Eunice Kennedy Shriver was famous because of her name but she was mourned by millions this week for her accomplishments. As you know, she founded the Special Olympics and the story is as much about her largely-hidden sister Rosemary as it is about her.
Rosemary was the third of the nine Kennedy siblings and the first girl. By her teens, she was having “mood swings” and some behavioral issues. Whether it was because of mental illness or retardation is still not known to the public, but in 1943, when she was 23, her father tried to help by approving her for a new treatment which had only been performed 65 times. It was a lobotomy. It didn’t help. It left Rosemary incapacitated and with an infantile mentality.
She was sent to live at a facility in Wisconsin and when she was mentioned at all, her condition was explained away as mental illness. She lived out most of her life at a remove from her family, except for Eunice. Eunice visited Rosemary regularly and in 1962 started a camp in her backyard for children with intellectual disabilities. The Special Olympics grew out of that and she worked tirelessly; it’s now an international force to reckon with.
Eunice was there when Rosemary died in Wisconsin of natural causes in 2005 at age 86. So were the remaining siblings, Jean Kennedy Smith and Senator Ted Kennedy, who’s now fighting brain cancer.
Rest in peace, Mrs. Shriver, and thank you for all you did. My deepest sympathies to Maria and to the Senator.
The Special Olympics has a website in Eunice Shriver’s honor, where you can read tributes and post one of your own.
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Donn Frizzi
CNN iReport Aug 12, 2009 |
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the backstory. I didn’t know about Rosemary’s battle with mental illness.
Kathy G´s last blog ..Jammies
You’re welcome and thanks for the comment. Some people still don’t know Rosemary ever existed.
I had read that Rosemary was “high strung,” which was a term that her family used to describe her, when the truth of the matter was that she was a fun-loving woman and lived the life of a carefree debutante, having many men in her life. Her father did NOT like her lifestyle and was told that this lobotomy would “tame her.” Yup it sure did.
High strung, eh? Quite the euphemism. I’m not sure we’ll ever know exactly what her initital “problem” was, but I think it’s pretty clear she was a victim. I try not to speak ill of the dead (don’t always succeed) but I suspect old Joe Kennedy had some ’splaining to do about a lot of things at the Pearly Gates.
My music teacher was Sargent Shriver’s cousin, so I paid more attention to Eunice and Rosemary than I might have otherwise. Very amazing family. The cartoon is just so sweet! Brought a tear to my eye. RIP Eunice.
MusEditions´s last blog ..Lapsed Gurus falling off Pedestals
Sweet is exactly the response I had to it too, Muse; I was so happy to see a cartoonist remember Rosemary too.
Interesing link for you via music! When I was a kid — a Navy kid — and first heard Shriver’s name, I thought he was a sergeant in the Army.