Sports & Leisure

The nation's passion for sports is obvious every day—at NASCAR races, kiddie soccer matches, and countless other contests. From a handball used by Abraham Lincoln to Chris Evert's tennis racket to a baseball signed by Jackie Robinson, the roughly 6.000 objects in the Museum's sports collections bear witness to the vital place of sports in the nation's history. Paper sports objects in the collections, such as souvenir programs and baseball cards, number in the hundreds of thousands.

Leisure collections encompass a different range of objects, including camping vehicles and gear, video games, playing cards, sportswear, exercise equipment, and Currier and Ives prints of fishing, hunting, and horseracing. Some 4,000 toys dating from the colonial period to the present are a special strength of the collections.

Scrapbook page belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets is one of forty taken from various scrapbooks made by his family over the many years of Marty's Special Olympic career.Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectu
Description (Brief)
Scrapbook page belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets is one of forty taken from various scrapbooks made by his family over the many years of Marty's Special Olympic career.
Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1995
ID Number
2017.3064.05.18
nonaccession number
2017.3064
catalog number
2017.3064.05.18
Scrapbook page belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets is one of forty taken from various scrapbooks made by his family over the many years of Marty's Special Olympic career.Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectu
Description (Brief)
Scrapbook page belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets is one of forty taken from various scrapbooks made by his family over the many years of Marty's Special Olympic career.
Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1993
ID Number
2017.3064.05.15
nonaccession number
2017.3064
catalog number
2017.3064.05.15
Scrapbook page belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets is one of forty taken from various scrapbooks made by his family over the many years of Marty's Special Olympic career.Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectu
Description (Brief)
Scrapbook page belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets is one of forty taken from various scrapbooks made by his family over the many years of Marty's Special Olympic career.
Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1995
ID Number
2017.3064.05.24
nonaccession number
2017.3064
catalog number
2017.3064.05.24
Scrapbook page belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets is one of forty taken from various scrapbooks made by his family over the many years of Marty's Special Olympic career.Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectu
Description (Brief)
Scrapbook page belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets is one of forty taken from various scrapbooks made by his family over the many years of Marty's Special Olympic career.
Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1993
ID Number
2017.3064.05.12
nonaccession number
2017.3064
catalog number
2017.3064.05.12
1991 Iditarod sports card autographed by musher Bill Mackey of Mackey's Mushing School. Bill Mackey ran the 1984 Iditarod Sled Dog Race as a rookie and received the Red Lantern Award.
Description (Brief)
1991 Iditarod sports card autographed by musher Bill Mackey of Mackey's Mushing School. Bill Mackey ran the 1984 Iditarod Sled Dog Race as a rookie and received the Red Lantern Award. This award is given to the last finisher of the race and began as a joke during the 1953 Fur Rendezvous Race and carried over to the Iditarod. It is often mistaken for the Widow’s Lamp which is a kerosene lantern, lit and hung on the burled arch in Nome until the last racer crosses the finish line. It is then extinguished. This is to commemorate the tradition started during the early days of Alaskan history when sled dog teams were used to carry mail and supplies to the early settlers of Alaska. A lamp was lit and hung by the door of a roadhouse to help the mushers find their way and to let people know that there was still a team out on the trail. Once the last musher arrived the lamp was brought inside.
The Iditarod Sled Dog Race is an extreme sports challenge that tests the skill and endurance of competitors while celebrating Alaska’s sled dog culture and history. Teams of 12 to 16 dogs, primarily Alaskan Huskies, and their musher experience harsh terrain and weather conditions during the 1,150 mile run from Anchorage to Nome. In its modern iteration as an extreme sport, the Iditarod takes an intense physical toll not only on the human competitors but also on the sled dogs. The race follows a large network of Native trade and travel routes which travelers used when gold was discovered in the isolated town of Iditarod. This discovery led to a “rush” of miners and settlers from across the country, transforming the trail into the region’s main mail and supply route. The area’s harsh winter conditions made sled dog teams the main source of transportation along the Iditarod Trail and it is this rich history which the Iditarod race celebrates today. In 1978 Congress designated the 2300 mile Iditarod Trail as a National Historic Trail recognizing its importance in the shaping of America. Through its beginnings as a regional story, the Iditarod provides us the opportunity to explore the American Experience through the origins of the Iditarod National Historic Trail and the transformation of the Alaskan sled dog culture into an international sport. The Iditarod is now the largest and most prominent sled dog race in the world, attracting international competitors and world-wide media attention.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1991
ID Number
2013.3036.10
nonaccession number
2013.3036
catalog number
2013.3036.10
Scrapbook page belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets is one of forty taken from various scrapbooks made by his family over the many years of Marty's Special Olympic career.Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectu
Description (Brief)
Scrapbook page belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets is one of forty taken from various scrapbooks made by his family over the many years of Marty's Special Olympic career.
Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1996
ID Number
2017.3064.05.29
nonaccession number
2017.3064
catalog number
2017.3064.05.29
Wood plaque presented to Marty Sheets in commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the Special Olympics Movement, 1968-1998."Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports.
Description (Brief)
Wood plaque presented to Marty Sheets in commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the Special Olympics Movement, 1968-1998."
Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1998
ID Number
2017.0134.15
accession number
2017.0134
catalog number
2017.0134.15
Race cachet carried by dogsled and postmarked in Woodstock New Brunswick, Canada.
Description (Brief)
Race cachet carried by dogsled and postmarked in Woodstock New Brunswick, Canada. This cachet pays homage to the early history of the original purpose of the sled dog which was to provide mail and supplies for early settlers and is carried by each musher during the race.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1992
ID Number
2014.0116.04.1
accession number
2014.0116
catalog number
2014.0116.04
Olive green, cloth cap with small bill. Rookie skateboards, a company owned and operated by women was founded in New York City in 1996 by Jung Kwan, Elska Sandor and Catherine Lyons supplying skate gear and fashion specifically to women.
Description (Brief)
Olive green, cloth cap with small bill. Rookie skateboards, a company owned and operated by women was founded in New York City in 1996 by Jung Kwan, Elska Sandor and Catherine Lyons supplying skate gear and fashion specifically to women. The entrepreneurial skaters were tired of wearing clothes designed for women by men. Sandor explained, ''All the designs made for girls were being made by guys, so you either end up with something that was either porn or really cutesy.'' Skirts, form fitted pants and comfortable shirts became Rookies signature look along with the ‘no pink’ mantra. Rookie was often heralded for having both their boards and apparel manufactured in the United States but after 911 they struggled, due to their close proximity to ground zero, and began manufacturing their goods in Canada. Catering to street skaters in their urban New York City setting, Rookie sponsored some of the best pro street skaters of the era - Sean Kelling, Tino Razo and Jamie Reyes to name a few. No longer in business, Rookie left their mark on the NYC skate scene and continue to influence the skate market which has fostered its relationship with the growing number of female skaters.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1999
ID Number
2018.0271.07
accession number
2018.0271
catalog number
2018.0271.07
Family credential card with lanyard is a white plastic card with "HON" on the front. This was used by a member of Marty's family at the 1999 Special Olympics World Games.
Description (Brief)
Family credential card with lanyard is a white plastic card with "HON" on the front. This was used by a member of Marty's family at the 1999 Special Olympics World Games. A purple lanyard is attached to the top of the card with purple plastic hooks and has several metal sponsor pins attached to it. This credential card was issued to each athlete and family member to provide access into the Special Olympic World Games and related events.
Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1999
ID Number
2017.0134.21.03
accession number
2017.0134
catalog number
2017.0134.21.03
Scrapbook page belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets is one of forty taken from various scrapbooks made by his family over the many years of Marty's Special Olympic career.Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectu
Description (Brief)
Scrapbook page belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets is one of forty taken from various scrapbooks made by his family over the many years of Marty's Special Olympic career.
Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1991
ID Number
2017.3064.05.09
nonaccession number
2017.3064
catalog number
2017.3064.05.09
Official Special Olympics International General Rules booklet with the business card of Dr. Thomas Songster, Director of Sports and Recreation stapled to the front.
Description (Brief)
Official Special Olympics International General Rules booklet with the business card of Dr. Thomas Songster, Director of Sports and Recreation stapled to the front. These are the rules and regulations governing Special Olympics and were in effect as of August 15, 1974, and were revised in 1994.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1994
ID Number
2017.3156.23
nonaccession number
2017.3156
catalog number
2017.3156.23
Scrapbook page belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets is one of forty taken from various scrapbooks made by his family over the many years of Marty's Special Olympic career.Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectu
Description (Brief)
Scrapbook page belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets is one of forty taken from various scrapbooks made by his family over the many years of Marty's Special Olympic career.
Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1995
ID Number
2017.3064.05.20
nonaccession number
2017.3064
catalog number
2017.3064.05.20
Black leather baseball glove used by outfielder Rickey Henderson (b.1958.) as a member of the Oakland A's. Autographed by Henderson in silver ink on top of thumb.Rickey Henderson (b.1958) played Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics (1979-1984, 1989-1993.
