Thousands turn out to remember JFK on his 100th birthday

In this Feb. 27, 1959, file photo, Sen. John F. Kennedy, D-Mass., is shown in his office in Washington. Monday, May 29, 2017 marks the 100-year anniversary of the birth of Kennedy, who went on to become the 35th President of the United States. (File/AP)

In this April 2, 1961 file photo, President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy leave St. Edward's Catholic Church in Palm Beach, Fla., after attending Easter Sunday services. Monday, May 29, 2017 marks the 100-year anniversary of his birth. (AP)

In this Jan. 20, 1961 file photo, President John F. Kennedy delivers his inaugural address after taking the oath of office on Capitol Hill in Washington. Monday, May 29, 2017 marks the 100-year anniversary of his birth. (AP)

In this June 5, 1961 file photo, Queen Elizabeth II poses with U.S. President John F. Kennedy, before a state dinner at Buckingham Palace. At left is the Duke of Edinburgh and Kennedy's wife, Jackie, is at second left. Monday, May 29, 2017 marks the 100-year anniversary of John F. Kennedy's birth. (AP)

FILE - In this Dec. 13, 1961 file photo, President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, pose in front of the Christmas tree in the Blue Room of the White House in Washington. The occasion was a pre-Christmas party for White House staff members and their families. Monday, May 29, 2017 marks the 100-year anniversary of his birth. (Henry Burroughs/AP)

In this June 29, 1962 file photo, U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Mexican President Adolfo Lopez Mateos are showered with confetti and paper as they travel down a boulevard in Mexico City, shortly after Kennedy's arrival for a three-day visit. Monday, May 29, 2017 marks the 100-year anniversary of Kennedy's birth. (AP Photo)

In this Aug. 22, 1962 file photo, President John F. Kennedy walks with Vice President Lyndon Johnson, right, on the White House south grounds as Johnson started a trip to Italy and the Middle East. Monday, May 29, 2017 marks the 100-year anniversary of Kennedy's birth. (AP Photo/Byron Rollins)

In this Dec. 18, 1961 file photo, President John F. Kennedy heads for Washington after an overnight stopover in West Palm Beach, Fla., where he rested after his Latin American tour due to a heavy cold. Monday, May 29, 2017 marks the 100-year anniversary of his birth. (AP Photo)

In this June 3, 1961, file photo, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and President John F. Kennedy talk in the residence of the U.S. Ambassador in a suburb of Vienna. The meeting was part of a series of talks during their summit meetings in Vienna. Monday, May 29, 2017 marks the 100-year anniversary of Kennedy's birth. (AP Photo)

In this Feb. 27, 1959 file photo, Sen. John F. Kennedy, D-Mass., is shown in his office in Washington. Monday, May 29, 2017 marks the 100-year anniversary of the birth of Kennedy, who went on to become the 35th President of the United States. (File/AP)

Army Major Gen. Michael Howard, commanding general of the Military District of Washignton, right, and Karen Durham-Aquilera, executive director of Army National Cemeteries, left, lay a wreath at the grave of former President John F. Kennedy, to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Monday, May 29, 2017. Kennedy was born May 29, 1917. (Cliff Owen/AP)

The Army Old Guard color guard stands watch during a wreath laying ceremony, at the grave of former President John F. Kennedy, to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Monday, May 29, 2017. Kennedy was born May 29, 1917. (Cliff Owen/AP)

A wreath is placed at the grave of former President John F. Kennedy, to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Monday, May 29, 2017. (Cliff Owen/AP)

A wreath at the grave of former President John F. Kennedy, to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Monday, May 29, 2017. (Cliff Owen/AP)

Army Major Gen. Michael Howard, commanding general of the Military District of Washignton, far left, and Karen Durham-Aquilera, executive director of Army National Cemeteries, lay a wreath at the grave of former President John F. Kennedy, to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Monday, May 29, 2017. (Cliff Owen/AP)

Visitors stand as Taps is played during a wreath laying ceremony at the grave of former President John F. Kennedy, to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Monday, May 29, 2017. (Cliff Owen/AP)

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By Crystal Hill The Associated Press

May 29, 2017 - 12:59 am

BOSTON — Americans turned out by the thousands Monday to celebrate the life and legacy of President John F. Kennedy on the day he would have turned 100.

The United States Postal Service commemorated Kennedy’s centennial with a dedication of a JFK postage stamp in Brookline, Massachusetts, a Boston suburb where the late president was born on May 29, 1917.

The image on the stamp is a 1960 photograph by Ted Spiegel of Kennedy when he was campaigning for president in Seattle. Boston Postmaster Nick Francescucci said the stamp was selected because of the way Kennedy was looking up.

“His eyes were high, they were looking to the sky (and) it looked like there was a big bright future ahead of us,” Francescucci said.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III gave the keynote speech at the John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site — JFK’s birthplace and childhood home. His great-uncle, he said, was a man who had honest and infectious pride. He not only implored a generation to serve, but he promised them a country worthy of their service, the congressman said.

A wreath-laying ceremony also was held to honor the 35th U.S. president at his gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Kennedy served as president from January 1961 until he was assassinated Nov. 22, 1963. He was 46.

In Boston, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum held a birthday celebration that included a cake made by the family of the baker who made the engagement cake for then-Sen. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier, museum officials said. The celebration capped a long Memorial Day holiday weekend of events to honor Kennedy’s legacy and drew thousands of visitors on his centennial celebration.

“There’s no one issue or one event that we could do to highlight the different facets of (Kennedy),”said Steven Rothstein, the library foundation’s executive director. “Many of his key ideas are timeless. We fundamentally believe that JFK is a visionary who never goes out of style.”

The late president’s commitment to service also was celebrated at a Saturday ceremony co-hosted by the National Peace Corps Association. Association president Glenn Blumhorst said those who have served in the Peace Corps see themselves as “the living legacy of JFK.”

Kennedy issued an executive order establishing the Peace Corps in 1961.

“His call to service in asking what we can do for our country is the way that we responded,” Blumhorst said. “We feel that that is one way of completing our national service.”