When John F. Kennedy delivered his 1961 inaugural address, fewer than half of Americans had even been born. Still, his call to service, “ask not what the country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,” endures as one of the nation’s most recognized phrases.

Kennedy’s leadership extended beyond diplomacy and service programs. In April 1961 alarmed by the risks millions of unvaccinated children faced, Kennedy announced a bold national effort to make the polio vaccine available to every American. It was a reminder that public health, too, was a matter of national security and civic duty.

The momentum continued when Kennedy signed the Vaccination Assistance Act of 1962, channeling resources into state programs for mass immunization. Following passage of this legislation, Kenne

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