Jackie showed her support for literature through avenues beyond editing. One of her close friends, photographer Peter Beard, had compiled a book of African folk tales. The book was illustrated with his photographs and those of writer Isak Dinesen, the pen name of Baroness Karen Blixen. The text of the book was by Blixen's cook, Kamante Gatura. Jackie read the manuscript, Longing for Darkness, and loved it so much she asked to write the forward. Her friendship with Beard rekindled Jackie's interest in photography. As an editor, she became especially noted for her work on photography books.

When the International Center of Photography announced an exhibit of French garden photos by Eugene Atget, who died in 1927, Jackie proposed a companion book, which reintroduced the otherwise forgotten photographer to both the general public and the photography community.

Her interest in photography was also personal. Although she shied away from high-tech cameras, she still took pictures with a simple camera and kept them in scrapbooks filled with personal photos of family and friends and her current horse, named Frank.

Kennedy Library and Museum

In 1975, plans to build the Kennedy Library at Harbor Point in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood finally moved forward. Jackie was involved with every detail. She was instrumental in selecting architect I. M. Pei to design the building. For the landscaping, she chose dune grass, commenting that Jack had always been a wind man. Jackie also made sure no unflattering photographs from the library's extensive collection were ever released. The library opened in 1979 and was officially dedicated in 1980.

Just as she did with the books she edited, Jackie willingly appeared at functions promoting the library, aware that her presence still generated publicity. After Ernest Hemingway's papers were donated to the Kennedy Library — the result of Jackie's personal efforts — she had a research room built for them.

Social Causes

The Bedford-Stuyvesant Project gave Jackie the opportunity to combine social awareness with artistic creativity. The project's goal was to build quality, affordable homes for low-income families in the economically challenged Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn. She believed that African culture could inspire black-owned businesses in America. She paired some investors with local talent who created cloth designs inspired by Africa. Jackie then organized an exhibit of their work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. To further promote the project, she invited selected photographers to come to 1040 and photograph the designs she had used in her own apartment as tablecloths and napkins. It was the first and last time she agreed to have her home photographed.

Jackie also supported the Coalition for the Homeless in Los Angeles, which assisted low-income youths. She spent time in the city's most economically depressed areas, talking to parents and teens, knowing that as always, her presence would generate muchneeded publicity and exposure to the cause. In addition to giving her time, Jackie was a generous financial contributor to causes, both social and political. While her money gave her security and the freedom to help others, it was her children and the man who became her constant companion that truly completed Jackie.