Agree or disagree with him, we lost a great one on Aug. 25. I was born in 1942, and it struck me that for every year, every month, every week, every day and every hour of my life, there has been a live, breathing, functioning, Ted Kennedy. For the first time on Aug. 25, there was not.

In spite of their known shortcomings, I admire the Kennedy family. They were and are a brave lot, bound by ambition, service, dedication and a strong sense of family, power and love of country.

Politically, there were few areas that Sen. Ted Kennedy and I would have agreed upon. He was a master legislator, but I could not have supported left-wing, liberal agenda.

Over the past few months, however, as Sen. Kennedy fought brain cancer, he displayed the usual Kennedy courage. And, if you looked closely, you could see the good-looking Ted of earlier years emerging out of the senior Ted. Prior to his death, he looked better than he had in years.

There are no Democrats or Republicans when it comes to death. There are only those that lived and counted, and those that lived.

We will miss you Ted, along with Jack, Bobby, Martin, President Reagan and those millions of Americans who have given their lives for our freedom.

Former state Rep. Dave Savage
Falmouth