New “Young Jack” Exhibit Presents JFK’s Early Years

BOSTON - The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum today announced that a new permanent exhibit presenting touchstones of John F. Kennedy’s early life will open on November 5, 2015. "Young Jack" provides glimpses of the future President as a boy, a student, a decorated war hero, and a young man seeking his life’s path. Drawn from the collections of the Kennedy Library, the exhibit celebrates the return of two of the museum’s most treasured artifacts following their display in Japan and features never-before-displayed items, including a set of JFK's crutches. 

“Even as a child and adolescent, JFK was an intriguing figure: he had enormous charm and high spirits, despite struggling with a host of medical ailments; and though he was extremely bright, he fell short of his parents’ and teachers’ expectations in school, because he was mischievous and a bit of a troublemaker,” said Museum Curator Stacey Bredhoff. “Perhaps most importantly, ‘Young Jack’ presents the story of JFK’s military service—the harrowing and jaw-dropping story of PT 109, chronicling one of the defining moments in his life.” 

As the nation prepares to observe Veteran’s Day, the opening of “Young Jack” will mark the return of John F. Kennedy’s Navy dog tag and the coconut husk inscribed with a message that led to the rescue of him and his PT-109 crew during World War II. Last spring, these artifacts were loaned to the National Archives of Japan in Tokyo, where they were featured in a major exhibition about the life and legacy of President Kennedy. One of the museum’s most significant artifacts, the coconut has pride of place in this exhibit. 

Additional highlights of the exhibition include: 
• Jack’s travel journal from 1937, the summer after his freshman year of college, revealing both a growing interest in world affairs and the general hilarity of a student’s summer trip abroad; 
• Why England Slept, a book by JFK published in 1940 shortly after war erupted in Europe, examining why England was slow to recognize the danger of Nazi aggression; 
• Navy and Marine Corps Medal and Purple Heart Medal awarded to JFK in 1944. 
“Young Jack” will remain open year-round as part of the JFK Library and Museum’s permanent exhibit galleries. 

Members of the media are invited for a special tour the exhibit on November 5, 2015 at 10:00am. The Kennedy Library will offer free admission for all Veterans on Veteran's Day, November 11th. Active members of the military receive free admission throughout the year. 

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The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is one of 13 presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration and is supported, in part, by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, a non-profit organization. Located on Columbia Point in Dorchester, the Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with the exceptions of Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. Parking is free. There is free shuttle-service from the JFK/UMass T Stop on the Red Line. The Museum is fully handicapped accessible. For more information, call (866) JFK-1960 or access www.jfklibrary.org on the Internet. 

General admission to the Museum at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library is $14.00. Admission for seniors over the age of 62 and college students with appropriate identification is $12.00, and for children ages 13-17, $10.00. Children ages 12 and under are admitted for free.