Eunice Kennedy Shriver, a member of the prominent Kennedy family, dedicated her life to public health and social causes, including creating and promoting the Special Olympics. She graduated from Stanford University in 1943 and joined the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, which she transformed to represent the interests of the mentally disabled. She married Ambassador Robert Sargent Shriver and established the International Special Olympics in 1968. She received many accolades throughout her life, including the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Papal Knighthood. She died in 2009 at the age of 88.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver was a member of the Kennedy family from Massachusetts. The Kennedys are often thought of as America’s version of a royal family due to their prominence in American politics. While Eunice Kennedy Shriver is probably best known as the sister in this family, she has also made many important contributions on her own. Kennedy Shriver dedicated much of her life to public health and social causes and was instrumental in creating and promoting the Special Olympics.
She was born on July 10, 1921 in Massachusetts, to Rose and Joseph Kennedy. After high school, she attended Stanford University. In 1943, Eunice Kennedy Shriver graduated from Stanford with a degree in public policy. That same year, his older brother John F. Kennedy became known as a war hero after helping his crew survive an attack during a World War II battle.
Upon graduation, Eunice Kennedy Shriver joined the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, which was named after one of her brothers who had died. She has slowly changed the focus of this organization to represent the interests of the mentally disabled. Her goal was not only to determine the causes of mental retardation in an effort to prevent it, but also to change the way the public treated retarded people.
In 1953, Eunice Kennedy Shriver married Ambassador Robert Sargent Shriver. He later ran for Vice President of the United States (USA), but without success. Their second child, Maria, would later marry film star Arnold Schwarzenegger. While Eunice Kennedy Shriver and the entire Kennedy family are closely associated with the Democratic party, she has publicly supported Schwarzenegger’s successful run for governor of California in the early 21st century.
In 1962, as part of his work with the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, Kennedy Shriver established an athletic facility for the physically and mentally handicapped. Eventually, this field would transform into what the world knows today as the Special Olympics. Eunice Kennedy Shriver formally established the International Special Olympics in 1968 and served on the organization’s board of directors for the rest of her life.
For her work with the handicapped, Eunice Kennedy Shriver received many accolades throughout her life. In 1995, her photo was used in the Special Olympics edition of the Silver Dollar. She was awarded the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984 and a Papal Knighthood in 2006. Eunice Kennedy Shriver died at the age of 88 on August 11, 2009.
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