Pusey: 'All of Us Are Stunned'

Leaders of the Harvard academic community and friends of the late President expressed grief and shock at yesterday's tragedy. Below are a few of their comments:

President Pusey: All of us are stunned by the death of President Kennedy. It is impossible to estimate what his passing means to our nation and people everywhere. He was one who made wise and effective use of the world of learning and we mourn him as a friend. His only ambition was to serve his country and he gave his life for it.

President Browster of Yale: This is dreadful. We must resolve that one demented act shall not unhinge the good will, the stability, and the continuity essential to our nation's peace and progress. To this end we of course give President Johnson our full and prayerful support.

Dean Ford: For most people's in the Harvard community, this was almost like the death of a relative rather than the death of a chief of state. The faces I have seen in the Yard this afternoon reflected stunned grief, which we all share. John F. Kennedy was a devoted and loyal son of Harvard, who as a private citizen made the University's welfare and progress his deep concern.

Paul H. Buck, Carl H. Pforzhelmer University Professor: This man was a student and a friend of mine. I fully believe the stature of a man in the White House, as ultimately judged by historians, depends on what he did to build or destroy the faith on which men live. John F. Kennedy was working to convince people that American democracy was worth fighting for and saving. The haters killed him. I hope that from his death will come a reaffirmation of his faith, so that he shall not have died in vain.

Samuel H. Beer, professor of Government: It is a terrible tragedy for the country and for the world. He was a man cast in the heroic mold, who touched the nerve of comradeship and won the trust and respect of all who knew him.

Seymour E. Harris, Lucius N. Littauer Professor of Political Economy: A great President has died. He was a man of tremendous ability.

Don K. Price, Jr., Dean of the Faculty of Public Administration: I think this is one of the most catastrophic things that has happened to this country and the world in my lifetime. The loss is a very great one to the country, to the Harvard community, and to his associates.Pictures in a Man's Home Town: The Face of a President, Oct.19; The Faces of Boston, Nov.22