The John F. Presidential Library and Museum, in partnership with the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, will host a year-long celebration to honor the 100th anniversary of the birth of President John F. Kennedy in 2017. Born in Brookline, on May 29, 1917, President Kennedy was the youngest president ever elected to office. To commemorate his centennial, the JFK Library is spearheading a series of events and initiatives aimed at inspiring new generations to find meaning and inspiration in the enduring values that formed the heart of the Kennedy presidency. Throughout the year the JFK Library will host numerous educational events, public forums, and naturalization ceremonies as well as other activities and invites you to participate. Please check the website for regular updates.

Upcoming Centennial Events

 February 15 at 11:00AM – Massachusetts State Legislative Joint Session, State House, , MA In honor of President Kennedy’s Centennial, the Massachusetts Senate and Massachusetts House of Representatives will hold a joint session. Remarks will be offered by Governor Charlie Baker and Kathleen Kennedy, niece of President Kennedy and former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland.

 February 15 at 2:00PM – Massachusetts Cultural Council Award Ceremony, State House, Boston, MA In recognition of President Kennedy’s commitment and advocacy of the arts during his administration, The Massachusetts Cultural Council will present the inaugural “John F. Kennedy Commonwealth Award” to Robert Lynch, President and CEO of American for the Arts.

 February 20 at 10:00AM – JFK Forever Stamp Ceremony, JFK Library Boston, MA The U.S. Postal Service will commemorate the centennial of President John F. Kennedy’s birth by dedicating a Forever stamp in his honor at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

 February 20 from 10:00AM to 4:00PM – Presidents’ Day Family Festival, JFK Library, Boston, MA The sixth annual Family Festival will feature presidential storytelling, creative activities, musical performances, and hands-on programs to bring the Library to life in new ways for all ages.

 March 2 from 7:00PM – 8:30PM – JFK: The First Television President A national webinar for educators in collaboration with the National Humanities Center on JFK: The First Television President, with guest historian Ellen Fitzpatrick.

 March 4 from 2:00 – 5:00 PM – Week Film Screening, JFK Library, Boston, MA View a compilation of the top videos submitted in the Peace Corps Week Video Challenge. This year's theme is "Highlighting Hospitality: How does my Peace Corps country make people feel welcome?"

 March 6 from 6:00PM – 7:30PM – Forum on JFK’s 1963 Trip to Ireland, JFK Library, Boston, MA Acclaimed Irish broadcaster and Late Late Show host Ryan Tubridy and Ireland’s current laureate for children’s literature, illustrator P.J. Lynch, discuss President Kennedy’s 1963 visit to Ireland. Author and Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe journalist Kevin Cullen moderates.

 March 8 at 1:30PM – United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Naturalization Ceremony, JFK Library, Boston, MA Mohamad Ali, CEO of Carbonite, will offer words of welcome and inspiration to 200 new citizens accompanied by their families as they take the oath of citizenship.

For more information and to register for Centennial updates please visit: www.jfklibrary.org/100

 March 11 from 10:30AM – 11:30AM – Celebrate! Themselves: An Immigrant’s Story, JFK Library, Boston, MA A family program about the story of a young woman who journeys to America and her struggle to begin a new life while keeping her heritage alive. The performance featuring storytelling, traditional Irish music, and an Irish jig!

 March 15 at 8:00AM – Network Profiles in Service Breakfast with Sam Kennedy, 601 Congress Street, 14th Floor, Boston Sam Kennedy, President of the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Sports Management, will speak about his role overseeing the club and the numerous ways the Boston Red Sox seek to give back to the community through their support of the Jimmy Fund and Home Base Veterans Program.

 March 23 – Imagine Boston 2030 Forums of the Future, JFK Library, Boston, MA Public hearings on Boston’s first city-wide planning in 50 years.

