
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, November 23, 1993                   TAG: 9311230179
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: The New York Times
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

JFK REMEMBERED ON SAD ANNIVERSARY

On the 30th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's death, thousands of tourists filed quietly past his grave at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, and the plaza in Dallas where he was shot to death was declared a National Historic Landmark.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, the former president's only surviving brother, arrived at the grave shortly after 3 p.m. with Rep. Joseph Kennedy and their wives.

The Massachusetts Democrats each laid a white rose at the foot of the tombstone, knelt, crossed themselves and appeared to pray silently before the eternal flame for about two minutes. Then they walked around a bend to the grave of Robert F. Kennedy, Joseph's father.

They were apparently the only family members to go to the grave. Family members said long ago that they preferred to commemorate Kennedy's birthday, May 29, rather than the date of his death.

In downtown Dallas, Nellie Connally, the widow of former Gov. John B. Connally of Texas, unveiled a bronze plaque designating Dealy Plaza, where Kennedy was shot, a historic landmark. The Connallys were riding in the open limousine with Kennedy and his wife when the president was shot. Connally was wounded.

"Thirty years ago," Nellie Connally said, "fate brought me here as an unwilling player in the most unforgettable tragic drama of our time. Now, three decades later, we are gathered not to look back with grief, but to look forward with hope."

by CNB