#paul fay
JFK grew up in a household devoted to athletic activity. He swam and played golf and football for the junior varsity at Harvard and tried his hand at boxing.
In later years, he remained an accomplished golfer and, despite chronic back pain, he continued to enjoy football, tennis, and softball with family and friends, and to sail Victura, his 26-foot sloop in the Nantucket Sound.
As President, JFK challenged the nation to become more active. He challenged the Marines to walk 50 miles in 20 hours, and high school students to earn awards from the President’s Council on Physical Fitness.
Here’s a clip of JFK playing football at the Kennedy family home in Hyannisport, from home movie footage taken by friend Paul Fay. Video from the JFK Library.
We’re celebrating the centennial of JFK’s birth throughout 2017 and this month’s #JFK100 theme is “candid photos.”Join us for more JFK100 every week!
John F. Kennedy and Paul Fay first met and became friends during WWII and remained close through Kennedy’s Presidency. Fay was an usher at John and Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding, worked on JFK’s campaigns, and was Undersecretary of the Navy during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Among his papers donated to the JFK Library is home movie footage taken by Fay of their friends and family. This video clip from Fay’s movies offers an informal glimpse into the two friends goofing around, and JFK playing golf, circa 1953.
We’re sharing candid photos for #JFK100 this month. Join us for an informal look at vacations, recreation, and family time! More on the JFK Centennial Celebration from the JFK Library.
Jacqueline Kennedy started her first job in 1951 as the “Inquiring Camera Girl” for the Washington Times-Herald newspaper. As she roved around the city, she took pictures of people she encountered, asked them questions on the issues of the day, and wove their answers into her newspaper column. Among those she interviewed for her column was Richard Nixon. She also covered the first inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
During this time, Jacqueline met John F. Kennedy, who was a congressman and soon-to-be-elected senator from Massachusetts. They married in September, 1953. This clip of the couple with Ethel Kennedy is from a home movie taken by JFK’s close friend from WWII, Paul Fay.
-from the JFK Library. Our #JFK100 theme this month is Arts, Culture, and Jacqueline Kennedy. Join us for more about Jackie all month!
