DALLAS - The John F. Kennedy Memorial was rededicated Saturday in a ceremony that paid homage to the assassinated president.
Since the memorial's dedication in 1970, its concrete walls had become stained and chipped. The monument was further tarnished by a recent graffiti attack.
The three-month restoration attempted to bring the monument closer to its original state and included the installation of interpretive panels to help answer questions posed by visitors over the years.
The panels detail the concept behind the memorial's boxlike structure - an ''open tomb'' tribute to someone whose remains lie elsewhere. Kennedy is buried in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
The monument, which consists of four 30-foot-high concrete walls, is located two blocks east of where the president was killed by a sniper's bullet on Nov. 22, 1963. Inside, an 8-by-8-foot slab of gray granite is inscribed with JFK's name.
Services and materials for the $80,000 restoration were donated by 10 construction-related companies.
