Preston Bruce developed a close relationship
with the Kennedy family. Smithsonian
Institution.
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A White House Worker
Remembers November 25, 1963
President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy had developed
a bond with White House doorman Preston Bruce.
The slain President's brother, Attorney General
Robert Kennedy, invited Bruce to walk with
members of the Kennedy family to JFK's memorial
service at St. Matthew's Cathedral. Here
are some of Bruce's recollections:
"My heart
ached to see Mrs. Kennedy march up the avenue,
straight-backed, holding her children by the
hand.. . . .
"[After the service], I stood
at the bottom of the steps near Mrs. Kennedy,
Caroline, and John-John as the pallbearers carried
down the casket. As it passed by, John- John
raised his small hand and gave a crisp salute.
It was his third birthday and his mother
had arranged ice cream, cake, and candles
to go with his supper that evening.
"[At
Arlington Cemetery], I struggled to keep
my composure. I could see the head of . .
. General Charles de Gaulle of France, .
. . and I could have . . .touched Emperor
Haile Selassie of Ethiopia. Mrs. Kennedy
had done me a great honor to include me in
this company.
"At last the bugle sounded
taps for John Fitzgerald Kennedy, a brave
young man I'd learned to love."
—Preston Bruce, From the Door
of the White House. New York: Lothrop,
Lee and Shepard, 1984, 104–105. |
