(10 of 10)
Clearly, that decision means more than simply remaining in a familiar house. It means sticking with a way of life. In Ethel's mind, her stewardship of that clamorous household symbolizes her stewardship of a legacy from Bobby. Thus she is the driving force behind the Kennedy Foundation, which she is determined will be a "living" memorial, appropriate to Bobby's ideals. She is the staunchest backer of the foundation's plan to raise money for fellowships that will enable promising but underprivileged youths to work alongside leaders of their own causes (a young farm laborer, for example, might work alongside Cesar Chavez, the evangelistic leader of migratory workers in the Southwest). "Ethel's the kind," says one associate, "who wouldn't shrink from getting involved with such groups as the Black Panther organization in Chicago." Ethel agrees: "You could always play it safe; take on projects that couldn't fail and no one could criticize. But that isn't the way Bobby lived."
That is why Ethel vehemently supported Ted Kennedy's resolve to forge ahead in politics after Bobby's death. "There never was a thought of his leaving the Senate," says Ethel. "There was never a thought of his retiring from public life. I wouldn't have it any other way." For Ethel, too, remaining at Hickory Hill means resolving, after all the pain and horror that have gone before, to encourage her own sons to go into politics if they are so inclined. "For anyone to achieve something, he will have to show a little courage," she says. "You're only on this earth once. You must give it all you've got."
* The runners-up: Rose Kennedy, Mamie Eisenhower, Lady Bird Johnson.