because it was. and, jasper, you turned out fine. when you are among the youngest of nine children, you develop a sense of empathy. when those children are the kennedys, you develop a sense of diplomatic skills just to be heard. those traits helped jean kennedy smith follow her siblings into public service. when president kennedy visited ireland in 1963, he promised he would be back in springtime. it was left it jean to return for him. as ambassador, she helped brave young men and women see past the scars of violence and mistrust and come together to forge a lasting peace.