May 1, 2015

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center to mark 50th anniversary with Timothy Shriver

In honor of its 50th anniversary, the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center will hold a community celebration with special guest Tim Shriver.

Kennedy Center exterior
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (Vanderbilt University)

By Elizabeth Turner

In honor of its 50th anniversary as one of the nation’s original Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Centers, the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center will hold a community celebration with special guest speaker Timothy P. Shriver. The celebration will be held on Friday, May 29, at 3 p.m. in the Rotunda of the Wyatt Center.

Tim Shriver (photo provided)

Shriver is a social leader, educator, activist, film producer and business entrepreneur. He is the chairman of Special Olympics, which serves 4.4 million Special Olympics athletes and their families in 170 countries.

He has helped transform Special Olympics into a movement that focuses on acceptance, inclusion and respect for individuals with intellectual disabilities in all corners of the globe. 

“Having Tim Shriver with us on the occasion of our Center’s 50th anniversary is coming full circle,” said Elisabeth Dykens, Annette Schaffer Eskind Chair and director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. “On May 29, 1965, his grandmother Rose Kennedy and parents Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver spoke at our founding Convocation. And he is a champion worldwide for children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families.” 

The celebration will be followed by a reception. Shriver is the author of Fully Alive: Discovering What Matters Most, and he will be available at the reception to autograph copies. 

All are welcome to attend the celebration, but registration is appreciated for planning purposes.

Register to attend the VKC 50th Anniversary Celebration.

For more information, visit the VKC 50th anniversary website.