Rosemary: the part you don't know

[ucrdem]

The part we DO know is the failed lobotomy, the Wisconsin mental institution her mother never visited, the isolation, the tragedy:

She's the Kennedy daughter the world never got a chance to know – Rosemary Kennedy, the third of Joe P. Kennedy and Rose's nine children. Born in 1918, she was mentally impaired and had trouble keeping up with her competitive siblings. After undergoing a disastrous lobotomy in 1941, the once vivacious beauty was unable to form a complete sentence.

For the next sixty years, she was sequestered at Saint Coletta, a facility for the mentally disabled in Jefferson, Wisconsin, where she lived quietly, cared for by nuns.

But here's the part we don't hear much about: even though Rose never made it to Saint Coletta while Joe Kennedy was alive, Rosemary's brothers and sisters did:



And after Joe died in 1969, Rose went to Wisconsin, collected Rosemary, brought her back to Hyannis, and there she lived until she died, surrounded by her family:

Of all her siblings, Rosemary was closest to Eunice Shriver, who, inspired by her sister, founded the Special Olympics in 1968, for people with special needs. Even in Rosemary's younger years, author Kate Clifford Larson author of Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter, excerpted in this week's PEOPLE, says, "Eunice was the one person who could calm her down. They were exceptionally close."

http://www.people.com/article/rosemary-kennedy-never-seen-pictures-forgotten-kennedy

[Ilsa]

1. I wish Rose had kicked Joe to the curb, or

Sent him to live with the nuns while she brought her daughter home to live. That sweet girl deserved better.

Damn those men, performing an experimental lobotomy on her, making her life so much worse.

[ucrdem]

7. She put up with a lot, that's for sure.

From her father too I've read. Turns out there's a new play based on her life opening in Manhattan on Sunday:



https://www.telecharge.com/Off-Broadway/Rose/Overview

Now, 20 years after Rose's death in 1995 at age 104, Leamer has used the tapes to write a new play, Rose, opening on Nov. 29 at Manhattan's Clurman Theatre. "She was present for everything important that happened," he notes. "And she is the only one who can speak to that."

http://www.people.com/article/rose-kennedy-daughter-rosemary-rare-private-recordings

[HereSince1628]

2. If you want... you can buy St Coletta's, it's for sale.

Everything changes. Losing support of the Kennedys led to pulling the plug.

It's about 4 miles down the road from my old place.

[ucrdem]

5. Now that part I didn't know.

Hope someone finds a good use for it before it falls apart.

[sheshe2]

3. Okay, I think I will cry here.

Rosemary, so alive in that picture. It breaks your heart for what she was forced to go through. I am so glad Rose finally brought her home.

Thanks for posting her story ucrdem.

They lost so many to tragedy, goes to show you that money can't buy you life.

[ucrdem]

4. It's an awful story.

Chilling. But I never realized until this fall when this book came out that she'd ever left the mental institution. That part at least is cheerful. Here are some pics from the book I found online:

[bettyellen]

6. I had read her family was disgraced buy her partying in Europe, and a romance with a black man....

And that was enough to basically label her as mentally incompetent.

[ucrdem]

8. I remember hearing something like that too.

It's been a while tho. Rose says something about an accident in this recording:

http://www.people.com/article/rose-kennedy-daughter-rosemary-rare-private-recordings

Hard to tell whether it's something before the lobotomy or the operation itself. I suppose we'll find out sooner or later or maybe you have to buy the book....

[bettyellen]

11. I'm not surprised this is People. The Kennedy's have a friend there who would always feed them just

a little bit of exclusive stuff in exchange for fairly respectful reporting. I worked there when John John died, and remember there was someone there whose whole job was as a Kennedy contact.
Boy if you cooperated they would airbrush you and put a good slant on everything, but if not they'd leave some zits and and not give you any press unless they had to. But they were nice people to work for!

[ucrdem]

13. Now that explains a lot . . .

like why this version of the story includes the ending unlike the bazillion other tabloid tell-alls about Rosemary LOL



p.s. here's what Rose says on the tape, from the People article (hadn't noticed it earlier):

"I didn't want to discourage people because she was getting on quite well and she did have this accident that I didn't want to go into…" Rose says in the recordings. "It was found expedient and necessary, really, and better for her to go to this home in Wisconsin where she was very well taken care of by the nuns."

http://www.people.com/article/rose-kennedy-daughter-rosemary-rare-private-recordings

[bettyellen]

15. I remember how hard they worked to get the best pictures for that family after John John died...

they seem to have gone through thousands to chose the ones they did. You'd think it wouldn't matter because they always looked good, but they all put a ton of work on that issue.

[ucrdem]

16. Well they did a good job

because I remember that issue. That was one hell of a sad story.

[bettyellen]

17. Really? That was an odd temp job for me. I remember being there NY's eve 1999, seeing the faxed pics

coming in for the millennium fireworks issue. (I guess Australia was first!) They were anxious to make sure they had good shots from every time zone. That was a really good issue, and I was stunned at how quickly they put it together.
I'd never worked in an office before, and ended up assisting the very top top editors. It was fascinating.

[ucrdem]

19. I remember the cover

it was unusual



http://www.people.com/people/archive/issue/0,,7566990802,00.html

And now that you mention it I can't remember ever seeing a bash-the-Kennedys cover or story in People...

[bettyellen]

22. I wonder now that the biggies are all gone except for Caroline.....

if that will hold up. They definitely try to work with A listers PR to get something exclusive from them, and then they are treated well.
They all want exclusive pics and quotes, and instead of outbidding others for them, their strategy was to keep it classy and let the A lister retain a sense of control in exchange for that. Other mags were known for outbidding. People wanted exclusives, and trued to stay positive so they could stay on the good side of their subjects if possible.

My only regret working there was not being able to snag a ticket to their "Sexiest Man" party. You know who everyone gushed about at the office the next day? Steve from Blues Clues! Don't ask me why! Apparently he is an awesome guy to meet. LOL.

[kath]

10. whoa, that pic of her as a 15 yr old reminds me of a young Caroline.

[ucrdem]

18. I think you're right ...

[3catwoman3]

20. A striking resemblance...

...that jumps right off the pages.

[840high]

9. How very sad.

[PufPuf23]

12. Such a sad story. Good that this book is published. nt

[ucrdem]

21. Strangely enough there were TWO Rosemary bios published this fall,

both using the same cover photo:

1) Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson
http://www.amazon.com/Rosemary-The-Hidden-Kennedy-Daughter/dp/0547250258

-- and --

2) The Missing Kennedy: Rosemary Kennedy and the Secret Bonds of Four Women by Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff
http://www.amazon.com/The-Missing-Kennedy-Rosemary-Secret/dp/1610881745


The People magazine articles are based on the second one, written by the niece of one of the sisters who took care of Rosemary at St. Coletta's. From Amazon: "Her aunt, Sister Paulus Koehler, was Rosemary Kennedy's beloved friend and caregiver." She's the one between Ted and Rosemary in the photo up above.

[SoapBox]

14. Such a very sad story.

There aren't really words.

[hifiguy]

23. A heartbreaking story.

The Kennedy family has had far too many of them.

[smirkymonkey]

24. So sad. Poor Rosemary, such a vibrant woman cut down in the prime of life

by her egotistical, selfish father. I'm sorry, I know everyone here worships the Kennedys, and I agree that they have done a great deal of good, but it distresses me how much damage the Kennedy men have done to women. They really have been unapologetically destructive to so many women. With the exception of JFK, Jr. I actually think he was a decent man. His life was cut much too short.