Proclamation 6159—Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Family Appreciation Day, 1990

On July 22, 1990, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy will celebrate her 100th birthday. It is fitting that, on this special occasion, we not only wish her much happiness, but also reflect upon the importance of an institution she has cherished and defended for years. That institution is the family.

In the inimitable shelter of family life, we gain a sense of identity and purpose. The love and knowledge passed from generation to generation provides us with a link to the past and it gives us a stake in the future.

Through family life, our country's most cherished values and traditions are passed from one generation to the next. Indeed, as members of a family, we learn important lessons about love and commitment, duty and fidelity, and respect and concern for others. It is through our parents and other close relatives that most of us discover how great God's love for mankind must be, and it is through them we learn His Command ments and the importance of obeying them. Because we carry these lessons with us each time we leave home to participate in the life of our communities and country, and because the family provides a model of human relationships after which all other social institutions are fashioned, its strength and integrity are vital to the strength and well-being of our entire Nation.

Throughout her adult life, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy has worked to advance the idea that strong and loving families, built on the rock of religious faith, are the foundation of a strong and caring society. By example in word and deed, she has encouraged her children---and, indeed, all Americans--to use their gifts for the benefit of their fellowman. Her children have clearly heard the call to serve, and, today, we remember three who demonstrated that serving others often requires great courage and sacrifice: Joseph, Jr., who was killed in a bombing raid over Europe during World War II; President John F. Kennedy, who advanced this Nation's policy of peace through strength and later fell victim to an assassin's bullet; and Robert Kennedy, who, as Attorney General, proved to be a steadfast friend of the civil rights movement and, like his brother Jack, later died at a gunman's hands.

Today, the legacy of service begun by Rose Kennedy is being carried on through her surviving children and grandchildren and through programs and institutions she has helped to establish. Her well-known efforts on behalf of persons with mental and physical disabilities not only continue to inspire others, but also continue to underscore the inestimable value of every human life and the untold potential of each and every individual.

Time and again, Rose Kennedy has shown us the meaning of faith and courage, even when cruelly tested by personal tragedy and loss. On her 100th birthday, we salute this strong and devoted wife and mother, and we thank her for reminding so many Americans of the importance of faith in God and love of family and friends.

In honor of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy on her 100th birthday, the Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 315, has designated July 22, 1990, as "Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Family Appreciation Day" and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observation of this day.

Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim July 22, 1990, as Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Family Appreciation Day. I urge all Americans to observe this day by reflecting upon the importance of whole and healthy families to us as individuals and as a Nation.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fifteenth.

GEORGE BUSH