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At the Kennedy Library, respect for Shriver's achievements

E-mail|Link|Comments () August 11, 2009 04:26 PM

David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

Eileen Poh and her daughter Catriona Poh of London watched Andrea Wang of California signed the condolence book for Eunice Shriver at the museum in Boston.

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

In the lobby of the museum built to honor President John F. Kennedy, visitors paused today to honor his sister, Eunice Shriver Kennedy, the founder of the Special Olympics, who died this morning at 88.

Beneath the presidential seal, two books filled with handwritten tributes sat on a table amid photos of Shriver and Special Olympics participants. Most visitors took a moment to write a message of condolence before they entered the John F. Kennedy Museum and Library.

"She was such a humanitarian. We'll really miss her," said Carol Sullivan, a 63-year-old visitor from Warwick, R.I. "We came here today as a coincidence. We just picked this day. But I'm glad now we're here on a day of such significance, of such importance."

Melissa Napolitiano, a 23-year-old on vacation from Erie, Pa., said she did not know much about Shriver's life until visiting today.

"Like most of the Kennedys leaving a legacy, I think hers is the Special Olympics," she said. "She helped a lot of kids and she did a lot of good."

Connie Lanier, 53, said she felt a personal connection to Shriver since she volunteered at the World Special Olympics when the games were in her hometown, Chapel Hill, N.C., in 1999.

"She was so professional," she said of Shriver's demeanor at the 1999 games. "And I think she did a lot of what women in her age wanted to do."

Helen Conklin, on vacation from Saratoga, Calif., said she learned of Shriver's work by following the career of her daughter, Maria Shriver, a former television journalist who is now married to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenneger.

Of Maria Shriver, she said: "She's a wonderful lady, and she really exemplifies everything her mother was."

Since she was not as prominent a figure as her brothers, some -- especially those from outside Massachusetts -- knew little about Shriver's life and legacy.

"Wasn't she the one that did a lot with the Special Olympics?" ask Mary Ivens, on vacation from Fernandina Beach, Fla. "Yeah? She did a lot of good, a lot of good work."

As he left the museum, 19-year-old Jonathan Bloom, on vacation from Columbus, Ohio, with his father, David, said he learned about Shriver's contributions through exhibits inside.

"I don't really know her, I was born in the '90s," he said. "But after visiting the museum, I know she did good work."