JFK Jr. Visited Mount Rushmore In May
Jul 20, 1999  

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SIOUX FALLS (AP) — Mike Pflaum spent only six hours with John F. Kennedy Jr. during a May 12 photo shoot at Mount Rushmore National Monument.

But in that short time, Kennedy made a lasting impression on Pflaum, Mount Rushmore's chief ranger.

Kennedy's plane was reported missing early Saturday morning. He took off from New Jersey on Friday night en route to Massachusetts. He wife and sister-in-law also were aboard. All three are presumed dead.

”He was a very nice guy, pleasant, unassuming. He arrived that morning, got out of his car, and said, 'Hi, I'm John.' And we conversed like I would with any other person.”

Kennedy went to Mount Rushmore to pose for a 4:30 a.m. photo shoot for a USA Weekend magazine cover story on ”Making America Better.”

”I spent five or six hours with him that day,” said Pflaum. ”You don't get to know anyone extremely well in that time, but you do have a snapshot in time.”

One poignant moment came inside the monument restaurant, where several granite columns along the walls bear the photos and biographies of the nation's presidents.

”He walked up to the column with his father's picture and spent several minutes looking at the photo and reading a brief biography,” Pflaum said.

Bruce VanVort, general manager of concessions and restaurant at Mount Rushmore, also witnessed the moment.

”He just stared at it,” says VanVort. ”I had a camera and I debated whether to take a picture, and I said, 'no.' This was a private moment, an unbelievable moment that I will never forget it.”

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Originally, photo editors wanted Kennedy to repel off the top of the monument and hover in front of the faces, said Pflaum.

”We, being the National Park Service, did not allow that, but we did get some up close to the monument,” he said.

However, the son of the late President Kennedy did get to the top of the four heads.

”I think he was impressed. He admired the view and on a clear day you can see a long distance,” Pflaum said.

During the tour, they covered a broad range of topics but they didn't talk about anything person, he said.

”He had questions about Mount Rushmore,” Pflaum said. ”He talked a little geography in the west and he wanted to know about Native Americans, what was their population and where did they live.”

”I asked questions about his living in New York, nothing personal, nor did he speak of anything personal,” Pflaum said.

VanVort said he and Kennedy discussed their mutual affection for New York City.

”I am from New York and I didn't know that he had grown up there, so we talked about life there. I told him how much I missed the culture, the ethnic foods,” he said.

  
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Date: July 19, 1999

NOTE FROM EXECUTIVE EDITOR Amy Eisman
Like so many others, we at USA WEEKEND were saddened by the tragedy involving John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife and his sister-in-law.

http://159.54.226.237/99_issues/990718/990718jfk_remembered.html

​

Like so many others, we at USA WEEKEND were saddened by the tragedy involving John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife and his sister-in-law. Readers may recall that he posed for our June 11-13 cover to illustrate the story he wrote on ways to improve America, which prompted many readers to share their own ideas. It was JFK Jr.'s idea to pose for a picture at Mount Rushmore. Here, USA WEEKEND's art director, Pam Smith, who was with him for the day-long shoot, recalls that experience. She writes about how much he enjoyed being outdoors and seeing the view.

The June article:
 Ideas for a better America. By JFK Jr.
 The idea of voting online
About the photo shoot:
John remembered
Behind the scenes at Mount Rushmore
Quick Poll results:
 What did our visitors think?
John remembered
By Pam Smith

Everything about the day is etched in my memory, even more so with the recent tragedy.

When John F. Kennedy Jr. suggested rappelling off Mount Rushmore, I looked at the map to see how far it was from New York City to Rapid City, S.D. I thought with his schedule, he'd never do it. I spoke to the park superintendent about John rappelling. They turned us down -- it had never been done before -- but he could, they said, walk on top of the presidents' heads. We had to be off the heads by 7:30 a.m. so we wouldn't interfere with tourists.

 Photographer Brian Smale, two park rangers, a photo assistant and I met the day before the shoot to scout sites. It was a chilly, gray sky with flecks of snow. The cover was for a June issue; I was concerned it would look like winter.

On the day of the photo shoot, John was almost ready to meet me at 4:30 a.m. He came running out to the hotel lobby a little flustered because he didn't have all of his climbing gear. John said his wife had packed his suitcase more for a business trip than an outdoor hiking trip -- he was laughing about it. John and I drove to Mount Rushmore together. It was his first visit. I was playing tour guide. I was so surprised that he didn't have an entourage with him. He said he tried to be as normal as possible.

John said he had second thoughts when he had to do the actual hardship of traveling to get to South Dakota the night before. But he was glad he made the trip and was looking forward to seeing the monument. I was lucky enough to be there when he got his first glimpse. It was really early, but the morning light was hitting the presidents' heads, making them golden yellow. It was breathtaking and John was awestruck. I remember him saying, "There's George." As editor of George magazine, he was full of questions: How big are they? When was the monument constructed? How did they sculpt it? The park rangers told him nearly the entire history.

We were in for a gorgeous day -- blue sky and sunshine. We hiked straight up for 30 minutes. The lead ranger said we made great time. Everyone was in shape and didn't have any difficulty. Especially John. It was obvious he had an adventuresome, outdoor spirit.

Being on top of the monument was risky if a mistake or slip occurred, but all of us were struck by the view. The rangers said we could see 200 miles. It was an awesome sight. As we set up camera equipment, John spent time reflecting on the panorama and staring out into the openness. He seemed to soak up the moment and enjoy the solitude.

On the way back down, I talked John into one more shot: a picture with the head of George Washington.

The walk over to the final shooting spot was another adventure. A local photographer was waiting. The photographer didn't say anything, just started taking pictures. The photographer was walking backwards and snapping away when he suddenly fell backwards over a rock. John asked if he was OK and even gave the photographer some comments to accompany the photos about why he was at Mount Rushmore. Later, John remarked that the fall was a little bit of poetic justice for him. I asked if he was used to being hounded by press. John said it was something he'd dealt with all his life.

We wrapped for the morning and we were all ready for breakfast at the Mount Rushmore cafe. We thought it might be a problem to eat in a public place, but John said not to worry about it. The breakfast brought up discussion of John's father for the first time. The park runs a booth where visitors vote on whom they'd like to see on Mount Rushmore next. President Kennedy is high on the list. John was interested in the information and asked for a copy.

John's office called and tried to get him to leave on an earlier plane, but he resisted. On the way out, a couple visiting the memorial walked by with a beagle puppy that was really happy and straining on the leash with excitement. John stopped to pet and speak to the dog and said, "I'm so happy to be visiting Mount Rushmore, aren't I?"

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Photo by Brian Smale for USA WEEKEND