It was the 1960s and a young man from New England decided to place his hat in the political ring: John F. Kennedy. Many were unaware that the future had plenty in store as a result of his leadership.

Television newscasts showed him in his best form at the Democratic convention. It was then my interest was aroused to do my part in seeing him win. While watching young ladies at the convention dressed in outfits of red, white and blue, the thought occurred to me, why not get our own gals to participate in the campaign? I asked my daughter if she could get some girlfriends interested. The Kennedy Girls was formed in Novato and included Patricia Carpenter, Linda Lee, Marcie and Robin Yarish. It opened a new world for these teenage girls. To make them feel visible at these affairs, I designed white dresses. The outfits had red, white and blue banners across the chest; white hats with red, white and blue headbands; and white gloves and shoes.

We read in the news that Pat Lawford, JFK’s sister, would be speaking at a Sausalito hotel. The girls showed up, performed their songs and handed out handbills. The guests warmly received them.

After that, things started to roll along. One party was held at the Novato Community House with guest speaker Edward Kennedy. The locals who attended felt they should vote for his brother and were happy to see JFK’s brother in our small town.

Weeks later we heard that a rally was going to be held at the Oakland Airport, so why not see if we could do some good there? In a two-car caravan we drove over the Bay Bridge to Oakland. The crowd was enormous and we struggled to see what we could. We squeezed up to the fencing quartering Kennedy’s plane. Reporters were warming up to the girls and pushed them closer to John. He was happy to see them and let them go check out the inside of the plane.

Coming home, we stopped at a restaurant. A reporter followed us and wanted to know if the Kennedy group had backed the appearance. Of course we said no, we were on our own; the girls got a kick out of that.

Upon finding that Bobby Kennedy was going to open a headquarters on Market Street in San Francisco, we decided to go and find out if there were other groups of supporters. We found that our Kennedy Girls was the only group. Bobby Kennedy shook their hands and told them how much he appreciated their effort. The next day, their picture was on the front page of the San Francisco Examiner. They were thrilled! Nothing could stop them now!

Meanwhile, my husband, Bill, wondered what next while he looked after our four sons, Lowell, Joel, William Jr. and Kevin at home. We were informed the next rally would be at the Palace Hotel. The place was full because of all the celebrity guests. The afternoon dragged on until finally the big stars showed up. It was “himself,” Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Peter Lawford. They loved seeing how excited the girls were and kidded around with them before the entertainment began.

The next rally was at the Claremont Hotel in Oakland with former President Truman. We asked about performing, and after some consideration they let the girls sing for Truman. This was a big night for them. Photographers were ready to shoot a photo of Truman with the girls when Truman said, “Hold it.” He had to change to a special pair of non-glare glasses. They chatted a bit and left feeling this was a great event for all, mom included.

Early in the campaign, when John Kennedy was at the San Francisco Airport, Gov. Brown invited the girls for a visit to Sacramento. We went and the governor took them on a tour of the state capitol. He even sent Lt. Governor John Vasconcellos with us for lunch. We visited the governor’s house, but only after the governor checked with his wife to make sure the house was in order. Mrs. Brown was gracious and gave us a tour of their home. The girls chatted about the meeting all the way home.

This ended our version of the “Kennedy Girls” and each one of them took more interest in the political picture from that time on. We enjoyed this happy escapade into the world of politics and it was an inspiration for us to learn what one person can do to contribute to their future. Needless to say, they were elated when Kennedy won the election.

(Purcell lives in Yountville.)