4:15pm | In honor of the life of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of the Special Olympics movement and widely credited with being responsible for greater understanding of developmental disabilities, Long Beach City Councilmember Gerrie Schipske is attempting to have the Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) headquarters in Long Beach be renamed in Shriver’s memory.
The first annual Global Eunice Kennedy Shriver day took place last Friday, in honor of the international advocate. Sports Illustrated honored Shriver with the first Sportsman of the Year Legacy Award in 2008 for her role in advancing the Special Olympics and other programs that served those with developmental disabilities. She even helped spread the use of new terminology, moving society away from phrases like “mental retardation.”
“For more than half a century, until her passing in 2009, Eunice Kennedy Shriver was an indomitable champion for those among us who have been neglected and ignored for too long,” Schipske said in a press release. “Her love for all people, her belief in justice and her relentlessly energetic pursuit of a better life for people with intellectual disabilities serves as an example for all of us. For that reason, I will ask that the City Council approve the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Building at its meeting in October.”
The SOSC building is located at 6730 E. Carson Street, and all Special Olympics events and programs run throughout Southern California are managed in the office. Each summer, the Special Olympics are held on the campus of Cal State Long Beach. The connections runs deeper than sharing playing fields: Former Long Beach State Athletic Director Bill Shumard is now the President/CEO of the SOSC.
We’ll have more information when the City Council discusses the item in a few weeks.
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