 March 28 from 6:00PM – 7:30PM – American Experience: The Great War, JFK Library, Boston, MA The Kennedy Library and WGBH partner for a preview and discussion of the new American Experience series, The Great War. Executive Producer Mark Samuels, Series Producer Amanda Pollack, Associate Professor of History at MIT Chris Capozzolla, and Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of African and Afro-American Studies at Brandeis Unviersity Chad Williams show clips from the series and discuss the legacy of America’s entry into World War I.

 March 29 – Close to Home: Autobiographies, Memoirs and Family Stories for Young Readers and Writers, JFK Library, Boston, MA Professional development for educators. Award-winning writers Alma Flor Ada, F. Isabel Campoy, Ralph Fletcher, Nikki Grimes, Lois Lowry, and storyteller Cindy Rivka Marshall explore ways that autobiography, memoirs and family stories can serve as stepping stones into history for today’s young readers and writers. Co-presented with the John F. Kennedy National Historic Site.

 April 2 from 2:00PM – 3:00PM – PEN Hemingway Awards, JFK Library, Boston, MA Patrick Hemingway, son of Ernest Hemingway, will present the PEN/Hemingway Award for best first published work of fiction by an American author.

 April 5 at 8:00AM – New Frontier Network Profiles in Service Breakfast with State Auditor Suzanne Bump, 601 Congress Street, 14th Floor, Boston State Auditor Suzanne Bump will speak about the various programs she has implemented throughout the agency since being sworn into office in January 2011 and her lifelong commitment to President Kennedy’s ideals of public service and civic engagement.

 April 8 – 9 – Centennial Touch Football Games Touch football games will be held across Massachusetts in recognition of President Kennedy’s love of the sport and commitment to physical fitness as exemplified through legislation he signed enacting the Presidential Physical Fitness Initiative.

 April 17 from 6:00PM – 7:00PM – Forum on A Conversation on Healthcare, JFK Library, Boston, MA Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders and Dr. James O’Connell, President of Boston Health Care for the Homeess, discuss healthcare challenges and opportunities.

For more information and to register for Centennial updates please visit: www.jfklibrary.org/100

 April 18 from 10:30AM – 11:30AM – Celebrate! National Marionette Theatre: Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, JFK Library, Boston, MA Master puppeteers bring one of the most famous of the Grimm Brothers’ stories to life with exquisitely crafted marionettes, scrolling scenery and the beautiful music of Englebert Humperdinck.

 April 20 from 6:00PM – 7:00PM – Forum on Hemingway’s Brain, JFK Library, Boston, MA Dr. Andrew Farah, Chief of Psychiatry at the High Point Division of the University of Healthcare System, discusses his new book, Hemingway’s Brain.

 May – Massachusetts State House Photo Exhibit Opening, Doric Hall, State House, Boston, MA

 May 2 – Poetry and Power: John F. Kennedy’s Vision for America Exhibit Opening, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. Exhibit open from May 3 through September 17, 2017. Exhibit open from May 3 through September 17, 2017. This exciting exhibit will complement the release of a new book in May titled, JFK: A Vision for America, edited by Stephen Kennedy Smith and historian Doug Brinkley, by bringing together photographs and JFK’s greatest speeches with essays by America’s top historians, analysis from leading political thinkers, and personal insights from preeminent writers and artists.

 May 3 – New Frontier Network Profiles in Service Breakfasts with Dr. Vanessa Kerry, 601 Congress Street, 14th Floor, Boston Dr. Vanessa Kerry, Co-Founder and CEO of Seed Global Health and physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, speaks about her goal to strength health education and delivery in places facing a shortage of health professionals and how President Kennedy’s legacy has influenced her life and professional calling to enter the medical field.

 May 7 – Centennial May Dinner, JFK Library, Boston, MA The Centennial May Dinner gala will be chaired by Jeff Immelt, Chairman and CEO of GE. The gala honors the recipient of the Profile in Courage Award, the nation’s most prestigious award for elected officials.

 May 15 from 6:00PM – 7:30PM – Forum on JFK’s Vision for America, JFK Library, Boston, MA Stephen Kennedy Smith, co-editor of JFK: A Vision for America, and Douglas Brinkley discuss President Kennedy’s legacy with contributors to this collection and commemoration of JFK’s most important speeches.

