JFK's 1960 speech re-enacted

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Hundreds of people gathered for the re-enactment of a speech Sen. John F. Kennedy made 50 years ago in Providence, R.I., organizers said.

Actor Joe Wilson Jr. gave what he called a "nerve-racking" performance of JFK's 1960 speech, The Providence (R.I.) Journal reported.

Kennedy made the speech before the election that made him president. His nephew, U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, spoke at its re-enactment at Providence City Hall Sunday.

Members of the audience included several people who were there for the original speech.

"I was fascinated with Kennedy," John J. Gilgun said. "He was the Democratic candidate. He was a Catholic, as am I. He was my hero."

Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, who chose not to run for re-election this year, said his uncle often talked about what America could become, and not what it was. He also honored Kennedy's commitment to civil rights.

Wilson said giving the speech was "nerve-racking" because he did in front of Kennedy's relatives and people who had strong memories of the event a half-century ago.