BOSTON — The late

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was hailed Friday, Aug. 28, as a loving father,

tireless friend and compassionate leader during an emotional ceremony

of remembrance that mixed joyful tales with tears of mourning.There

was a moving rendition of "The Impossible Dream," a tribute film by

famed director Ken Burns and the revelation that Kennedy performed as a

hip-swiveling, song-belting Elvis impersonator at a staff Christmas

party."He was awful in my opinion," joked Sen. Orrin Hatch, the conservative Utah Republican and tee-totaling Mormon bishop who nonetheless became a close friend and frequent political ally of the hard-living Irish-Catholic, liberal icon."He

always used to say that if he and I were on the same bill, it was

obviously that one of us hadn't read it," Hatch said with a laugh.One

after another, Senate colleagues, friends he sailed with, friends he

fought with, and most of all, friends and family whom he loved and who

loved him back, stood for three hours before the flag-draped coffin to

share memories about the last patriarch of the Kennedy clan."He'd

always remind us that the older we get, the better we were," joked Paul

G. Kirk Jr., a former aide who is on the board of directors of the John

F. Kennedy Presidential Library, where the memorial service was held.Vice President Joe Biden said Kennedy had encouraged him to run for office and urged him on at every turn and every crisis."I

never saw him petty," he said. "I never saw him act in a small way. As

a consequence, he made us all bigger, both his allies and foes."Joseph

Patrick Kennedy II, eldest son of the slain Robert F. Kennedy, spoke of

how "Uncle Teddy" had helped raise his nephews and nieces without

reservation after the assassination."Every single one of my

brothers and sisters needed a father and we gained one with Uncle

Teddy," he said. "He had such a big heart. And he shared that big heart

with all of us."Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President John F.

Kennedy, said her uncle delighted in organizing family trips to share

his passion for history and understanding of sacrifice.He led the

children on visits to the monuments of Washington, and Civil War and

Revolutionary War battlefields. He took them once on a camp out on an

island that was covered in mosquitoes in the dead of summer."We

figured Teddy was trying to teach us something, but after a boiling hot

day with 20 children under 10, we weren't sure what," she recalled. The

next morning, they discovered, he had sneaked off on a boat and spent

the night in a five-star hotel in Boston.He had a "ferocious

sense of humor," said Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn. In his final

months, he said, Kennedy especially enjoyed how political opponents who

"abhorred his politics were saying the nicest things about him.""John Kennedy inspired our America," Dodd said. "Robert challenged our America. Our Teddy changed America."Sen.

John McCain, the feisty Arizona Republican, said he and the pugnacious

Massachusetts Democrat shared the same political philosophy —

full-throated debate, give-no-quarter battles and drinks all around

afterward."He was a fierce advocate, and no senator would oppose

him in debate without a little trepidation," McCain said. "Actually,

quite a lot of trepidation."Kennedy, he said, "was the most

reliable, the most prepared, and the most persistent member of the

Senate. He took the long view, and he never gave up."Behind

them, in the huge windows of the high-ceilinged room, a soft dusky

light turned to inky black over the waters of Dorchester Bay. In the

audience sat Kennedy's widow, Victoria, members of his family and a

galaxy of national and state political leaders, including California

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver. About 500

people filled the hall.Kennedy died Tuesday, Aug. 25, after a

15-month battle with brain cancer, at age 77, and tributes have come

from around the world. His body has lain in repose at the library since

Thursday afternoon. The public was invited to pay respects, and tens of

thousands did so.By the time the public viewing closed Friday afternoon, police said up to 50,000 people had lined up, some for up to four hours."The

turnout, the love, has been phenomenal," said Kym Smith, the senator's

niece.She and other family members took turns greeting and thanking

the mourners.Everyone in line, it seemed had a story to tell, a memory to share about America's third-longest serving senator.Jamleck

Wairimu, 33, a Kenyan, brought his freshly-issued U.S. immigration

papers as proof of how Kennedy had helped him find a new life as a

student in America.Helen Gibbons brought her 13-year-old

daughter, Ruby, who won a science fair several years ago and met

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Kennedy at the awards ceremony.Inside the library, five young

girls from Kennedy's extended family prayed on their knees at one point

beside the casket, their blond and brown heads just visible over the

top.

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