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Mary Rose Kennedy (Class of 2014)
As graduation approaches and as I reflect on my time as a
McConnell Scholar, I cherish the memory of an unexpected friend made during the
Oxford Society’s trip to England in May 2012.
Fellow McConnell Scholar Zach Barnes and I hoped to find a
little adventure when we jumped on a bus leaving Oxford with fares to a
randomly selected town located in the Cotswolds, but we never expected this
day-trip to shape our life journeys.
Zach and I arrived in Chipping Norton, and immediately set out
to admire the market town’s gorgeous stone homes and to wander along its public
footpaths (i.e. open fields of sheep).
By the end of the afternoon, we settled into the corner of a crowded pub
before ordering a couple of beers and opening up our journals.
Suddenly, two huge black Labrador Retrievers jumped on my
lap.
“Whhoooappp! Get down you two!” A man yanked on the dogs’
leashes with his right hand whilst trying to avoid spilling the pint held by
his left. He wore a thin navy
fleece pullover that barely covered his belly, and tan cargo shorts that grazed
the tops of his green wellies. “So
sorry ‘bout that . . . the name’s Patrick.” He fumbled with the leashes a bit
and then stuck out his hand.
We introduced ourselves and Patrick beamed, “You two are
American? I love Americans! I do. I love you all.” Despite Patrick’s odd appearance and somewhat silly
demeanor, Zach invited him to sit with us. Soon, we were enraptured by our newfound companion’s knowledge
of the humanities. He gave us a
brief history of Italian philosophy (which he had studied at university), and
he recited Leopardi from memory.
But his insight into the works of Dante moved me most as he illustrated how
the concept of undeniable love “warms [him] up,” and as he explained why the opening lines of “Inferno” are the
most important of the “Divine Comedy.”
But such wisdom comes with a price.
Born in 1962, Patrick came of age during Britian’s severe
economic decline in the 1970s. He
recounted the uncertainty during this time of growing inflation, massive
unemployment, and union strikes:
“We were eating meat from a can. . . and we didn’t know the next time
we’d get it . . . maybe a couple of days, a couple of weeks . . . or months.” Then at only twenty years of age,
Patrick joined the British Army and fought in Argentina during the Falklands
War. He got very quiet and looked
down into his drink.
“You know,”
Patrick glanced up with glistening eyes, “We are all f*cked.” He forced a
half-smile, “But that’s the beauty of it.”
Looking into his eyes, I realized that Patrick’s love of
others and of life was only achieved through experiencing great pain and
sorrow.
“I love you. I would
die for you,” Patrick declared. He
finished his brown ale and slammed the glass upon the table, “I would die for
you because you are my future.” He
stood up, “Come with me. I want to
show you something.”
“There’s something I’d like to show you,” Patrick repeated
as we set off into the icy evening air.
Zach and I followed in silence until he stopped and softly sighed,
“These are my boys. I look after
them.” I followed his gaze toward
a small blue plaque affixed to the corner of a cottage that read:
IN MEMORY OF THE AIRCREWS WHO DIED HERE
& NEARBY AFTER A NIGHT FLYING ACCIDENT
21 ST. AUGUST
P/O A.W. STILLWELL
R.A.F. V.R.
P/O A.M. HENDERSON
R.A.F. V.R.
SGT. E. DOWNS
R.A.F. V.R.
SGT. J.M. RANKIN
R.A.A.F
SGT. M. HAYES
R.A.F. V.R.
SGT. P. O'BRIEN
R.A.F. V.R.
SGT. F. GILLARD R.A.F. V.R. SGT. N.F. BOXWELL R.A.F.
SGT. F. GILLARD R.A.F. V.R. SGT. N.F. BOXWELL R.A.F.
PER ARDUA AD ASTRA
Per Ardua ad Astra: the motto of the R.A.F., of Patrick Mahoney,
of Zach, and me, and of every human being. Per Ardua ad Astra: “Through Adversity to the Stars.”
Mary
Rose Kennedy is a senior McConnell Scholar from Owenton, KY. Kennedy is
studying political science, history, and Middle Eastern and Islamic
Studies.