Letter given to Mary Hammersbacher from John Sandy Eiler, Camp Shriver director

Object Details

Manner, Mary H.

Description (Brief)

Letter dated May 1964, given to Mary Hammerbacher (Manner) from John Sandy Eiler, director of Camp Shriver, requesting information from her so as to pair the counselors with a specific camper. The letter is typewritten on Joseph P. Kennedy letterhead and is signed by John Sandy Eiler, director of Camp Shriver. The original envelope is included with the letter. As the camp prospered, organization was needed to ensure the camp's success so a director was appointed to run the day to day activities.

Camp Shriver began in Eunice Shriver’s backyard at her Timberlawn estate in 1962. Shriver, the sister of President John F. Kennedy and Rose, an intellectually disabled sister, decided to hold a day camp for intellectually disabled kids from DC and Maryland. The high school age counselors were taught how to teach the campers different skills through play and introduced them to horseback riding, swimming, canoeing and group games, many of the campers experiencing these activities for the first time. Camp Shriver continued each summer until 1968 when the first Special Olympics Games were held in Chicago which has grown into the largest organization for intellectually disabled athletes in the world. Mary Hammerbacher (Manner) applied to be a volunteer at the camp through her parochial high school and worked there from 1962-1967.

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

1964

ID Number

2017.0239.03

accession number

2017.0239

catalog number

2017.0239.03

Object Name

letter with envelope, special olympics

letter with envelope

Physical Description

paper (overall material)

Measurements

overall: 11 in x 8 1/2 in; 27.94 cm x 21.59 cm

See more items in

Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure

Sports & Leisure

National Museum of American History

name of sport

Special Olympics

level of sport

recreational

web subject

Disabilities

Children

Record ID

nmah_1853223

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b4-2935-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa