• Identification00236097
  • TitleDescriptive inventory for the Special Olympics Chicago records, 1965-2017, bulk ca. 1970s - 1990s
  • PublisherChicago Historical Society
  • Language
    • English.
    • English
  • RepositoryChicago History Museum Research Center 1601 North Clark Street Chicago, IL 60614-6038
  • OriginationSpecial Olympics, Inc. Judge Anne Burke Chicago Park District (Chicago, Ill.)
  • Date
    • 1965-2017
    • 1970s-1990s
  • Physical Description
    • 15.5 linear feet (13 boxes)
    • 3 oversized folders
    • 8 reels
    • 2 CD-ROMs (1 box)
    • 1670 black and white photographs (6 boxes)
    • 2545 color photographs (4 boxes)
    • 1534 color slides (2 boxes)
    • black and white and color negatives (1 folder)
  • Location
    • MSS Lot S
    • MSS Oversize S
    • 0MM.330
    • PPL 2017.0041
    • PCP 272
    • PCT 258
    • PCLF 2017.0041

The collection is open for research.

Advance appointment is required to view color material in cold storage. Please email research@chicagohistory.org.

For listening or viewing purposes for film and optical media, it is necessary to use a copy, not the original (and to have a listening or viewing copy made if one is not available) Please email research@chicagohistory.org for more information.

The donor deeded all rights owned by the donor to this material, including copyright, to Chicago Historical Society. Other copyrights may be retained by the creators of items, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Materials were a gift of the Chicago Park District, Special Olympics Chicago, and Judge Anne Burke (accession #: 2017.0041).

Special Olympics Chicago records (Chicago History Museum) plus a detailed description, date, and box/folder number of a specific item.

The Special Olympics Chicago records contain manuscript material as well as black-and-white and color photographic prints, negatives, slides, film reels, optical media and ephemera. The manuscript material includes teams rosters, game results, programs, handbooks, posters, newsletters, press releases and black and white photographs that pertain to various local, regional, national and international Special Olympic events. The records also contain meeting minutes and agendas, correspondence, financial and budgetary reports, financial records, contracts, publications, clippings, and flyers created by Special Olympics Chicago, Illinois Special Olympics and the Special Children’s Charities, the organization responsible for fundraising in support of Special Olympics Chicago.

Anne McGlone Burke co-founded the Special Olympics in 1968 at age 23, with the support of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation. Burke was, at the time, working as a physical education teacher through the Chicago Park District. Burke conceived of holding classes and sports competitions for her students after attending a seminar lead by Dr. William Freeberg, a physical education professor at Southern Illinois University, a researcher who argued that providing physical fitness opportunities for children with disabilities could lead to improvements in the quality of their lives and to other opportunities. For three years prior to the inaugural 1968 Games, Burke organized sports events for disabled children in the Chicago area. The first classes were held at West Pullman Park, 401 123rd Street in Chicago. The inaugural Special Olympics took place on July 20, 1968 at Chicago’s Soldier Field with 1,000 athletes from 26 states and parts of Canada.

After the initial Games, the Kennedy Foundation formally trademarked and incorporated the “Special Olympics,” and became involved in running Special Olympics International. After the national incarnation of the Special Olympics shifted to the Kennedy Foundation, Burke remained active behind the scenes with what would become Special Olympics Chicago. Special Olympics Chicago operates with the support of the Chicago Park District and Special Children’s Charities and provides year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities.

Related materials at Chicago History Museum, Research Center, include Chicago Special Olympics visual materials (# 2002.0037), the Judge Anne Burke papers about the Special Olympics (accession # 2002.0028), and ribbons, medals, and other artifacts in the museum collections (accession # 2017.41).

The Special Olympics Chicago collection was jointly processed by interns Erin Glasco (manuscript material) and Ashley Clark (photographic material) in 2018.

  • Names
    • Burke, Anne McGlone
    • Daley, Richard J., 1902-1976
    • Daley, Richard M. (Richard Michael), 1942-
    • Shriver, Eunice Kennedy
    • Chicago Park District (Chicago, Ill.)
    • Soldier Field (Chicago, Ill.)
    • Special Olympics, Inc.
  • Subject
    • Special Olympics
    • Children with disabilities
    • Sports for people with disabilities
  • Geographic CoverageChicago (Illinois)--Social life and customs

The collection is arranged in three series and five subseries.

Series 1. Inaugural Special Olympic Games, 1965-1968 (box 1; oversize folder 1)

Series 1 contains correspondence, schedules, competition results, and budgets and financial reports in support of the 1st Special Olympic Games held in 1968 in Chicago, Illinois. This series also contains correspondence and remarks from Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

Series 2. Special Olympics Meets and Events, 1968-2017 (box 1-4, 14-26; oversize folder 2; PCLF folder 1; reels 1-2, 8)

Series 2 contains information about various Special Olympics meets and events held by Special Olympics Chicago, the Illinois Special Olympics and Special Olympics International. The series contains black and white and color photographs, film reels, team rosters, game schedules and results, correspondence, memos, and news articles.

Subseries 1: Meets and Events, 1970-2017 (box 1-4, 26; reel 1-2, 8)

Subseries 1 contains team rosters, game schedules and results, correspondence, memos, and news articles that are related to Special Olympic Meets and Events. Box 26 includes a CD related to the Special Olympics World Games (note access restriction for this item). The subseries is arranged chronologically.

Subseries 2: Meets and Events Visual Materials, 1968-2005 (box 14-25; oversize folder 2; PCLF folder 1; reels 1-2, 8)

Subseries 2 contains prints, photographs, and slides of Special Olympic meets, events, and sports. Subseries 2 is arranged alphabetically by sport or event within each format.

Series 3. Administrative Materials, 1969-2014, (boxes 5-13, 20 and reels 3-7)

Series 3 contains news articles, film reels, photographs, films, budget information, publicity, and correspondence pertaining to Special Olympics Chicago as well as business records for the Illinois Special Olympics and the Special Children's Charities.

Subseries 1. General Administrative Materials, 1969-2014 (box 5-13, 20; oversize folder 3; reel 3-7)

Subseries 1 contains general news, budgetary information, articles of incorporation, publicity, and historical information on the creation and continuation of the Special Olympic Games.

Subseries 2. Illinois Special Olympics, 1981-1991 (box 10-11; oversize folder 3)

Subseries 2 contains business records, financial reports, correspondence, and board of directors' materials and meeting minutes for the Illinois Special Olympics. The subseries is arranged chronologically.

Subseries 3. Special Children's Charities, 1972-2007 (box 12-13, 20)

Subseries 3 contains meeting minutes and agendas, fundraising materials, correspondence, photographs, and banquet programs pertaining to the Special Children's Charities. The subseries is arranged chronologically.