On a crisp New York evening, Sir Richard Moore hosted an elegant reunion dinner for Kennedy Memorial Trust scholars, bringing together twelve alumni from Harvard and MIT, representing more than fifty years of academic distinction.
We were exceptionally lucky to be joined by three pioneering scholars: Dr Hilary Beattie and Dr Sylvia Hewlett (Harvard 1967), and Dr Brendan Horton (MIT 1968). Their reflections on the Trust’s earliest days, beginning with a shared voyage from Southampton to Boston aboard the Queen Elizabeth, were both moving and illuminating. Their stories powerfully underscored the enduring legacy and shared inheritance carried by every Kennedy Scholar.
The 1990s cohort was strongly represented, with Dr Matthew Andrews (MIT 1993), Dr Paul de Sa (MIT 1995), and three Harvard scholars from 1995: Dr Esther Whitfield, Clare Lockhart, and Dr Chloe Starr. Together, they exemplified the Trust’s expanding influence across academic disciplines and the remarkable professional paths its scholars have forged.
Along with myself, Uzma Hasan (Harvard 2002), the gathering also welcomed Dr John Tully (Harvard 2006), while Huw Spencer (Harvard 2020) offered the perspective of the Trust’s newest generation – a poignant reminder of its continued commitment to its mission in the face of pandemics, political shifts, and evolving visa challenges.
Sir Richard Moore’s reflection on where the Trust is headed for the next 60 years made the evening a moment of renewal not just reunion. We all reflected on how the scholarship opened doors, shaped ambition, and anchored our lives lived “across the pond” and felt deeply that the Trust’s work is not yet done. In a time of global uncertainty, the gathering offered something quietly powerful: confidence in the enduring value of intellectual exchange, public service, and transatlantic connection.
Article kindly written by: Uzma Hasan (Harvard 2002)
