Thousands attend public viewing of Sen. Ted Kennedy

(NECN: Greg Wayland, Boston, Mass.) – Members of the Kennedy family including his wife Vicki, Caroline Kennedy, and Robert Kennedy Jr. took time to greet some of the mourners outside of the JFK Library. Robert Kennedy Jr.: “Teddy was a surrogate father to me” Thousands waited in line to pay respects to Senator Edward M. Kennedy. The doors at the at the library opened shortly before 6 p.m. this evening. Mourners had began lining up hours beforehand. Sen. Kennedy will lie in repose at the library tomorrow as well. Joining the senator throughout the day and night will be a civilian honor guard of family, friends, and current and former staff. He will also be joined by a military honor guard. Click here for viewing hours and information on public transportation. A private memorial service is planned at the presidential library Friday evening and a funeral Mass on Saturday morning at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica, commonly known as the Mission Church, in Boston. President Barack Obama is scheduled to speak at the funeral. Kennedy died Tuesday night at age 77 after a yearlong battle with brain cancer. Kennedy will be buried Saturday evening near his slain brothers, former President John F. Kennedy and former Senator Robert F. Kennedy, at Arlington National Cemetery in northern Virginia.