Seventeen years before John F. Kennedy became the 35th president of the United States, the nation's commander-in-chief, Lieutenant Junior Grade Jack Kennedy was the skipper of a Motor Torpedo Boat in the Pacific during WWII. In the early predawn morning of August 2, 1943, PT 109 was rammed and sliced in half by the Japanese destroyer AMAGIRI in the waters of Blackett Straight, in the Solomon Islands. Young Kennedy went on to help effectuate the rescue of the surviving members of his crew earning him the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. It is a great story. They even made a movie out of it in 1963.

The carving is based upon a very grainy black and white snapshot, one of two that survive, showing JFK sitting at the controls of his PT boat. A good friend of mine suggested Kennedy as a subject for a carving after my Reagan piece. I doubt if he was envisioning a shirtless young Naval officer with Ray-Bans and dog tags. Regardless I hope my version does justice to our 35th president. He holds a certain place in the hearts and minds of those of us of a certain age.

The wood is a 3 inch slab of bass wood, 10 by 9 inches. It is finished with diluted boiled linseed oil, acrylic water base paints, clear coat and wax.