Ask not what Choate can do for you

[GMTplus7]

<p>News media is reporting that JFK plagiarized his famous quote from Choate headmaster
[Chris</a> Matthews: The Genesis of JFK’s “Ask Not” Line](<a href=“HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost”>The Genesis of JFK's "Ask Not" Line | HuffPost Latest News)

The headmaster in Kennedy’s time was George St. John. The first page of his notebook contains a portion of an essay by Dean Lebaron Briggs who was St. John’s dean at Harvard. Let me read the last lines of that essay which St. John used for his chapel sermons:</p>

<pre><code>As has often been said, the youth who loves his Alma Mater will always ask not “What can she do for me?” but “What can I do for her.”

</code></pre>

[ChoatieMom]

<p>That’s old news at Choate. ;)</p>

<p>Evidently, St. John repeated that often, and it’s scribbled in the margin of one of JFK’s student notebooks.</p>

[redbluegoldgreen]

<p>It is well known that JFK was inspired by St. John, and that he likely heard the infamous statement at a Chapel Talk and it resonated and inspired him. Not sure it can be considered plagiarism, but it definitely had an effect on him.</p>

<p>In honor of the 50th year and remembrance of his death, the school held its first all school community service day in some time which was well attended. They always had a community service requirement for graduation, but this was a whole day dedicated to service. I think they interviewed students as part of a documentary done for this Anniversary year.</p>