Mary Ann Orlando died unexpectedly at her Chevy Chase apartment, Wednesday, April 19, 2017
By Nancy Dutton 4/21/17 Washington Mary Anne may have been – likely was – the oldest living member of the large John F. Kennedy family clan and thus leaves a giant hole. She was born in Chicago, youngest of several sisters, graduated from high school at 16, and began immediately working for Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy and the Merchandise Mart. Two years later, Kennedy assigned her to the new Mart Director, Sargent Shriver. In 1956 she and Sarge worked on JFK bid for the Vice Presidency, and in 1959 they left to work on the JFK Presidential Campaign. She moved to Washington and stayed with Sarge… as his ‘Ex Sec’ to create and found the Peace Corps. Then they took on (simultaneously) the founding and directing of President Johnson’s War on Poverty (Head Start, the Job Corps, Vista, Upward Bound…the Office of Economic Opportunity), and finally with Sarge at the . . .
Read More
I recently learned of Mary Ann’s death and was very distressed and sad to have heard it. My late husband,…