 Mary 16 from 6:00PM – 7:30PM – Forum on Richard Nixon: The Life, JFK Library, Boston, MA Award-winning author and journalist and former Boston Globe correspondent John A. Farrell discusses his new book, Richard Nixon: The Life.

 May 22 – Forum on The Road to Camelot with Tom Oliphant and Curtis Wilkie, JFK Library, Boston, MA Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Washington columnist for The Boston Globe, Thomas Oliphant and Curtis Wilkie, a former national reporter and correspondent for The Boston Globe who teaches journalism at the University of Mississippi, discuss their new book, The Road to Camelot: Inside JFK’s Five-Year Campaign.

For more information and to register for Centennial updates please visit: www.jfklibrary.org/100

 May 25 from 6:00PM – 7:30PM – Forum on The American Spirit – Who We Are and What We Stand For, JFK Library, Boston, MA Historian David McCullough, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, two National Book Awards, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among many other awards, discusses his new collection of speeches, The American Spirit – Who We Are and What We Stand For.

 May 25 – 29 – Centennial Celebration Weekend, Boston, MA Over Memorial Day weekend, the Kennedy Library will hold a series of dynamic events and activities, including musical performances, educational programs highlighting peace, public service, science and innovation, and a cake cutting ceremony to celebrate President Kennedy’s birthday. o May 26 – John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum JFK Centennial Exhibit Opening, and Special Pre-Game Ceremony at Boston Red Sox o May 27 – Special Peace Corps Day o May 28 – Program commemorating JFK's legacy in the Race for Space o May 29 – Navy Fly-over, birthday cake, music and other celebrations

 June 17 – 19 – Sail Boston, Boston Harbor

 July 10 – 21 – Beyond Black and White: Prioritizing Race and Racial Formation in the Study of American Life, Past and Present, JFK Library, Boston, MA This summer institute for educators will focus on race and racial formation in order to understand how they each continue to impact and challenge our contemporary perceptions and misperceptions of what it means to be an American. Co-presented with the University of Massachusetts-Boston Graduate Program in American Studies.

 July 12 at 1:30PM – United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Naturalization Ceremony, JFK Library, Boston, MA Over 200 new citizens take the oath of citizenship of the United States of America.

 September 13 at 1:30PM – United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Naturalization Ceremony, JFK Library, Boston, MA Over 200 new citizens take the oath of citizenship of the United States of America.

 November 18 – TEDx, JFK Library, Boston, MA TEDx highlighting President Kennedy’s legacy at the Kennedy Library, organized by TEDxBeaconStreet.

For more information and to register for Centennial updates please visit: www.jfklibrary.org/100

February 22, 2017

Dear XXXXX,

We are writing to invite you to join the John F. Kennedy Network, a worldwide group of organizations and institutions named in honor of President John F. Kennedy, America’s 35th President. As the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, working with the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, we are eager to build stronger connections with you, especially in 2017 as we celebrate the Centennial of President Kennedy’s birth.

We are reaching out to schools, hospitals, municipal buildings and other institutions as well as identifying statues, roads and bridges named after or dedicated in honor of President Kennedy. We are proud to share a namesake and want to build an ongoing relationship with your organization in 2017 and continue to strengthen it in the coming years including adding your organization to the John F. Kennedy Network.

As part of our Centennial celebrations members of the John F. Kennedy Network would be highlighted on the JFK 100 Centennial website and provided with updates on upcoming Centennial events and activities with the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. . Here are a few suggestions on how we could work together:

 Share information on the John F. Kennedy Network with your top leaders. Sign your top leaders up to receive John F. Kennedy Network updates. Please send the contact information for those in your organization who would like to receive information about our programs. Please include full name, title, address, phone and email address. Contact information can be sent to [email protected].

