R.F.K.’s Children: Heirs to a Legacy of Public Service

--Public service runs wide and deep in this famous American family. Then, again, what else would you expect from the children of Robert F. Kennedy? Their ages range from 19 to 36 but their lives reflect a dedication to involvement in public affairs. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, 36, who lost a 1986 congressional race, is director of a Maryland program for teen-agers. Rep. Joseph Kennedy, 35, has sponsored bills to aid the homeless and involve banks in community projects, and Robert Kennedy Jr., 34, a lawyer, teaches environmental law at Pace College in New York. Courtney Kennedy Ruhe, 31, heads fund-raising for the R.F.K. Memorial and serves on the J.F.K. Library board. Michael, 30, runs Citizens Energy Corp., which supplies fuel and prescription drugs to the poor; Kerry, 28, heads the R.F.K. Memorial Center for Human Rights, and Christopher, 24, raises money for a food bank. Maxwell, 23, Douglas, 21, and Rory, 19, are college students.

--There’s a lot of monkey business going on at Paignton Zoological and Botanical Gardens in southwest England, and officials there are not complaining in the least. Because of a $750,000 bequest from a woman, the monkeys of Paignton will soon be getting new housing. The woman, zoo officials said, loved their company. And while elderly women are the backbone of Britain’s multimillion-dollar animal charities, the $5.15-million gift last week from the late Dorothy Walker, 80, to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was, well, beyond the call of duty. In fact, it was the largest such gift in the group’s 164-year history. Walker had lived with her cat, Pussy, but her bequest to the RSPCA was unconditional. The society is now seeking to resettle Pussy. “She often said she preferred animals to people, and she was determined to prove it to the last,” a London newspaper quoted Walker’s former housekeeper as saying.

--To Richard Grant Stokes, it was a change for the better. On Sunday, he proudly took his place as a Grenadier Guard on sentry duty, becoming the first black member of the elite regiment to serve at Buckingham Palace. Stokes, 18, who was given up for adoption in England, stepped off into history as his adoptive white parents watched, along with hundreds of tourists, during the Changing of the Guard. Black ex-servicemen said prejudice had prevented them from joining such units, although officials deny it. Stokes’ singular achievement may be traced to Prince Charles, who a few years ago asked why there were no black Guard members.