For Immediate Release: September 27, 2007
Further information: Brent R. Carney (617) 514-1662, Brent.Carney@JFKLFoundation.org
Boston, MA – On September 27, 2007 the Museum at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library unveiled Shaping Up America: JFK, Sports and the Call to Physical Fitness, a special display of archival material and Museum objects from the Library’s collection that focuses on President Kennedy’s love of sports and athletics as well as his challenge to the nation to become more active and physically fit. This temporary exhibit in the Museum’s Theater Lobby will remain open until the fall of 2008.
John F. Kennedy grew up in a family devoted to athletic activity. Tennis, swimming, football, water skiing, sailing, skating and skiing were Kennedy family staples. As President, John Kennedy used his love of sports and athletics as a springboard to address a decline in physical fitness throughout the nation. He re-invigorated the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, encouraging Americans to take physical fitness seriously. The effort, associated with the future health and competitive readiness of America, was seen as very much part of JFK’s “New Frontier.” Click here for more information on JFK and the President’s Council on Physical Fitness.
President Kennedy challenged the nation to become more active, but this activism and love of sports was embraced by all members of the Kennedy family. While the President was challenging the US Marines to walk 50 miles in 20 hours and challenging high school students to earn awards from the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, his sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver was working with disabled children in a “camp” at her Maryland home. This camp, which taught the children habits of physical fitness and how to play organized sports, is credited as the genesis for what would later become the Special Olympics. John Kennedy’s brothers and his other sisters also participated in sporting activities, including his brothers Joe, Robert and Edward who played many different sports including college football.
Among the items included in this special display are:
- John F. Kennedy’s golf clubs and golf bag used at the Palm Beach, Burning Tree and Hyannis Port Golf Clubs;
- A bronze sculpture of a discus thrower given to President Kennedy by the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation. The sculpture was given to the President in appreciation of his distinguished leadership in improving the health and fitness of American Youth;
- A football presented to President Kennedy by the 1962 Navy football team. The ball is signed by the team’s players and coaches including Roger Staubach and assistant Navy coach Steve Belichick, father of New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick;
- President Kennedy’s VIP National League and American League baseball park passes;
- The National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Award which was given to President Kennedy in recognition of his dedication to competitive athletics and his devotion to intercollegiate football;
- The Western Pro-Bowl 1963 team football signed by Vince Lombardi, John Unitas and Bart Starr among others;
The baseball thrown out by President Kennedy at the 1962 opening day game between the Washington Senators and Detroit Tigers; - Historical materials from the President’s Council on Physical Fitness;
- Robert F. Kennedy’s Harvard football jersey;
- Archival photographs from the Kennedy family collection; and
- Joseph P. Kennedy’s Harvard University baseball sweater.
Shaping Up America: JFK, Sports and the Call to Physical Fitness is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, creator of the award winning program Jump Up & Go! that helps children, their families, and their communities become more physically active and develop lifelong healthy behaviors
The media sponsor is WCVB-TV 5.
Shaping Up America: JFK, Sports and the Call to Physical Fitness is just one of the many exciting and inspiring displays and 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 $10.00. Admission for seniors over the age of 62 and college students with appropriate identification is $8.00, and for children ages 13-17, $7.00. 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.
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.