By Sean Savage
@SavSean13
Thomas Carty, a Springfield College History professor, had the privilege of appearing in “Kennedy,” a deep dive into the legacy of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy.
“One of my students was like, ‘You’re blowing up on social media,'” Carty described. “I said, ‘No, no, there’s a lot more famous people than me in the documentary.'”
The eight-episode docuseries began airing on The History Channel in November 2023. Carty was one of over 70 participants interviewed, including comedian Conan O’Brian, Kennedy’s niece Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Eileen McNamara.
“Having spent years speaking in front of classes, I’ve been more accustomed to doing those kinds of interviews,” Carty said.
According to The History Channel, the aim was to unveil “a cinematic library of archival materials” through each interview. In April 2021, the director and composer of the docuseries, Ashton Gleckman, stumbled upon Carty’s book, A Catholic in the White House? Religion, Politics, and John F. Kennedy’s Presidential Campaign, and after reading it, Gleckman reached out via email.
“The focus of my book was how Kennedy was able to overcome an unwritten law that said no Catholics could be Presidents of the United States,” Carty said.
In addition to publishing his book, Carty spent much of his time in the Kennedy library archives. He examined documents detailing how Kennedy’s staff and voters responded to his political campaign, considering Kennedy would go on to become the first Catholic President.
From a young age, Carty was surrounded by books and other memorabilia that revealed connections between his grandparents and Kennedy. Notably, both sets of grandparents had photos with Kennedy.
“It’s kind of in a touch of irony, mysterious or providential irony,” Carty said. “My mother’s father had met Kennedy in local Massachusetts politics, and my father’s father was invited to the inauguration to march because he was involved with the ceremonial military organization.”
In May 2021, Gleckman traveled to Carty’s home and set up a place for him to be interviewed. The interview lasted a couple of hours. As he noted, Carty wasn’t nervous about talking in front of a camera, but he still had some research to do to adequately prepare for the opportunity.
“I felt like I had some homework, just like my students,” Carty said. “My book was published in 2004, and I went back and looked at books that have been published in 2020 or more recent years to learn more information about Kennedy.”
Carty noted that his own version of homework was helpful, as the Gleckman wanted to know about more than just the 1960 campaign.
“Perhaps because he [Gleckman] was a young person, he wanted to know more about Kennedy as a young man,” Carty said. “In other words, what experiences from the young John Kennedy affected the later John Kennedy as President.”
This wasn’t the first time Carty addressed a broader audience while being interviewed. In April 2001, Carty spoke on a local television station about an incident where a United States spy plane had to crash land in China due to a Chinese Air Force pilot bumping them mid-flight.
“They brought cameras into my class, and they interviewed me with the audience of my class there,” Carty said. “The more you do something like this, the more comfortable it is.”
Along with appearing on The History Channel, Carty enjoys sharing his love for history and politics with his classes. During election years, Carty would structure his classes differently. However, he is currently on sabbatical.
“In 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 I taught a class on the history of presidential elections,” Carty said.
“I figured students would already be a little curious about what happens during presidential elections and those would be voting for the first time.
“My favorite part is when a student really responds with curiosity.”
Photo: The History Channel