It's been four days. The wound is still open and bleeding. But the healing begins today as we say goodbye to a Great American Senator: Edward Kennedy. Edward, or Ted, was a member of a legendary American family, plagued with untimely deaths, but blessed with the unique ability to unite the American people and inspire change. In the words of President Obama: "Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States Senator of our time."
I am ashamed to admit I wasn't aware of the importance of Ted Kennedy until I started researching his life, after his death. I have come to learn that when one thought of Edward Kennedy, one primarily thought of health care reform, but that was not his only area of concern. He was also a supporter of civil rights, labor, energy and efficiency, and education.
As I was researching Ted Kennedy and his experience with higher education I came across http://www.tedkennedy.org. If you go to this page you'll notice that, with respect to Senator Kennedy's wishes, his family asks that you do not give flowers, but instead give a donation towards education. His work towards improving education spans such a long time period and entails so many Acts, and Bills, and What-Nots that I don't have enough words to mention them all, but one of his main goals when working with Higher Education and Job Training, was to provide quality and affordable education to all Americans. And this is what he did.
Ted Kennedy had a huge impact on higher education. Without him the dropout rate would potentially be higher, the schools less diverse and accepting, the opportunities for learning slimmer and slimmer. He got us started, this "Lion of the Senate", now we have to keep going, in honor of Edward Kennedy, we have to strive for that unattainable perfect system for which he reached all of his life.
Because of the efforts of this one man, our country is a little better. So Teddy, I thank you. R.I.P.
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