving elementary and secondary schools and making colleges more affordable. He is the ranking Democratic member on the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and a member of the Senate Judiciary and Armed Service Committees. He is also a founder of the Congressional Friends of Ireland and a trustee of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Kennedy is the youngest of nine children of Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, and is a graduate of Harvard and the University of Virginia Law School. His home is in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, where he lives with his wife, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, and children, Curran and Caroline. He also has three grown children, Kara, Edward Jr., and Patrick, and four grandchildren. The George Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service recognizes an individual's or group's dedication to public service at the local, state, national or international levels. The award underscores President Bush's long service and commitment to public service. Recipients of the George Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service receive a custom crystal sculpture designed by Eric Hilton for Steuben of New York, as well as a monetary prize. |
