Sunday, April 28, 1996
Senator Edward M. Kennedy visited Mount Vernon by boat with John F. Kennedy, Jr., and friends.
As described by Mount Vernon Resident Director James Rees:
On Sunday, April 28, just two days after the conclusion of the world-famous auction of Kennedy Family memorabilia, the much-wealthier John F. Kennedy, Jr., made his first visit to Mount Vernon. A party of about seven guests arrived on a small, somewhat down-on-its-luck speedboat named 'Grand Fromage' aka 'Big Cheese,' skippered by Senator Ted Kennedy. Dennis Pogue [Director of Restoration] and Sally McDonough [Manager of Media Relations] joined me in leading the Kennedy clan on a tour of the estate.
The Summer 1996 issue of Mount Vernon: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow (Vol. 10, No. 2) describes the visit as such:
Mount Vernon's Director of Restoration Dennis Pogue greets Senator Edward M. Kennedy at the wharf as Resident Director James Rees (far right) prepares to offer a tour of the estate. The Senator — who doubled as skipper —arrived with John F. Kennedy, Jr. (far left) and several friends aboard the speedboat, 'Grand Fromage.' JFK, Jr., co-founder and editor-in-chief of the new magazine named after Washington, George, was making his first visit to Mount Vernon. The group joined 6,838 other visitors on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
