Scarce original 7.25 x 12.75 double-sided program sheet for "Freshman Swimming, Yale '40 vs. Harvard '40, Harvard Pool, March 13, 1937," listing Harvard's John F. Kennedy as a swimmer participating in the "300-Yard Medley Relay" and "150-Yard Backstroke Swim." The reverse is annotated in pencil with results from the races: Harvard finished in first place in both of JFK's events, and outscored Yale for the meet as a whole. In fine condition.
John F. Kennedy was known as an accomplished swimmer and earned a place on the varsity squad at Harvard. He put his aquatic skills to good use during World War II while stationed in the Solomon Islands: in the early morning of August 2, 1943, Lieutenant Kennedy’s PT-109 was struck by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri in the Blackett Strait of the Solomon Islands. Following a miraculous 3.5-mile swim to shore, Kennedy and his ten surviving crew members were rescued from Olasana Island a full six days later. The young lieutenant's grace under pressure made him a national hero when the story was picked up by John Hersey and covered in The New Yorker and Reader's Digest.