Description
Black leather baseball glove used by outfielder Rickey Henderson (b.1958.) as a member of the Oakland A's. Autographed by Henderson in silver ink on top of thumb.
Rickey Henderson (b.1958) played Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics (1979-1984, 1989-1993. 1994-1995, 1998,) New York Yankees (1985-1989,) Toronto Blue Jays (1993,) San Diego Padres (1996-1997,) Boston Red Sox (2002) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2003.) Henderson set Major League career records for stolen bases, 1,406 and runs, 2,295.
Batting right, but throwing left, Henderson primarily played left field and batted leadoff. He compiled a lifetime .279 batting average with 3,055 hits, 297 home runs and 1,115 runs batted in. A 10-time All-Star, Henderson won the American League most valuable player award in 1990. He was twice a World Series champion, in 1989 (Athletics) and 1993 (Blue Jays.)
Henderson was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1990
Associated Name
Henderson, Rickey
Oakland Athletics
maker
Rawlings
ID Number
2017.0334.09
catalog number
2017.0334.09
accession number
2017.0334
Scrapbook page belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets is one of forty taken from various scrapbooks made by his family over the many years of Marty's Special Olympic career.Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectu
Description (Brief)
Scrapbook page belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets is one of forty taken from various scrapbooks made by his family over the many years of Marty's Special Olympic career.
Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1996
ID Number
2017.3064.05.32
nonaccession number
2017.3064
catalog number
2017.3064.05.32
This letter from the race cachet explains the history of Togo and Balto, the two famous lead dogs from the 1925 Serum Run. The donor, Jona Van Zyle, created this cachet for the Anchorage Museum of History and Art.
Description (Brief)
This letter from the race cachet explains the history of Togo and Balto, the two famous lead dogs from the 1925 Serum Run. The donor, Jona Van Zyle, created this cachet for the Anchorage Museum of History and Art. This was carried over the original Serum Run route by Colonel Norman Vaughan and his group of mushers as an educational and recreational trip to Nome. This cachet pays homage to the early history of the original purpose of the sled dog which was to provide mail and supplies for early settlers and is carried by each musher during the race.
The ‘Serum Run’ refers to the outbreak of diphtheria which hit Nome in 1925. The outbreak began just as the harbor at Nome was frozen over for the winter and while air travel was becoming more widespread in the Alaskan wilderness, the only plane available at the time had a frozen engine and was unable to fly. The Alaska Railroad was used to bring the needed anti-diphtheria serum north from Anchorage to Nenana; it traveled the last 700 miles to Nome through a chain of twenty sled dog teams in just over five days. This relay followed the old mail route along the Iditarod Trail. The sled dog teams included Leonhard Seppala and his lead dog Togo who traveled the longest leg of the relay handing off the serum to musher Gunner Kaasen and his lead dog Balto. It was Kaasen and Balto who arrived in Nome and delivered the much needed serum catapulting Balto into the history books as the most famous sled dog of all time.
Jon and Jona Van Zyle are both artists who live outside of Anchorage and have raised sled dogs for many years. Jon has been a supporter of the Iditarod since it beginnings and ran the race in 1976. Jon produced the first official poster for the Iditarod in 1977 which was such a huge success he was voted official artist of the Iditarod in 1979, a position he holds to this day. Jona also contributes her artistic talents to the race by designing logos for the Junior Iditarod and race cachets for the Iditarod and personal cachets for various mushers.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1999
artist
Van Zyle, Jona
ID Number
2014.0116.15.2
accession number
2014.0116
catalog number
2014.0116.16.2
Promotional folder for the 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets.
Description (Brief)
Promotional folder for the 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets. The folder contains several pieces of literature describing the World Games which include three purple brochures and nine sheets of paper.
Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1999
ID Number
2017.3064.07
nonaccession number
2017.3064
catalog number
2017.3064.07
Red fifth place ribbon won by Marty Sheets at the 1999 Special Olympics World Games for the deadlift competition.Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports.
Description (Brief)
Red fifth place ribbon won by Marty Sheets at the 1999 Special Olympics World Games for the deadlift competition.
Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1999
ID Number
2017.0134.20.06
accession number
2017.0134
catalog number
2017.0134.20.06
Race cachet carried in the first Hope Race from Nome, Alaska to Anadyre, Siberia, Russia by Mary Shields. Shields was the first woman to complete the Iditarod the second year it was held in 1974.
