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For the record, Joan has put Chappaquiddick in the past, and she believes that others have. In recent months, she has grown increasingly impatient with the public's insatiable curiosity about her. "Joan is not basically an outgoing person," says Kathy Beatty. And Joan admits that despite the starry existence people imagine she leads, "my life is rather lonely. When we entertain, it's just a few for dinner. And once in a while a bigger buffet—usually after a concert." There are also long hours spent presiding over family affairs. The Kennedy home in suburban McLean, Va., is superbly managed by a French cook, a governess, a social secretary, a gardener, a regular cleaning woman and various fill-ins. But Joan pays all the family's personal bills, oversees both the McLean and Hyannisport homes, writes endless rounds of letters, and does such thoughtful chores as sending snapshots to parents of children who attend the three Kennedy youngsters' birthday parties. Such traits come naturally to the daughter of a prosperous New York ad executive. Raised in Westchester, she attended stylish Manhattanville College, where she majored in classical music and English literature. -
What, then, of the six recitals of Peter and the Wolf from Bonn to Tanglewood, the piano concerts in Boston, New York and Philadelphia, her guest appearance on the Andy Williams show? Some say they are a vehicle for escaping from the Kennedy shadow. Although she is not a gifted professional musician, she does play very well, and her favorable reviews are a source of gratification. "She wants it for her own identity," Kathy Beatty agrees. Yet the yearning for privacy is there too. Asked for an adjective to describe herself recently, Joan thought for a moment and suggested, "Vulnerable. I guess that's it."