Happy Independence Day!

Saturday 9: Battle Hymn of the Republic (1968)
... because it's 4th of July
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here. This performance of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is from Robert Kennedy's funeral. So this week, we focus on him.

1) During WWII, when he was just 17, Robert Kennedy enlisted in the Navy. He was disappointed he was never involved in combat. Tell us about a time when you felt fate/circumstances kept you from something you wanted. 

I missed a lot of my senior year of college, because I was in Houston for cancer treatments. When I was able to be at school, I was very sick. I did complete my coursework and attended Ring Dance and graduation though!

2) Bobby was trained as an altar boy and throughout his life regularly attended early morning mass. When is the last time you attended a worship service?

It's been a few years. Probably a Christmas service with the in-laws.

3) He may have been an altar boy, but he was no angel. During junior high he was suspended for punching a classmate. Who is the last person who made you very, very mad?
Our kitchen contractor.

4) He had his first date when he was a senior in high school. Looking back, Mary Bailey Gimble told Kennedy biographers that she knew he had a crush on her and wondered why it took him so long to ask her out. Tell us about one of your early crushes.
BobbyM was my first real crush. He was the cutest boy in my middle school. Cathy likes to remind me that he didn't turn out so great, so I can be glad I dodged that bullet. Ha!

5) Bobby's wife Ethel is as bubbly and talkative as he was introspective and shy. He was organized, she's messy. While opposites may attract, do you believe the happiest marriages are between partners who are more similar than different?

Yes, I think the more successful relationships are those where a couple is more similar than different. Differences are important though. You don't want to be completely similar.

6) By November 1960, when he was 35 years old, Bobby already had served as legal counsel to two Senate committees and run his brother's successful Presidential campaign. He was looking forward to a quieter life teaching law, but gave in to family pressure to become President Kennedy's Attorney General. Tell us about a time when you were at a crossroads. Who influenced your decision?

At the beginning of this year, I was deciding between making a jump to a new company or quitting work altogether to go back to taking care of things at home and helping out more with my daughter's healthcare. No one really influenced my choice to stay home, but I really appreciate the support of my family and friends during and after the process. It's been a big change for the better!