Pennant used by Special Olympian Marty Sheets
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: Red felt pennant from Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. This was bought by Marty Sheets and family at the first Special Olympics Games in 1968 at which Marty was scheduled to compete. He grew ill before the games and did not participate but did receive a special medal for bravery from the founder of the Games, Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.
label: Description (Brief)
content: From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: level of sport
content: Special Olympics
label: level of sport
content: Amateur
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure
label: See more items in
content: Sports & Leisure
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2017.0134.23.01
label: accession number
content: 2017.0134
label: catalog number
content: 2017.0134.23.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: pennant
label: Object Name
content: pennant, special olympics
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: felt (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 12 in x 29 in; 30.48 cm x 73.66 cm