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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
12-38
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
April 14, 2015
To posthumously recognize the contributions of Providencia F. Parades.
WHEREAS, Providencia F. Paredes was born on June 9, 1924, in San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic and died on March 18, 2015;
WHEREAS, Mrs. Paredes was best known as a longstanding personal aide to First Lady Jacqueline B. Kennedy;
WHEREAS, Mrs. Paredes, who first arrived in the United States in 1948 accompanying the Dominican Ambassador to the United States, began working for John F. Kennedy, the young Congressman from Massachusetts, in 1952, thus beginning a lifelong professional and personal relationship with the Kennedy family;
WHEREAS, Mrs. Paredes became a lifelong resident of Washington, D.C. and was among the first Dominicans to reside in Washington, D.C.;
WHEREAS, upon Senator Kennedy’s election to the Presidency, Mrs. Paredes became an American citizen and accompanied the First Family to the White House and was employed as Mrs. Kennedy’s personal assistant;
WHEREAS, Mrs. Paredes’ role was noteworthy as she was the first White House staff member in history to be of Hispanic descent and the sole Hispanic in the inner circle of Camelot;
WHEREAS, during the Kennedy White House years, Mrs. Paredes traveled widely with both the President and Mrs. Kennedy, accompanying President Kennedy on official state visits to Colombia, the United Kingdom, Italy, Austria, France, Mexico and Venezuela;
WHEREAS, Mrs. Paredes also served as a companion to the First Lady on her visits to India, Pakistan, Greece, Turkey, Cambodia, Thailand, Mexico, and Switzerland;
WHEREAS, Mrs. Paredes, “Provi,” as she was affectionately known by the Kennedy family and friends, was a friend and trusted confidant for 2 generations of Kennedys, maintaining a close relationship with the First Lady throughout her life;
WHEREAS, after the assassination of President Kennedy, Mrs. Paredes would work for Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and was the only person to have such a distinction to work for all 3 brothers; and
WHEREAS, by 1969, Mrs. Pardes assumed a position at the United States Postal Service in its Library Division, from which she retired in 1992 after 31 years.
IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that the Council of the District of Columbia recognizes and honors Providencia F. Paredes for her historic commitment to public service.
Sec. 2. This resolution may be cited as the “Providencia F. Paredes Posthumous Recognition Resolution of 2015”.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first day of publication in the District of Columbia Register.
