"What a great moment for me, my son, the world. What you have made possible for so many people defies all reason." LOWELL WEICKER, JR.
Former United States Senator

Kathryn Clark, Leader, International Global Messengers

I first met Mrs. Shriver upon coming to Washington from Jamaica to interview for a job as Director of the Caribbean for Special Olympics. I was meeting a woman I idolized; a woman, who through Special Olympics had changed the lives of so many people with intellectual disabilities - plus all of their families, communities, coaches, volunteers - and had definitely changed my life's career. I entered her office with both great anticipation and trepidation. And there she was enveloped in a huge fur coat on her way out the door. It was only as she stepped around the desk that I also noticed she was wearing knee socks with snowflakes stitched on them. How could you be intimidated by someone in snowflake knee socks? Well, I was! "Come, come. I have a meeting. Tell me all about the Caribbean. What is happening with Special Olympics in that region? What are you doing to improve it? How about training, coaches, games...and on and on." I could barely answer one question before she'd barreled on to the next one. My mind was truly boggled. Luckily for me, I was still hired!

Over the next years, I was most fortunate to learn from Mrs. Shriver; to discuss both Special Olympics and world affairs with her; and to even observe her playing floor hockey with a group of athletes in Soweto, South Africa. I was simply honored to be a small part of this incredible woman's vision. What a vision it was - that people with intellectual disabilities could compete in sports and by so doing become a real and effective part of their communities. Mrs. Shriver never looked back - she pushed and pushed for human rights and dignity.

A verse from an Emily Dickenson poem keeps coming to mind, and I feel it was written for Eunice Kennedy Shriver

Because I could not stop for Death,

He kindly stopped for me;

The carriage held but just ourselves

And Immortality.

Go well Mrs. Shriver - I trust you to straighten out proper divisioning in heaven!