Dodd: "Teddy Changed Our America"
"Generations of historians will chronicle his prolific efforts on behalf of others. I will leave that to them," Dodd began. "Tonight, I just want to share some thoughts about my friend. And what a friend he has been – a friend of unbridled empathy, optimism, and full-throated joy."
Dodd told of receiving phone calls from Kennedy at important times throughout his life such as when his children were born, when he lost the Iowa presidential caucuses last year and when he was treated for prostate cancer just a few weeks ago, when Kennedy showed his sense of humor.
"As I was coming out of surgery, I got a call from Teddy, his unique voice as loud and booming as ever. 'Well,' he roared, 'Between going through prostate cancer surgery and doing town hall meetings, you made the right choice!'
Dodd also told of a story when he gave a eulogy for a friend who Kennedy didn't know.
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"As long as I live, I will never forget that, as I stood at the pulpit and looked out over the gathering, there was Teddy, sitting in the back of the church," Dodd said. "He wasn't there for my friend. He was there for me, at my time of loss."
"That was what it was like to have Teddy in your corner," he added.
Dodd also addressed Kennedy's legacy, tying it to those of his brother and his famous name.
"John Fitzgerald Kennedy inspired our America; Robert Kennedy challenged our America; and Teddy changed our America," Dodd said. "Teddy was involved in every major debate in the last half of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st. Nearly every important law passed in the last half century bears his mark, and a great many of them bear his name."
Read more on tonight's memorial service on CBSNews.com:
Family, Political Luminaries Honor Kennedy
Caroline Kennedy: We Have to Do What He Would Have Done
Biden: Kennedy's Legacy Is How We Look at One Another
McCain: Senate "Won't Be the Same" Without Kennedy
Kerry: Kennedy's Gift Was "Incomparable Love of Life"
Hatch: Kennedy and I Were Like "Fighting Brothers"
Dodd: "Teddy Changed Our America"
Rep. Joseph Kennedy: Teddy Was Always There
Photos: The Scene at the JFK Library Memorial
Photos: Speakers Pay Tribute to Kennedy