Ban often says that one of the most formative events of his youth was a scholarship he received to visit the United States through a cultural exchange program in 1962. It was during this trip that Ban had the chance to meet President John F. Kennedy in the White House. In the video below, Ban recalls how, shortly after he was elected Secretary General, Teddy Kennedy presented Ban with a framed copy of the remarks his brother gave to the visiting student delegation that day, which he apparently dug up from the depths of the Kennedy presidential library. Ban seems genuinely touched by that gesture.
