Ted Kennedy, meet Flat Stanley -- and what's his name

The first time I met Ted Kennedy was in the summer of 1973 during a visit to the Capitol with other high school students from Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa and South Dakota. We were visiting with one of the members of the Minnesota delegation, Rep. Al Quie, I think, when we spotted Kennedy coming down the stairs. We raced down the marble hall like school children, surrounded Kennedy and bombarded him with questions and requests for autographs. He tolerated us for a minute or two and then was on his way.

Over the years, I covered Kennedy appearances for various candidates. Typically, there was little interaction – maybe a question or two before he was whisked away. Just another day-on-the-job encounter – for both of us.

In 2003 I was invited to meet Kennedy at a small gathering at, appropriately enough, the Irish Democrat, while he was in Cedar Rapids to campaign for Sen. John Kerry.

We waited for hours for him to arrive with the always-late Kerry entourage. Finally, Kennedy walked into the bar, his ruddy Irish face and shock of white hair immediately recognizable to anyone familiar with the American political scene.

He stepped up to the group of us, all too old to be star struck, but yet, well, star struck to be standing face-to-face with a living political legend. He stuck out his hand and in his Boston brogue said, “Hi, I'm Ted Kennedy” as if we wouldn't know who he was.

We had been told Kennedy wasn't feeling well and couldn't stay long, but he seemed comfortable in the bar, with pictures of his brothers looking down from the walls.

As a favor for a friend who taught special needs children I was carrying Flat Stanley – that paper doll title character of a 1964 children's book -- in hopes I could get pictures of Flat Stanley with some of the presidential hopefuls. Defying the Gods of Journalism, who, I knew, would smite me for asking Kennedy for a personal favor, I asked if he would mind having his picture taken with Flat Stanley. As soon as I mentioned “special needs children” he graciously honored my request.

I doubt those children appreciated that picture any more than the tens or hundreds of other pictures of Flat Stanley they collected that year. However, my friend was impressed, and her colleagues and her students' parents marveled at the fact she had been able to get a picture of Ted Kennedy with their Flat Stanley.

I've never asked, but I'm sure no cared about the guy standing next to Kennedy and Flat Stanley in that picture.

-- James Q. Lynch