"physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity. Intelligence and skill can only function at the peak of their capacity when the body is helthy and strong." president John F. Kennedy

I think President John F. Kennedy believed even more in the value of fitness, viewing it as a sign of the strength of a nation, and did perhaps the most of any President to encourage fitness for Americans. We don't know if he played intramurals when he lived in Winthrop, but he was on the Harvard sailing team. In 1960 as President-elect, he wrote an article in Sports Illustrated entitled "The Soft American", calling attention to America's declining physical fitness, and extolling the merits of a sound body.