Description (Brief)
Race cachet carried in the first Hope Race from Nome, Alaska to Anadyre, Siberia, Russia by Mary Shields. Shields was the first woman to complete the Iditarod the second year it was held in 1974. The race was organized by the donor, Jon Van Zyle with the envelope printed in Russian. This pays homage to the early history of the original purpose of the sled dog which was to provide mail and supplies for early settlers and is carried by each musher during the race. The Hope Sled Dog race began in 1991 shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. The 1,200 mile race begins in Alaska and crosses the Bering Strait to finish in Anadyre, Russia. The racers are shipped over the Strait in boats and continue the race on the land.
Jon and Jona Van Zyle are both artists who live outside of Anchorage and have raised sled dogs for many years. Jon has been a supporter of the Iditarod since it beginnings and ran the race in 1976. Jon produced the first official poster for the Iditarod in 1977 which was such a huge success he was voted official artist of the Iditarod in 1979, a position he holds to this day. Jona also contributes her artistic talents to the race by designing logos for the Junior Iditarod and race cachets for the Iditarod and personal cachets for various mushers.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1990
ID Number
2014.0116.10
accession number
2014.0116
catalog number
2014.0116.11
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1992
associated date
1993
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2018.0193.0007
accession number
2018.0193
catalog number
2018.0193.0007
NCAA Title IX Seminar program, May 12-13, 1998 at the Westin Hotel, Michigan Avenue, Chicago in which Amy Cohen was featured. Cohen was the co-captain of the 1992 Brown University’s Women’s Gymnastics team and one of twelve plaintiffs in a Title IX lawsuit against the school.
Description (Brief)
NCAA Title IX Seminar program, May 12-13, 1998 at the Westin Hotel, Michigan Avenue, Chicago in which Amy Cohen was featured. Cohen was the co-captain of the 1992 Brown University’s Women’s Gymnastics team and one of twelve plaintiffs in a Title IX lawsuit against the school. In 1991, Brown University was cutting funding for two women’s varsity teams including gymnastics and two men’s teams, golf and water polo. In 1997, the suit was resolved when the Supreme Court failed to hear its appeal and funding was restored to the four varsity sports and three other sports were converted to varsity status. In the March 15, 2019 issue of the Brown University’s, College Hill Independent, “Cohen v. Brown would go on to define how athletics departments manage participation opportunities at Brown and surrounding universities. Almost 30 years later, “following recent federal announcements of changes to the ways universities must interpret Title IX regarding sexual and gender-based violence, this case exemplifies the complexity of the law’s impact on gender equity in higher education.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1998
depicted
Cohen, Amy
ID Number
2019.0202.14
accession number
2019.0202
catalog number
2019.0202.14
Program for the 1993 Special Olympics North Carolina Summer Games belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets.Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports.
Description (Brief)
Program for the 1993 Special Olympics North Carolina Summer Games belonging to Special Olympian Marty Sheets.
Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1993
ID Number
2017.3064.08
nonaccession number
2017.3064
catalog number
2017.3064.08
Gray, zip-up sweatshirt with hood and two front pockets and 'Rookie' appliqued on the front.
Description (Brief)
Gray, zip-up sweatshirt with hood and two front pockets and 'Rookie' appliqued on the front. Rookie skateboards, a company owned and operated by women was founded in New York City in 1996 by Jung Kwan, Elska Sandor and Catherine Lyons supplying skate gear and fashion specifically to women. The entrepreneurial skaters were tired of wearing clothes designed for women by men. Sandor explained, ''All the designs made for girls were being made by guys, so you either end up with something that was either porn or really cutesy.'' Skirts, form fitted pants and comfortable shirts became Rookies signature look along with the ‘no pink’ mantra. Rookie was often heralded for having both their boards and apparel manufactured in the United States but after 911 they struggled, due to their close proximity to ground zero, and began manufacturing their goods in Canada. Catering to street skaters in their urban New York City setting, Rookie sponsored some of the best pro street skaters of the era - Sean Kelling, Tino Razo and Jamie Reyes to name a few. No longer in business, Rookie left their mark on the NYC skate scene and continue to influence the skate market which has fostered its relationship with the growing number of female skaters.
Location
Currently not on view
date manufacture began
1997
ID Number
2018.0271.05
accession number
2018.0241
catalog number
2018.0241.05
Blue first place ribbon won by Marty Sheets for shooting a 79 in golf at the Eastern Regional Summer Games n 1992.Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports.
Description (Brief)
Blue first place ribbon won by Marty Sheets for shooting a 79 in golf at the Eastern Regional Summer Games n 1992.
Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1992
ID Number
2017.0134.20.02
accession number
2017.0134
catalog number
2017.0134.20.02

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