Anyone who knows me knows I am a Kennedy-phile. I am as big a fan of the Kennedys as I am of Star Trek. Just like Star Trek, I have met and become friendly with Trek actors I have also met and become friendly with Kennedys.

I am bringing this up because of the news of Teddy's brain tumor. The media frenzy is as redicilious as it always is whenever someone from the family makes the headlines. I am hoping that, despite his age, that this can be dealt with and that he'll be around for a while longer.

I have had two experiences with him. The first was back in the 80's; I don't remember the reason other than it was an election year and he was making a speech at the Pawtucket Armory. The evening started off with RI Senator Claiborne Pell and retired Senator John Pastore. This must have been what political rallies were like years ago. The stone walls and exposed beams inside the armory gave the room a cavernous feel which was easily filled with the powerful voice of John Pastore. He spoke in short, powerful bursts of oration which sounded like a trumpet solo.

Then Teddy rose to speak. He stood heads above John O. which made him seem even taller. He smiled like an Osmond and waved as if he were throwing a baseball to the far side of the room. And then he spoke! While Pastore was a trumpet, Teddy was a cannon. His voice boomed from the stage and rattled off the rafters and slammed into the stone walls on the far side of the hall. I can't recall what the hell he said but each word cut through and were filled with strength and conviction. The energy from his voice got into your blood. As the pitch of his voice rose, so did your blood preassure. The pace of his speech rose which only brought up the amount of adrenalin in your system. With his voice alone, Teddy got me excited and had a physical affect on me. When he was done I was exhausted. I felt as if I had finished a 2 hour workout in the span of an 8 minuet speech. I have heard lots of people make lots of speeches but no one ever came close to Teddy Kennedy.

My next experience was on the day that my friend Jim Langevin was sworn in as State Representative. This was also the day the Ted's son, Patrick, was also sworn in. I was working as Jim's driver so I got to go in with him through the legislator's entrance. I was also working for my local police department as a reserve officer. The reson for pointing this out is part of the punch line to the story.

As we made out way in, just in front of us was Partick, his mother, Joan (a gorgeous woman) and THE SENATOR. Along with us were a few hundred other people trying to make their way through a single width doorway; so, it was slow and crowded. As we shuffled along I kept watching Teddy. Those big, white teeth were glaring in the sun. And he was getting closer. Jim also saw he was getting closer and he kept craning up to try to see through the crowd. As I looked from Jim to Teddy, no more than 8 feet away, I saw the opportunity to give Jim a coronary.

"Jim," I said as I leaned down to whisper in his ear for only him to hear. "It suddenly dawned on me that I just joined a special fraternity."

Jim looked up at me and said, "What the hell are you talking about?"

As I reached into my overcoat towards the holster holding my off duty Walther PPK I said, "I'm one of two other men ever to get this close to a Kennedy with a loaded gun!"

I swear this was the closest I had ever seen Jim coming to actually getting out of his wheel chair! His eyes bugged out like a freightened cartoon character and flailing his arms at mine he screamed in a whisper, "GET YOUR HAND OUTTA THERE! HIS GUARDS ARE GONNA KILL YOU!!"

I just smiled, pointed and waved at Teddy as he passed by us unscathed and the blood began to return to Jim's face.

Jim did get even with me a few years later after both he and Patrick were elected to the US Congress and I was exiled to Florida. We were talking one day when he casually told me he had just been to a cookout at Patrick's.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry, Jack; I got that wrong. It wasn't at Patrick's. It was at HIS GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE IN HYANNISPORT! Sorry you couldn't be there."

It's not often someone one up's me but Jim had definetly trumped me on this one!