TRIBUTES

Brian O'Dwyer

Emerald Isle Immigration Center

August 31, 2009

I first met Ted Kennedy in 1963. I was a freshman at the George Washington University in Washington DC and was eager to intern with the recently elected Senator from Massachusetts. Armed with a letter of introduction from my father I sought the coveted internship for the newest star of the Kennedy family. 

I was not disappointed. The work of intern is mundane, but I did learn the workings of a Senate office by just being there. An added bonus was that Sen. Kennedy would always take time to have a kind word with us. I remember that he would always know who we were and would ask us about our lives. 

In 1999, my wife and I endowed the Paul O'Dwyer lecture on political ethics at the George Washington University. My father was deep admirer of Ted Kennedy and was an early supporter of his failed quest for the Presidency. It was Ted Kennedy who left Capitol Hill and traveled to the campus to pay tribute to the work of his friend Paul O'Dwyer. His words were as always eloquent, but it was his gesture in making himself available in spite of a hectic schedule that will always make me deeply grateful. 

He was disappointed that his immigration bill did not get passed. I remember him coming to me and saying, "Take a look at the bill Brian, I sure took care of the Irish" He never forgot a friend or an enemy, but constantly strived to make sure bridges were built and gaps overcome. He profoundly influenced my life and an entire generation of Irish Catholics. We will not see the like of him again.