Autograph book used by Special Olympian Marty Sheets

Object Details

Description (Brief)

Dark blue, hardcover book with white pages that are filled with celebrity and athlete autographs beginning in 1987 through 1995 and collected by Marty Sheets. There are twelve white paper strips with autographs held together by a piece of black yarn placed in the back of the book.

Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.

From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”

Location

Currently not on view

1987

ID Number

2017.3064.01

nonaccession number

2017.3064

catalog number

2017.3064.01

Object Name

autograph book

autograph book, special olympics

Physical Description

paper (overall material)

Measurements

overall: 6 in x 4 in x 3/4 in; 15.24 cm x 10.16 cm x 1.905 cm

See more items in

Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure

Sports & Leisure

National Museum of American History

level of sport

Special Olympics

Amateur

Record ID

nmah_1854933

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b4-1149-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa