boarding school founded in 1920 by Helena Devereux of Philadelphia, who had studied with psychologist Henry Goddard, author of the
The Kallikak Family: A Study in the Heredity of Feeble-Mindedness
. At Devereux, Rosemary would be taught (or, more properly, drilled in) silent and oral reading, arithmetic and making change, spelling, social studies, and the womanly arts of handwork (making doilies), music, art, dramatics, and sewing. 9
With her parents in Europe, Rosemary was probably taken to Berwyn by Mary Moore. She would not see her mother, her father, or her siblings until Thanksgiving; visiting at Devereux was strongly discouraged. In mid-November, Kennedy received his first letter and responded immediately. “I cannot tell you how excited and pleased I was to get your letter. . . . I think you were a darling to write me so soon.” He filled her in with news of the family: “Mother went over to Boston to see Grandma Fitzgerald.” He bragged a bit about his Hollywood connections: “Miss Swanson is sending you a picture and writing you a letter.” And he congratulated her on her accomplishments, while exhorting her to do better: “I was very glad to see a lot of improvement in the report card, and I am sure that within the next couple of months it will be even better.” He closed by asking her to write again: “Thanks again, my sweetheart, and if you have some time write me another letter. Lots of love.” 10
Rosemary had a difficult time at first, but as her teachers reported to her parents after her first year there, she had made the necessary “social adjustments” to life away from home. She also learned to sew, sing, and dance, exhibited “excellent social poise and is quite charming at times,” had done reasonably well in her arithmetic and in social studies and had “written several very good stories about the robin and her trip to Washington.” Her major problem was that she had little or no self-confidence, needed constant praise and encouragement, was too hard on herself, and was given to outbursts of impatience. 11
Rosemary would return to Devereux in the fall of 1930 for a second year, but, as her teachers reported in November, she appeared to have given up on academics. She was “impatient” in silent reading and, instead of attempting to comprehend the story, “skips a good deal and fills in from her imagination.” She was not progressing in arithmetic because she “dislikes making the effort necessary to attain good results. . . . She is very impatient and does not persevere.” Her progress in English class was stalled because she “dislikes exerting the effort necessary to accomplish acceptable results.” Her teachers were especially troubled by her almost total lack of self-confidence and difficulty in concentrating on any but the simplest tasks. “Rose’s achievements in class work are seldom commensurate with her ability, and an effort is being made to bring her work up to the standard she is really capable of. This is a difficult task, as she has so definitely acquired the idea that her abilities are negligible and that her work cannot reach [any higher] standard.” 12
Rosemary’s second year would be her last at Devereux. She would return to Bronxville, but not to school. “As we had a large family,” Rose remembered, “life probably was easier for her with us, because she liked to play with the younger children who were less advanced than the older ones and she could sort of keep up with them.” Because her father was absent so much of the time, he had less to do with his oldest daughter than anyone else in the household. Neither a patient man nor one who easily accepted defeat, he had a great deal of difficulty coming to terms with Rosemary’s condition. Like her teachers at Devereux, he clung to the hope that she could do better if only she tried harder and were more patient. “My father supported her,” Eunice Kennedy Shriver would later recall, “but he
The Kallikak Family: A Study in the Heredity of Feeble-Mindedness
. At Devereux, Rosemary would be taught (or, more properly, drilled in) silent and oral reading, arithmetic and making change, spelling, social studies, and the womanly arts of handwork (making doilies), music, art, dramatics, and sewing. 9
With her parents in Europe, Rosemary was probably taken to Berwyn by Mary Moore. She would not see her mother, her father, or her siblings until Thanksgiving; visiting at Devereux was strongly discouraged. In mid-November, Kennedy received his first letter and responded immediately. “I cannot tell you how excited and pleased I was to get your letter. . . . I think you were a darling to write me so soon.” He filled her in with news of the family: “Mother went over to Boston to see Grandma Fitzgerald.” He bragged a bit about his Hollywood connections: “Miss Swanson is sending you a picture and writing you a letter.” And he congratulated her on her accomplishments, while exhorting her to do better: “I was very glad to see a lot of improvement in the report card, and I am sure that within the next couple of months it will be even better.” He closed by asking her to write again: “Thanks again, my sweetheart, and if you have some time write me another letter. Lots of love.” 10
Rosemary had a difficult time at first, but as her teachers reported to her parents after her first year there, she had made the necessary “social adjustments” to life away from home. She also learned to sew, sing, and dance, exhibited “excellent social poise and is quite charming at times,” had done reasonably well in her arithmetic and in social studies and had “written several very good stories about the robin and her trip to Washington.” Her major problem was that she had little or no self-confidence, needed constant praise and encouragement, was too hard on herself, and was given to outbursts of impatience. 11
Rosemary would return to Devereux in the fall of 1930 for a second year, but, as her teachers reported in November, she appeared to have given up on academics. She was “impatient” in silent reading and, instead of attempting to comprehend the story, “skips a good deal and fills in from her imagination.” She was not progressing in arithmetic because she “dislikes making the effort necessary to attain good results. . . . She is very impatient and does not persevere.” Her progress in English class was stalled because she “dislikes exerting the effort necessary to accomplish acceptable results.” Her teachers were especially troubled by her almost total lack of self-confidence and difficulty in concentrating on any but the simplest tasks. “Rose’s achievements in class work are seldom commensurate with her ability, and an effort is being made to bring her work up to the standard she is really capable of. This is a difficult task, as she has so definitely acquired the idea that her abilities are negligible and that her work cannot reach [any higher] standard.” 12
Rosemary’s second year would be her last at Devereux. She would return to Bronxville, but not to school. “As we had a large family,” Rose remembered, “life probably was easier for her with us, because she liked to play with the younger children who were less advanced than the older ones and she could sort of keep up with them.” Because her father was absent so much of the time, he had less to do with his oldest daughter than anyone else in the household. Neither a patient man nor one who easily accepted defeat, he had a great deal of difficulty coming to terms with Rosemary’s condition. Like her teachers at Devereux, he clung to the hope that she could do better if only she tried harder and were more patient. “My father supported her,” Eunice Kennedy Shriver would later recall, “but he
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