Institute of Politics

Join the Institute of Politics as we welcome Timothy Shriver as he discusses his new book FULLY ALIVE: Discovering What Matters Most. In this story of Shriver’s lifelong search for how to make a difference in the world, he discovers unlikely teachers, and a radically different, and inspiring, way of life. Shriver (the third child of Eunice and Sargent) grew up among some of the most powerful public and political figures in American history, but it was his aunt Rosemary, a Kennedy infrequently written about or photographed due to her intellectual disability and its stigma at the time, who was, as Shriver writes, “the most extraordinary of all of them.” “In the midst of an enormously competitive and political family system, Rosemary Kennedy lived a full life to the age of 86 without ever giving a speech, writing a book, holding a job, or garnering the praise of the mighty. Despite failing to meet any of the expectations that were imposed on the rest of us, she belonged…. Her presence changed everything.” It was Rosemary who inspired Eunice to start Camp Shriver (which was the inspiration for what is now Special Olympics), and it was Rosemary who, Shriver suspects, inspired his uncles John, Robert and Edward to bring a politics of compassion and service to the United States and the world. It was also Rosemary’s spark and her legacy that quietly guided her nephew to discover the secrets of belonging and happiness.