Perhaps no member of the renowned Kennedy family — perhaps no member of any family — ever accomplished so much with so little fanfare and public recognition.

Sargent Shriver became part of the closest thing to a royal family America has ever known by marrying Eunice Kennedy — and spent most of his days doing great deeds that were overshadowed by, among others, his famous brothers-in-law, John, Robert and Edward “Ted” Kennedy.

Shriver died this week at age 95 and perhaps only in the subsequent obituaries and tributes has received the recognition he so richly deserves as a great American and a brilliant, dedicated public servant.

Shriver “invented” the Peace Corps, as Portland attorney Harold Pachios writes elsewhere on this page. But that was President John F. Kennedy’s program. Shriver established federal programs to combat poverty in this country. But the War on Poverty was known as President Lyndon Johnson’s legacy. Shriver was instrumental in establishing the Special Olympics, but that spectacularly successful program has always been identified with Eunice and several of the Shrivers’ well-known children.

To his credit, Shriver never sought acclaim for his achievements, steered clear of the spotlight, basked only in the reflected glow of his high-profile relatives. He took a run at politics, serving as vice presidential running mate to Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern in 1972 and unsuccessfully pursuing the top spot four years later. Other than those two outings, he rarely failed at anything.

“He was a man of giant love, energy, enthusiasm and commitment,” his family said in a statement after Shriver’s death. “He worked on stages both large and small but in the end, he will be best known for his love of others …”

That might be recognition enough for anyone.

 

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