This book is a labor of love by many people. First, by my grandparents, who took, organized, and collected countless photographs of their large family. The staff of the Kennedy Library has worked incredibly hard over the years to preserve and catalogue this collection and make it available in this beautiful book. And the people at Hachette Book Group’s Grand Central Publishing who have been involved in this publication took on an immense task and have executed it brilliantly. So many individuals made a special effort, and some of them deserve special thanks here.
First, I would like to thank my aunt, Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, without whose support this book would not have been published. I would also like to thank my cousin Tom Fitzgerald for letting us excerpt from his collection of family reminiscences. And a special nod to my cousins, who have shared their parents’ notes, photos, and memories in this book.
At the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, which shares all proceeds from the publication of these photographs with the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, Jennifer Quan has been the indispensable woman. She has spent the past several years researching and selecting the photos and compiling their descriptions. She has been championed by Tom McNaught, the Foundation’s wonderful executive director, and supported by Doris Drummond, Karen Mullen, and Rachel Flor—the Dream Team among presidential library foundations.
The JFK Presidential Library and Museum is part of the National Archives and Records Administration, whose staff works tirelessly to preserve history and make my father’s legacy available to new generations. We are fortunate to have the support of David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, and to be led by Director Tom Putnam and Chief Archivist Karen Adler-Abramson, whose staff provided invaluable assistance on this project. In particular, the staff of the Audiovisual Archives—Laurie Austin, James Hill, and Maryrose Grossman and former interns Sara Ludovissy and Catherine Robertson—helped with scanning and identifying images. This book benefitted greatly from the knowledge and experience of Allan Goodrich, the Library’s former chief archivist, who shepherded this collection from my grandmother’s house to the Library and oversaw it for many years.
Other departments of the Library also assisted with this project—namely Stephen Plotkin, Sharon Kelly, Michael Desmond, and Stacey Chandler of the Research Room, who helped place the images in their historical context, and Sam Rubin in the Education Department, who made sure every detail was accurate.
The book is greatly enriched by the introductory essays by Michael Quinlin, whose knowledge of the Boston Irish experience is unparalleled, and by the advice and direction of historian Ellen Fitzpatrick.
We are especially grateful to Robert Bachrach of Bachrach Photographers, who generously allowed us to use his studio’s iconic images of my family over the years.
And a shout-out to Steve Eidelman, the executive director of the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, whose commitment to the intellectually disabled and service to the Foundation is truly a blessing.
At Grand Central Publishing, I would like to thank Jamie Raab and Deb Futter for believing wholeheartedly in this project. Thanks to Allyson Rudolph; Thomas Whatley in production; Carolyn Kurek and Bob Castillo in managing editorial; and Anne Twomey and Claire Brown in art. Also thanks to Emi Battaglia, Matthew Ballast, and Jimmy Franco in marketing and publicity for spreading the word.
This book would not have happened without the vision, commitment, and perseverance of Gretchen Young, who has worked with the Library on four books. Gretchen’s commitment to excellence and her refusal to settle for anything less has inspired me throughout the ten books we have done together. She shares that passion with Shubhani Sarkar, whose truly beautiful design helps bring these photos to life.
As always, I am grateful to Esther Newberg and John Delaney for helping the Library find wonderful partners in publishing, and seeing us through all the twists and turns that have come our way.
—CAROLINE KENNEDY