For Immediate Release: February 10, 2009
Further information: Tom McNaught 617-514-1656, Tom.McNaught@JFKLFoundation.org
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum will mark Presidents’ Day this year with several family oriented activities that will be offered during the week-long celebration.
Special Exhibit: Presidential Letters: A Selection from JFK’s Historic Collection
On Thursday, February 12, 2009, the Museum at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library will once again present its popular exhibit - Presidential Letters: A Selection from JFK’s Historic Collection – which features letters owned by John F. Kennedy from former Presidents of the United States. Among the items featured in this display will be four archival replicas of letters written by former Presidents of the United States. Those letters include:
• A letter written by President George Washington in November of 1789, to Mrs. Carroll, accepting her offer of plants for his greenhouse at Mount Vernon.
• A letter from then former President John Adams to President James Madison on March 23, 1813. In the letter, President Adams discusses the merits of appointing an individual to high office despite a personal relationship.
• A letter from President Andrew Jackson, written June 29, 1836, to be read in Philadelphia during the city’s Independence Day celebrations.
• A letter from Abraham Lincoln (then an attorney) on September 23, 1854, negotiating payment for legal services rendered.
JFK’s Overdue Library Book
Also featured will be a book recently found among the pre-presidential papers of John F. Kennedy which belongs to the Library of Congress. A biography of Abraham Lincoln, the book, A. Lincoln, by Ross F. Lockridge, published in 1930 by Yonkers-on-Hudson, NY, World Book Company, was apparently borrowed by Kennedy (or a member of his staff) while serving in the U.S. Senate. Listed as missing in the Library of Congress online catalogue, it will be returned to their collections at the end of this special display. The Library of Congress does not have a record showing when the book was checked out.
Presidential Letters: A Selection from JFK’s Historic Collection will also feature rare film footage from former Presidents speaking at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, as well as footage of President Barack Obama when he visited the Kennedy Library shortly before announcing his bid for the presidency. The historic collection of Presidential Letters will be on display throughout Presidents’ Day week, through February 22, 2009.
Presidential Cartoonists -- Monday, February 16 On Presidents’ Day, Monday, February 16, Cartoonists Dan Wasserman of The Boston Globe; Mike Luckovich of The Atlanta Journal Constitution; and Joel Pett of The Lexington Herald-Leader share their favorite cartoons from the 2008 presidential campaign and of former presidents and presidential candidates that they have covered with moderator Robin Young, host of WBUR's Here and Now. The public forum will be held on Monday, February 16, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. in the Stephen Smith Center at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Columbia Point, Boston. All forums are free and open to the public. To make reservations and for further information visit the Kennedy Presidential Library Web page at www.jfklibrary.org or call (617) 514-1643.
Free Children’s Programming – Tuesday, February 17 On Tuesday, February 17, the Kennedy Library will present “Fire on the Mountain” by Flying Ship Productions as part of the Library’s Celebrate! series for family audiences and children ages 5 and up. The one-hour performance from 10:30 am to 11:30 am invites children to journey with Alemayu, a young shepherd boy, through the vast mountains as he searches for his sister and learns life’s lessons of character, honesty, courage, and love. This uplifting musical brings to life a classic African folktale with music, costumes, and scenery inspired by the cultural heritage of Ethiopia. The program is free but reservations are required. To make a reservation, please call 617.514.1644 or e-mail JFKcelebrate@nara.gov. Include your name, the number in your party, and your contact information. All school groups (including nursery schools, day care centers and scouting groups) are welcome, but it is essential for the group leader to call one week in advance, Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m, and speak to a Kennedy Library staff member to ensure adequate seating. Space is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Small children can be seated on a carpeted floor with their caretaker.
Museum Store Sale
In celebration of Presidents’ Day, the Museum Store at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library will feature 10% off all items in store only during Presidents’ Day Week – Saturday, February 14 through Sunday, February 22, 2009.
$2 Off Museum Admission Coupon
To help mark Presidents’ Day, the JFK Library invites the public to download a coupon worth $2 off admission to the Museum at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library by visiting the Kennedy Library website at www.jfklibrary.org. The special offer is valid February 14-22.
Presidential Letters: A Selection from JFK’s Historic Collection is just one of the many exciting and inspiring exhibits visitors will find in the Museum at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. The Museum’s 25 multimedia exhibits and period settings from the White House offer an exciting “you are there” experience, and create a stirring account of President Kennedy’s thousand days in office. Beginning with a 17-minute film narrated by President Kennedy, visitors step back into the recreated world of the early 1960s and witness the first televised presidential debate; accompany first lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy on her televised tour of the White House; sit in on press conferences with the President; relive the thrill of Col. John Glenn’s first orbital mission; stroll through White House corridors; witness Cabinet meetings during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and observe the president’s televised address from the Oval Office on the Civil Rights crisis.
One of Boston’s most popular destinations for visitors from all nations, the architectural masterpiece designed by I.M. Pei sits on a 10-acre waterfront site on Columbia Point offering panoramic views of Boston’s skyline and Harbor Islands.
General admission to the Museum at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library is $12.00. Admission for seniors over the age of 62 and college students with appropriate identification is $10.00, and for children ages 13-17, $9.00. Children ages 12 and under are admitted for free.
The Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with the exceptions of Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. The Library is located in the Dorchester section of Boston, off Morrissey Boulevard, next to the campus of the University of Massachusetts/Boston. Parking is free. There is free shuttle-service from the JFK/UMass T Stop on the Red Line. The Museum is fully handicapped accessible. For more information, call (866) JFK-1960 or access www.jfklibrary.org on the Internet.
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is a presidential library administered by the National Archives and Records Administration and supported, in part, by the Kennedy Library Foundation, a non-profit organization.