( CNN ) -- Sometimes a single moment in time captures the essence of an individual . That became clear to me in late June 1995 . We were at the end of a grueling three days in Alabama interviewing George Wallace , the state 's former segregationist governor and nemesis of President Kennedy , for John 's maiden interview in his new magazine , George . The enfeebled governor was barely coherent during the 10 hours we sat with him , and we were panicked there would be a gaping hole in our inaugural issue . Worse , John himself was sick with a thyroid condition that left him lethargic , cranky and frighteningly thin . Adding to the anxiety of the moment , he was carrying around an engagement ring in the hope his girlfriend , Carolyn , would accept when he proposed to her that weekend . Imagine our appreciation when two amiable Alabamans with close ties to the governor offered us a quiet dinner at a roadside restaurant . But as we approached the restaurant , I suddenly noticed there were perhaps a hundred cars parked alongside the road -- the restaurant parking lot itself was overflowing . I looked over at John , and he at me , and we both realized in that same instant : we 'd been played . This would be no quiet dinner for four , but the show-and-tell of an American icon . `` I 'm not doing it , '' he said to me angrily as we sat in the back of the car , mulling our options . `` I 'm going back to the hotel . '' But one thing John had in more abundance than anyone I knew was grace . And he would n't let down the 200 or so people who had gathered in the restaurant or embarrass our hosts , who had covertly planned this minirally . So John put on his tie , set aside his fury and gamely walked across the dirt driveway and gave himself up to the adoring crowd . For the next two hours , as only John could , he charmed everyone , signing dozens of pictures of his father , standing for dozens more and patiently listening to the endless stories people related of their ties to his extended family . What I realized that night , and what has stayed with me these past 15 years since his passing , is this : No one of my generation was born with more privilege or promise than John , yet no one wore it more comfortably . When we walked out of the restaurant , John smiled at me and without the slightest irony said , `` That was really fun . '' And he meant it . Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion .
Kennedy died in a plane crash 15 years ago this week . Gary Ginsberg , who was with Kennedy at Gary Ginsberg magazine , recalls a telling moment . After an interview with Kennedy , George Wallace and George were invited for a dinner . Ginsberg : The way Kennedy reacted to surprise turnout showed how he dealt with fame .