JFK at Assumption College, Worcester

In this October 2, 1958 photo, Senator John F. Kennedy walks with Bishop John J. Wright of the Diocese of Worcester at Assumption College (now Assumption University). Wright was the first leader of the diocese. Behind the senator and bishop are Jacqueline Kennedy and the Rev. Armand H. Desautels, president of the Assumption.

The rebuilding and relocation of Assumption College occurred when Senator John F. Kennedy, two years into his presidency, visited the campus for the unveiling of a building bearing his late brother’s name.

The Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Memorial Science Hall was dedicated on October 2, 1958, with Kennedy participating in several events. Jacqueline Kennedy answered questions from students, including visitors to the nearby Notre Dame Academy, during a meeting in the library of La Maison Francaise. That building can be seen in this week’s Then photo.

The Kennedy Foundation contributed $150,000 to the university’s rebuilding efforts after the 1953 tornado that leveled parts of Central Massachusetts. One of the hardest hit places was the Assumption campus, then on West Boylston Street in Worcester. (The site is now home to Quinsigamond Community College.)

Kennedy visited the region to view the tornado’s devastation.

The Kennedy connection to Assumption was made when Senator Kennedy spoke at Assumption’s commencement on June 3, 1955. He also spoke at a ceremony on November 10, 1956 marking the relocated campus, located near Salisbury Street on land once filled by the Buckley and Eppinger. farms.

The Kennedy Foundation money was intended for reconstruction efforts. The first building on the new location was La Maison Francaise, a library and French cultural center.

The Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Memorial Science Hall was a tribute to John Kennedy’s older brother, a pilot who died in World War II.

At Assumption, then a college and now a university, the senator unveiled a portrait of his brother by Richard Lack, a noted artist whose work included portraits of the various Kennedy families.

The science center was “a symbol of Kennedy’s devotion to God and country,” the Rev. Armand H. Desautels, president of the Assumption, told the crowd.

The Kennedy Building remains part of the Assumption campus, although it is no longer the primary location for science. The building now has classrooms and offices.

In 2003, with Senator Edward M. Kennedy at the dedication, the school opened the Richard and Janet Testa Science Center.

Last week Then and now: Denny Hall, 220 Main St., Spencer

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Then and now: JFK at Assumption College, Worcester