ROSEMARY ADMITTED TO ST. COLETTA SCHOOL
Jefferson, Wisconsin (JFK+50) The third child and first daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and the brother of Congressman John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts, Rosemary*, was admitted to St. Coletta School** here in Jefferson on July 1, 1949.
Rosie Kennedy had attended Sacred Heart Convent in Providence, Rhode Island, but was diagnosed as mentally retarded. A Kennedy family biographer described Rosemary as "absolutely beautiful" with a "gorgeous smile."
A lobotomy procedure performed in 1941 when she was 23 was unsuccessful. Rose Marie Kennedy would spend the rest of her life institutionalized.
*Rose Marie Kennedy (1918-2005) was born in Brookline, MA. Diaries published in the 1980s indicate she attended operas, tea dances and social events. An unsuccessful lobotomy procedure performed in 1941 led to her institutionalization at St. Coletta School.
Rosemary Kennedy
Jefferson, Wisconsin (JFK+50) The third child and first daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and the brother of Congressman John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts, Rosemary*, was admitted to St. Coletta School** here in Jefferson on July 1, 1949.
Rosie Kennedy had attended Sacred Heart Convent in Providence, Rhode Island, but was diagnosed as mentally retarded. A Kennedy family biographer described Rosemary as "absolutely beautiful" with a "gorgeous smile."
A lobotomy procedure performed in 1941 when she was 23 was unsuccessful. Rose Marie Kennedy would spend the rest of her life institutionalized.
*Rose Marie Kennedy (1918-2005) was born in Brookline, MA. Diaries published in the 1980s indicate she attended operas, tea dances and social events. An unsuccessful lobotomy procedure performed in 1941 led to her institutionalization at St. Coletta School.
**St. Coletta School was founded in 1904 when 10 developmentally disabled students enrolled under direction of Father George Meyer. In 1931, the school became known as St. Coletta School for Exceptional Children. In 1963, the 1st International Awards for Achievement in the field of Mental Retardation was held. In 1983, the Kennedy family made a gift in honor of Mrs. Rose Kennedy's 93rd birthday to facilitate a program to serve as a model for aging persons with mental retardation.
SOURCE
SOURCE
www.stcolettawi.org/
Rosemary Kennedy