 Be a part of the “Where in the World is Jack Kennedy”. Submit photos from your organization (with the name John F. Kennedy) along with descriptions to [email protected]. Photos would be used in our museum and on our online map showing “Where in the World is JFK?” Please include your website and brief description of your work. Our initial posting will be on March 1st.

 JFK 100 Centennial Celebrations– Let us know if you are planning to have specific Centennial events at your organization. Please visit www.jfklibrary.org/100 to learn more information about our Centennial events.

 Visit the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. If you visit our library let us know ahead of time and we would be honored to have one of our team welcome you. If we know in advance we can provide a guided tour of our museum.

Thank you for your partnership. We welcome your thoughts and ideas of ways we can collaborate to highlight President Kennedy’s legacy. If you have any questions regarding the John F. Kennedy Network, please contact me or Lindsey Havansek at [email protected] or 617-514-1670.

Sincerely,

Steven M. Rothstein Executive Director John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Foundation

P.S. For your reference, I’ve also attached a Boston Globe article announcing this year’s Centennial activities and an announcement of a new John Kennedy Postal Service stamp John Kennedy Forever Stamp.

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Visionary 4 PRINT

Visionary 6 Concepts for President John F. Kennedy Centennial Commission members to consider March 1, 2017

Here are our initial recommendations we would like the Centennial Commission members consider.

Priority Events (in addition to Commission meetings):

 President Kennedy photography exhibit opening at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington D.C. on May 2, 2017 at 7:00pm.  Speak at an event in your district that honors President Kennedy’s legacy.

Additional Events to Consider:

There are many events in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., and other locations, including:

 Several events at the Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C., including a concert by Yo- Yo Ma.  Profile in Courage Award and Centennial May Dinner gala at the Kennedy Library in Boston on Sunday, May 7th.  There are numerous events during the week leading up to President Kennedy’s birthday (May 25-29, 2017) in Washington, D.C., Boston, MA, Hyannis, MA, Brookline, MA, and other locations throughout the US and internationally. If your schedule allows, we would be honored to provide more details of the events if you might be able to join us.

Potential Requests of Federal Agencies:

 Request an opportunity for congressional resolutions on the legacy of President Kennedy.  Sign letters of support to the heads of various federal agencies to support the Centennial. These could include, but not be limited to: o Department of Education to support expanded use of civics educational resources in elementary, middle and high schools across the country. The John F. Kennedy Library has extensive non-partisan free online educational resources available. o State Department to highlight President Kennedy’s international achievements. o Americorps to engage their current and past volunteers in President Kennedy’s call of service. o Department of Veteran Affairs to honor President Kennedy as a veteran. o NASA to honor President Kennedy’s call to go to the moon. o National Endowment for the Arts and the Humanities for President and Mrs. Kennedy’s support for the arts and humanities. o Department of Treasury to highlight the JFK half dollar. o Other agencies as determined by the Commission members.  We are already working with: o The National Archives on numerous activities in Boston and Washington, D.C. o US Postal Service on a new JFK stamp with first day issue at the Library on Monday, February 20th. o National Park Service, President Kennedy’s birthplace at 83 Beals Street, Brookline, MA. o Kennedy Center for the Arts on various events. o Peace Corps on two events to honor Peace Corp volunteers at the Kennedy Library on Saturday, March 4th and Saturday, May 27th. o U.S. Navy to support events associated with the May 29th birthday weekend. o Library of Congress on a possible exhibit in May in Washington, D.C.

General Requests for Commission Members:

 At the first Commission meeting, to participate in a group photo, media release and social media.  Sign a letter to 100 Mayors in 100 largest cities asking them to consider supporting the Centennial with ideas and links of video, sample social media and other resources for them to consider.  Speak at college symposium event in your district during recess.  Engage your social media lists regarding key Centennial moments/events.  Submit an opinion piece to a local newspaper regarding President Kennedy’s legacy (we would be happy to prepare draft piece if helpful).  Email your lists with a link to the JFK Centennial site and an appeal to participate in digital Centennial activities such as “Where in the World is JFK?” interactive map and the Library’s service initiative.