A very interesting and revealing collection of John F. Kennedy, Jr’s. English essays and schoolwork, written during his 1974 eighth-grade school year at Collegiate School in Manhattan, the oldest private school in the country. This remarkable collection of 30 handwritten pages, both in ballpoint and pencil, signed in full a total of 14 times, was originally acquired by his school English teacher, Blake Leach. Highlights include:
A handwritten English composition, three pages on two sheets of lined spiral notebook paper, signed at the top of the first page, “John Kennedy, English.” Kennedy writes, in full (with spelling and grammar retained):
“I think my life up to this point has been a farce.
It all began when I was born. It just so happened that I was not given the gift of incredible coordination. What I’m trying to say is that I’m accident prone. I cant really tell you all the accidents this has caused me; from falling off a cliff to falling out of trees.
It all started out seven years ago on a campout, I was walking backwards talking to someone. I tripped on some stones on a still-burning fire and was burned like hell on my rear end and hand. I have the scars to prove it. At eight years old while sitting on the back of a bicycle going down a steep hill absentmindedly put my foot into the spokes and ripped my foot up. I also have the scars to prove this.
Just this year I had the worst accident I’ve ever had and I hope to have. Fortunately I escaped major injuries with just a few scrapes. It happened when I was rock climbing and I saw a foothold wich painfully obviously wasn’t there, I put my foot in this non existant foot hole and fell backwards down the side of a cliff for about forty feet.
But I fortunately fell in a four foot long 5 inch deep puddle which broke my fall, six inches farther out and I would have gotten smashed.
I could go on for dayes about accidents and sheer clutziness but I’ll spare the reader the agony or ecstasy. I just hope the seriousness of this little ailment doesn’t grow with me or I shall be put away quite soon.”
Another amazing piece: John John’s handwritten satire, which he notes are “To be sung to American the Beautiful,” on one lightly-lined page of 8.5 x 11 loose leaf paper. The two full verses read:
“Oh lovely land of racial lies of crooked ways to fame From Kent State to Sharon Tate were proud to bear thy name America America God spared his grace on thee From atom bombs to nuclear arms be proud of U.S.A.
II And though your bad we love you much you tought us right and wrong just look at Vietnam and the trouble that we caused America America God looks at us from high To guide us by our forefathers cry just like Jerry Ford”
The remaining papers include two drafts of a two-page essay on a character from Romeo and Juliet (graded a 72 and 80) comparing the nurse in Shakespeare’s work to his governess Maude Shaw; a seven-page one act play titled “Mommy I Have To Write A Play” (graded an 85) with characters including himself, his mother, and his sister, which includes some very interesting dialogue between himself and his mother, one instance after insulting his sister: “Mummy: Don’t speak to your sister that way. You just wait, John. When the whole world turns against you, your sister will be the only one to you to side with. I’ll be dead by then, knock on wood. Sister: “No, I won’t. Not for a million dollars. Not with that pervert.” Mother: Really, John. You want to keep your marks up this term, or else you will be going to some boarding school with other little spastics who can’t even crayon.”; two drafts of a three page English composition (graded an 80 and 74 respectively), in which Kennedy must select another time period to have lived in (he chose the Elizabethan period); an English test on Oliver Goldsmith’s She Stoops To Conquer, on which he received a 68; and three other quizzes. And a short 1975 TLS on Joseph P. Kennedy Enterprises letterhead, forwarding 18 tickets for a matinee of Pippin.
Accompanied by a 1975 copy of the school’s yearbook, The Dutchman, featuring a picture of the then ninth-grader Kennedy, as well as a photo of Kennedy’s English teacher Blake Leach. Also featured in the yearbook, on the same page as Kennedy, is fellow ninth grade school mate (and future X-Files star) David Duchovny. Also included is a clipped newspaper article about Leach and his remembrances of teaching Kennedy in English class, and a class trip with his mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who provided the money for tickets for his class to see a production of Sherlock Holmes. He recalls Jackie hiding in the theater until the class filed in “dressed in an old raincoat with a floppy piece of plastic over her hair,” enjoying the play until being discovered by the audience after talking to her son, at which point she had to flee past the paparazzi.
In fine overall condition, with rough edges to spiral-bound pages, and Leach’s corrections and notations to each assignment. Click here to download a PDF of all items in this fascinating archive.
A fascinating and early collection revealing some uncharacteristic non-Kennedy philosophies and unique insight into young JFK Jr’s life. The mention of being “accident prone” would prove an eerie foreshadowing not only for himself, but several Kennedy relatives, who endured their own tragedies over the years. RRAuction COA.
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