Press Releases

The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation today announced that it is undertaking an extensive national search to find a new Chief Executive Officer to lead the organization. The search, in its very early stages, will focus on locating the right person to help the Foundation prepare for the 2017 Centennial of President Kennedy’s birth.

BOSTON – The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum will offer several family-oriented activities and programs throughout Presidents’ Day week, including its signature Presidents’ Day Family Festival featuring presidential storytelling, activities and performances. On Wednesday, February 17, the award-winning Crabgrass Puppet Theatre will bring folktales to life in honor of African American Heritage Month.

The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation today announced that CEO Heather Campion has resigned her position to take on a new consulting role at Harvard’s Institute of Politics focused on women’s leadership.

Boston, MA – Pete Buttigieg, the Mayor of South Bend, IN, and Kirsten Lodal, Co-Founder and CEO of LIFT, a non-profit dedicated to providing holistic social services to those struggling with poverty, have been named this year’s recipients of the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Awards. The awards will be presented by Congressman Joe Kennedy III on November 12, 2015 during a private ceremony at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

BOSTON - The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum today announced that a new permanent exhibit presenting touchstones of John F. Kennedy’s early life will open on November 5, 2015. "Young Jack" provides glimpses of the future President as a boy, a student, a decorated war hero, and a young man seeking his life’s path. Drawn from the collections of the Kennedy Library, the exhibit celebrates the return of two of the museum’s most treasured artifacts following their display in Japan and features never-before-displayed items, including a set of JFK's crutches.

BOSTON, MA – The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation today announced that former U.S. Congressman Bob Inglis (R-SC) was named the 2015 recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award™ for political courage. Inglis is being awarded this honor for the courage he demonstrated when reversing his position on climate change after extensive briefings with scientists, and discussions with his children, about the impact of atmospheric warming on our future. Knowing the potential consequences to his political career, Inglis nevertheless called on the United States to meaningfully address the issue. In June, 2010, Inglis lost his re-election to the U.S. Congress. The prestigious award for political courage will be presented by Jack Schlossberg, President Kennedy’s grandson, at a ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston on May 3, 2015.

Boston, MA—The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation today announced that Matthew Waltman, a junior at Dwight-Englewood School from Tenafly, New Jersey, has won the national John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest for High School Students. Waltman’s prize-winning essay describes the political courage of Tom Selders, the former mayor of Greeley, Colorado, whose stand on immigration reform cost him his bid for re-election in November 2007. Waltman will be honored during the May 3, 2015 Profile in Courage Award ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. He will also receive a $10,000 award for his first-place essay.

BOSTON, MA – The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation today announced that former U.S. Congressman Bob Inglis (R-SC) was named the 2015 recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award™ for political courage. Inglis is being awarded this honor for the courage he demonstrated when reversing his position on climate change after extensive briefings with scientists, and discussions with his children, about the impact of atmospheric warming on our future. Knowing the potential consequences to his political career, Inglis nevertheless called on the United States to meaningfully address the issue. In June, 2010, Inglis lost his re-election to the U.S. Congress. The prestigious award for political courage will be presented by Jack Schlossberg, President Kennedy’s grandson, at a ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston on May 3, 2015.

BOSTON, MA – PEN New England announced that Arna Bontemps Hemenway has won the 2015 PEN/ Hemingway Award for a distinguished first book of fiction for his critically acclaimed Elegy on Kinderklavier (Sarabande).

Tokyo, Japan - The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation presented its first international symposium on President Kennedy, titled The Torch Has Been Passed: JFK’s Legacy Today. Drawing on the themes of President Kennedy’s iconic inaugural address challenging citizens to give back, push the boundaries of science and innovation, and seek a more peaceful world, this half-day event celebrated the ideals he championed and examined how his words and deeds can help guide new generations in solving critical problems that we face today. The event was held in Okuma Auditorium at Waseda University where President Kennedy’s brother, then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, delivered a speech in 1962.

Boston MA – On March 6, 2015, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum (Kennedy Library), the U.S. National Archives, and the National Archives of Japan will unveil a special international exhibit in Tokyo, Japan. JFK: His Life and Legacy highlights President Kennedy’s service in World War, his relationship with Japan, and his accomplishments in the White House, including the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the signing of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and American investment in the space program that led to the first moon landing. The exhibit runs through May 10, 2015.

BOSTON, MA – In celebration of Presidents’ Day, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum has launched a free iPad app, The JFK Challenge that brings American history to life for kids ages 8-12. The Library’s first-ever app release, The JFK Challenge turns players into NASA and Peace Corps trainees ready to accept President Kennedy's charge to accomplish great things and make a difference in the world. Visit www.jfkchallenge.org to preview and download the app.

BOSTON – The National Archives welcomed the donation by Raleigh DeGeer Amyx to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum of an original watercolor painting of the White House skillfully painted by Jacqueline Kennedy. Mrs. Kennedy signed the painting “J to J” and gave it to the President, which he kept in the Oval Office. The watercolor shows the White House seen from a distance with the Potomac River in the foreground. This depiction of the White House was copied by Jacqueline Kennedy from a circa 1805 print of the same view of the White House.

BOSTON, MA – The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) is proud to host a new multimedia installation in cooperation with the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. “Invention, Innovation, Imagination,” a visual and audio experience for travelers to and from New England at Boston Logan International Airport, is located in Terminal A. It includes wall graphics celebrating the innovation economy in New England by highlighting native son John F. Kennedy's challenge that launched America on the race to the moon, and the many contemporary innovations that resulted from the U.S. Space Program.

Boston, MA – Svante Myrick, the pioneering Mayor of Ithaca, NY, and Nina Dudnik, Founder and CEO of Seeding Labs, an innovative nonprofit that empowers talented scientists in developing countries to conduct life-changing research, have been named this year’s recipients of the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Awards. The awards will be presented by Jack Schlossberg, John F. Kennedy’s grandson and a member of the New Frontier Award Committee, on December 10, 2014 during a private ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.