Page Introduction
Welcome to the Kennedy Family Exhibit. Here you will find information on the Kennedy Family, who have played a historical role in promoting awareness and support for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
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Kennedy Family
The Kennedy Family
Many members of this family have been active in promoting awareness and support for individuals with intellectual disabilities
Rosemary Kennedy Jr.
Rosemary Kennedy (1918-2005) may have likely been the inspiration for the family's involvement in the field of mental retardation
Rosemary could read write and do arithmetic, but was noticeably different from her siblings. In the Fall of 1941, her father arranged for Rosemary to have a lobotomy to address her "mood changes."
Rosemary was left incapacitated by the procedure, and would spend her remaining years at St. Colletta's School in Jefferson, Wisconsin
John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)
JFK organized the President's Committee on Mental Retardation in 1961, which was formally established in 1966.
John F. Kennedy Jr.
In 2000 Reaching Up, a non-profit organization founded in 1989 by John F. Kennedy, Jr., joined with The City University of New York (CUNY) to establish the John F. Kennedy, Jr. Institute for Worker Education.
Anthony Kennedy Shriver
In 1989, Anthony Kennedy Shriver founds Best Buddies, which has grown into an international organization
Visit the website >> www.bestbuddies.org
Maria Shriver
Maria, Eunice's daughter, continues the Kennedy tradition of advocating for individuals with special needs
Jean Kennedy Smith
In 1974 Jean Kennedy Smith (b.1928) founds Very Special Arts, which promotes the artistic talents of mentally and physically challenged children
www.vsarts.org
Eunice Kennedy
Eunice Kennedy Shriver (b.1921) founder of the Special Olympics. The 1st games were held at Soldier Field in Chicago in 1968
The first Special Olympics Winter games were held in 1977
Eunice also wrote about Mental Retardation in books and magazine articles
Robert Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968) as New York State Senator, visited the Willowbrook State School in 1965, and commented "we have a situation that borders on a snake pit, and that the children live in filth, that many of our fellow citizens are suffering tremendously because lack of attention, lack of imagination, lack of adequate manpower."
Edward Kennedy
Senator Edward M. Kennedy (b.1932) at the dedication of the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Laboratories in Madison Wisconsin, November 20, 1963.
Joseph Kennedy
The Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation is established in 1946, with the goals of greater social acceptance of individuals with intellectual disabilities and prevention of mental retardation through research. Edward and Eunice are the Foundation's current president and vice president.