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Ted Kennedy Rides a Bucking Bronco in a Montana Rodeo, with Photo

In August 1960, Edward Kennedy came to Montana to campaign for his brother John at the Montana State Democratic Convention. Then he rode a bucking bronco in the Miles City Rodeo.

by stef

Full Story: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/8/26/202852/855

Thanks to Evan Barrett for passing this along. Evan followed with two more posts:

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If you have PowerPoint, you can open this file http://www.matr.net/files/Kennedy80atCapitol.ppt and look at the Kennedy 80 photo I sent earlier, with notes on people I recognize in the photo.

I think I picked out 11 people.

Do you agree with the ones I identified? Do you disagree? Do you recognize others?

Let me know.

Thanks.

Tap ‘er light!

— Evan

<<...>>
__________________________________________

This is a personal e-mail from
Evan Barrett
807 West Silver
Butte, MT 59701

Home Ph: 406-782-4671
Personal Cell Ph: 406-490-4349
Personal e-mail address: [email protected]

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Received this from my brother John

EVAN – PASS THIS ALONG IF YOU WISH.
A YEAR AGO I WAS FILMING TEDDY SPEAKING TO A SMALL GATHERING OF AIPAC (AMERICAN ISRAEL PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTE) CONTRIBUTORS IN WASH. DC. AFTER HIS COMMENTS, I WENT OVER TO HIM AND SAID, ‘HOWDY, MONTANA KID HERE WITH A GREAT MEMORY OF YOUR SOJOURN TO OUR GREAT STATE BACK IN 1960".

HE SMILED WIDE AND YOU COULD SEE THE MAGICAL IMAGES PULLED FROM DEEP WITHIN HIS MEMORY DANCE ACROSS HIS EYES. THEY SUDDENLY BECAME BRIGHT AND THE WRINKLES THAT ENCIRCLED HIS EYES STRETCHED WITH THE JOYFUL REMEMBRANCE OF THOSE HALCYON DAYS. HE CHIRPED BACK "I LOVE MONTANA."

I SAID, "WE ALL STILL REMEMBER YOU MOUNTING A BUCKING BRONCO IN MILES CITY, AND WOWING THE LOCALS, EARNING THE RESPECT OF PLENTY OF RIGHTWING RANCHERS. YOU RODE ALMOST 6 SECONDS I BELIEVE.’

KENNDEY’S BIG TOOTHED GRIN GREW EVEN BROADER, "HELL, THAT WAS A BUCKING BULL I RECALL". HE WAS LAUGHING OUT LOUD NOW WITH HIS MEMORY OF THAT GLORIOUS DAY CAMPAIGNING FOR HIS BROTHER JOHN FLASHING SO VIVIDLY IN HIS MIND. "I SWEAR THAT WAS A BULL, BUT EITHER WAY, IT WASN’T A DUD! BEAT ME UP GOOD. I COULDN’T WALK FOR A WEEK."

I RELATED HOW OUR FAMILY WERE LONG TIME DEMOCRATS AND KENNEDY SUPPORTERS. WE KIDS WERE RUNNING DOOR TO DOOR FOR HIS BROTHER ALL SUMMER.

TEDDY SHOOK MY HAND WITH A REAL MONTANA GRIP, AND THANKED ME FOR RECALLING THAT DAY IN MILES CITY. HE WAS A BIT FRAIL AND YET YOU COULD SEE HIS WIT WAS STILL KEEN, HIS HUMOR MOUNTAINOUS, AND HIS PASSION UNFENCED. WE WERE ALL BROTHERS OF THESE KENNEDY BOYS AND PERHAPS TEDDY WAS THE MOST ACCESSIBLE OF THEM ALL.

JOHN BARRETT

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Missoula’s Joe Reber remembers his Wild West tour of Montana with Ted Kennedy

A letter arrived last February at Joe Reber’s apartment in Missoula.

Sen. Ted Kennedy, suffering from the brain cancer that eventually claimed his life Tuesday night, wished his old friend a happy 90th birthday and thanked him for sending a copy of Reber’s autobiography, "The Paperboy."

"I’m just glad I survived that rodeo ride in Miles City," Kennedy noted.

Reber still gets a chuckle out of the ride.

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_12f4eff6-92a4-11de-9806-001cc4c03286.html

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