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<td width="255" valign="top" height="90"><font color="#FFFFFF" size="3" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="4">Editor's
Letter </font><b><br>
</b> <font size="1">A Tribute of Our Own</font></font></td>
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<p><font color="#FFFFFF" size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In
the weeks following John Kennedy's death, his image lived on at
newsstands and on televisions everywhere. Magazines and newspapers
all published their homages to a life that was lived in the public
eye. For a little while, television turned into univision, with
John being the only program. What the media printed and broadcast
was a dramatized narrative -- beginning with John's birth and filmed
through the lenses of countless cameras -- that had unfolded like
a long-running serial, with epic highs and tragic lows leading into
each new chapter. That the producers of a fable wanted to distribute
their interpretation of its end wouldn't have surprised John a bit.</font></p>
<p><font color="#FFFFFF" size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Still,
for those of us who worked with John, the process of seeing our
colleague's death transformed into the stuff of popular history
was unsettling. Certainly, we were familiar with many of the images:
John as the scion of a mythic family, John as the handsome and glamorous
New Yorker with a beautiful and glamorous wife, John as a potential
political candidate. During our time at <i>George</i>, we had gotten
a backstage look at what John once called "the giant puppet show
that can turn public people into barely recognizable symbols of
themselves." And, to be fair, the tributes were almost always kind,
mostly accurate, and rightly captured the essence of John: his unfailingly
generous heart and his remarkable passion for life. But we were
reluctant to participate. At such a time, we found it hard to trust
our emotions, to feel confident that we'd be able to say the right
things in the proper way.</font></p>
<p><font color="#FFFFFF" size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ultimately,
we decided to remember John within the pages of <i>George</i>. Part
of our remembrance is manifest in every story and every photograph
in this issue, from Al Franken's wonderfully funny report on the
GOP's Iowa straw poll to our countdown of the 100 greatest moments
of the American century. That's important to note, because John
knew that sooner or later this magazine would have to stand on its
own. Save for one or two noteworthy exceptions, he didn't want his
name on the cover of <i>George</i> or his picture inside.</font></p>
<p><font color="#FFFFFF" size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This
month, however, we're making an exception by publishing a special
section in John's memory. We've tried to tell you about John as
we saw him every workday: as an editor and a journalist who founded
a magazine with a mission. In our tribute section, you'll find excerpts
from his editor's letters and the interviews he conducted for the
magazine -- John in his own words. We've also included a story about
his trip to Cuba to interview Fidel Castro, a fascinating journey
that, for reasons you'll see when you read the piece, never made
it into <i>George</i>. </font></p>
<p><font color="#FFFFFF" size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Finally,
we're publishing a photo gallery of some of the people in public
life whom John admired. Whether or not they knew it, he thought
they represent the spirit of civic duty that informed his editorial
vision and inspired him to create <i>George</i>. John may be gone,
but his faith in the virtue of public service is not. From a boxer
to a president, these people share that faith. So does this magazine.</font></p>
<p><font color="#FFFFFF" size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Thanks
for reading. We'll see you next month.</font></p>
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