Sister of JFK, Robert Kennedy, and Ted Kennedy, Shriver had graduated from Stanford with a degree in sociology, then worked with prisoners of war and at a women's prison, before starting a summer day camp for disabled children in her backyard. The camp was inspired by a friend, she once recalled, who couldn't find summer activities for her intellectually disabled child. She told NPR,

I said: ‘You don't have to talk about it anymore. You come here a month from today. I'll start my own camp. No charge to go into the camp, but you have to get your kid here, and you have to come and pick your kid up.'

The camp grew to become the Special Olympics, which had its first international competition in Chicago in 1968. The Special Olympics were inspired in part by Shriver's sister Rosemary, who was institutionalized after a failed lobotomy, and whose intellectual disabilities Shriver disclosed to the world in a 1962 article in The Saturday Evening Post. The Special Olympics provided one of the first venues for intellectually disabled children to excel athletically — many of them had been previously excluded from all sports, leading to high rates of obesity. In a statement today, President Obama said that Shriver "will be remembered [...] as a champion for people with intellectual disabilities, and as an extraordinary woman who, as much as anyone, taught our nation – and our world – that no physical or mental barrier can restrain the power of the human spirit."

One of the most striking things about Shriver is that she combined having a family with fulfilling work at a time when this was not particularly easy. She and her loved ones describe these two parts of her life as equally important. Shriver said,

Most people believe I spent my whole life really interested in only one thing and that one thing is working to make the world a better place for people with intellectual disabilities. As important as it has been, it is not the whole story of my life. My life is about being lucky as a child to be raised by parents who loved me and made me believe in possibilities. It is also about being lucky to have had these extraordinary children

Her daughter, Maria Shriver, wife of Arnold Schwarzenegger, recalled in 2004,

She was certainly a feminist before that was cool or out there, and yet she always combined it with talking about motherhood. She raised me to believe you are as good as the boys, as tough and as competitive as the boys, and you need to do something to help the world.

Shriver's father Joseph Kennedy once said of her, "If that girl had been born with balls, she would have been a hell of a politician." Her accomplishments were such that the U.S. News & World Report wrote in 1993 that, "When the full judgment of the Kennedy legacy is made [...] the changes wrought by Eunice Shriver may well be seen as the most consequential." We can only imagine what she would have done had she been born in a time when feminism was cool. That time may not be here yet — but perhaps Shriver's example will hasten it.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver Dies At 88 [Wall Street Journal]
Eunice Kennedy Shriver Dies [CNN]
Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Founder Of Special Olympics, Dies At 88 [New York Times]
Obama Statement On Passing Of Eunice Kennedy Shriver [The Page]

It cannot be denied that female and male politicians are treated differently: women are subjected to a different kind of scrutiny, are taken less seriously, and oftentimes do indeed find themselves butting against a glass ceiling. Says the Washington Post, "Like Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sarah Palin before her, Kennedy illustrated what some say is an enduring double standard in the handling of ambitious female office-seekers. Even as more women step forward as contenders for premier political jobs, observers say, few seem able to get there." The New York Times' Susan Dominus adds that Kennedy was doubly-cursed: as a middle-aged woman attempting to re-enter the workforce, she could have been a powerful role model. "Not only would a Senate appointment make clear that possibility, but Ms. Kennedy would have the chance to prove, by demonstrating competency or even excellence once in office, that sometimes it’s worth taking a risk bestowing a plum assignment on a smart, well-educated woman whose experience doesn’t perfectly line up on the résumé."

But...she's not like Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin before her. They had both worked in politics. Even Palin's resume — which was found risible a few months ago — is, politically, a phone book by comparison. Being a United States senator is not a trainee job, especially not in the shape this country is in. Caroline Kennedy is a woman who has never held office — or even much employment. Is she smart, likable, appealing? Sure. But would her name have been mentioned did she not have the magical aura of Camelot? Of course not. If anything, she was treated with an excess of courtesy. Take her dropping out because of family issues. Says Dominus, "If a male political contender had said that, everyone would have just dismissed it as the laziest of lines, a tired cliché that practically announces dirty laundry. When a woman says it, it seems at least plausible, but also a confirmation of the suspicion that women who spent their 30s on family probably will never really be able to put a career first." What? If anyone but Kennedy had said it, it would have been met with all the skepticism of Jeremy Piven's mercury levels, rather than grave respect. It's a valid point to suggest, as the Post does, that Kennedy's being penalized for a lack of experience grounded in very gender-based choices: she raised a family and now she's not getting a fair shake. I agree this is a fascinating line of inquiry and a real issue: but the fact remains that a senatorial seat is not academic. Putting someone unqualified in the position would do nothing to redress this issue, and would in fact make things look substantially easier than they are for those women who have to claw their way back into the workforce by sheer grit and determination.

In fact, I find arguments that Caroline Kennedy didn't succeed because she's a woman deeply offensive. Is any token woman good enough for people, then? There are hundreds of qualified, intelligent, experienced women — two New York politicians spring to mind — who can compete on any playing field. To suggest that Caroline Kennedy is not today a New York senator because of her sex is an insult to them — to Kirsten Gillibrand — and to the rest of us.

Does A Glass Ceiling Persist In Politics? [Washington Post]
Coming Up Short As A Role Model For The Mommy Track [New York Times]

Both Jackie and Michelle enjoy pairing a red suit with broad lapels with a very attractive husband.
Both Jackie and Michelle enjoy holding small children while clad in tailored yellow suits.
Both Jackie and Michelle enjoy connecting with their adoring public while bedecked in solid colored shift dresses. (Sleeves optional!)

Michelle O: Suited To Be Jackie's Successor [Politico]

[All photos via Getty Images]