Irish Wishing Well

On the sad anniversary of the plane crash that killed John F. Kennedy, Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and her sister Lauren Bessette, 26 years ago today, on July 16, 1999, I remember a visit that JFK Jr. made to Chicago. My sister Stephanie and I saw him in person, albeit from a distance, 28 years ago. We were spectators at an event described in the book, JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography by RoseMarie Terenzio and Liz McNeil, editor-at-large at People magazine.

The beginning of Chapter 18 recounts when he was in the Windy City promoting his magazine George. Stephanie and I happened to be at The Art Institute of Chicago (one of our favorite places), where he was holding a big, glamorous party later that evening. Ms. Terenzio, co-author of the book, his executive assistant and friend, describes that night:

By the time the 1996 Democratic convention came around, we had the first year of George under our belt. From John's perspective, we should really put on the dog, as he used to say. The way that Vanity Fair owns the Oscars, we should own this. We hosted a big party-probably a thousand people-at the Chicago Art Institute, and he was like, Let it rip. We wanna be the hottest ticket in town. I walked in with Kevin Costner, and you couldn't even move. I was wearing a strappy dress, and the next morning I had bruises on my back from people shoving me, trying to get a picture of John. Hillary and Oprah got a photo with John-they had just gotten there-and right behind them were fire marshals coming in to shut it down. We were violating a fire code. Then John left the party, and it was like Elvis has left the building (253).

Sean Neary also described the night. "John was so inclusive-Carl Robbins and I were junior staff at George but we got to be there for the party. There we were in line next to Chelsea Clinton trying to get in...." (253) (Steph and I saw her and a friend roaming around the Art Institute before the party, while we were on a museum tour. We always wished we had waved hello.)

Alas, there was no last minute invite for us but we stood behind a barricade outside the museum with onlookers and the press, with their bright lights, while guests made their way inside for the celebration. I remember two things about John F. Kennedy, Jr., when he sauntered up the museum steps. First, he kept his hands in his pockets - a savvy way to not have to shake anyone's hands. Secondly, I remember that he looked tan and it suited him. He was handsome and self-possessed. I excitedly recounted those two critical details to the neighbor whose children I babysat when she asked me what it was like to see him in person.

I remember that Steph asked me if I wanted to stay to see Kevin Costner and I said no because I was just so thrilled to have seen JFK Jr. That was enough for me. Steph remembers that we then went to an Italian restaurant, Ranalli’s. We dined on the terrace. I think I ate spaghetti. There was a warm, late summer breeze.

It was a month after that promotional party that he got married in a beautiful, intimate wedding on Cumberland Island, Georgia. It seemed like a fairy tale. There are wild Spanish horses that live on the island. How magical is that? I remember going for a run because it was a sunny day when the announcement broke. Life seemed so full of promise.