Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

This article looks at one of the paintings found in Sagamore Hill, Theodore Roosevelt’s home near Oyster Bay, New York. Most of the piece consists of a condensed article reprinted from the New Orleans Times-Picayune by George E. Jordan, an expert on Louisiana art. Jordan relates how he realized that a painting hanging in Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt’s drawing room was the work of Louisiana artist Alexander John Drysdale. Jordan describes his visit to Sagamore Hill and how he came to identify the painting.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1977

This notice covers the research grants awarded by The American Museum of Natural History in New York City  from its Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Fund for 1977. Forty grants were awarded, with the largest grants being given to six researchers highlighted in the article. The article lists the members of the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Committee which administers the fund, and it traces the growth of the program in numbers of applicants, awards granted, and value of the fund. Theodore Roosevelt had a life-long interest in natural history and the Theodore Roosevelt Association has worked to continue this through its support of the research grant program. The article notes that the American Museum of Natural History contains the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall which is the official New York State memorial to Roosevelt.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1977

Three columns devoted to quotations and speech excerpts from Theodore Roosevelt mark this issue of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. In addition to regular features about the high school speaking contests and the research grants awarded by the American Museum of Natural History, there is a review of the play “Bully” starring James Whitmore, a reprint of an interview with Ethel Roosevelt Derby, and a look at the Theodore Roosevelt Bird Sanctuary in Oyster Bay, New York.

For the first time with this issue the Journal features a cover with only a picture and no text. The photograph shows Roosevelt at his desk at The Outlook magazine.

Advertisement and membership application for the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) listing membership categories and costs. The ad features pictures of Sagamore Hill and the Roosevelt birthplace as well as the TRA medallion.

With this issue the TRA added a sixth membership category for corporations in addition to the previous five categories.

John A. Gable begins his message by noting that the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) is in a strong financial position in 1977 thanks to an increase in membership dues and contributions at a time when many organizations are struggling to stay viable. He says that the TRA frequently receives letters from children, and he quotes from one of these in which a boy sent fifty cents to the TRA asking for pictures and information about Theodore Roosevelt. Gable acknowledges the receipt of the Theodore Roosevelt Collection of Walter Merriam Pratt who was active in Roosevelt’s political campaigns, served in World War I, and was a Trustee of the TRA. The collection will be added to the holdings of the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site in New York City. Gable closes by noting the many contributions to the work of the TRA by Jessica Kraft, the first Curator of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1977

This notice, a regular feature of each issue of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal, notes the role the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) played in the preservation of Theodore Roosevelt’s homes and Theodore Roosevelt Island in Washington, D.C. and its cooperation with the National Park Service. It notes the TRA’s work with Harvard University, its student contests, and its publications, including the TRA Journal.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1977

Eight quotations from Theodore Roosevelt from 1899 to 1912. The quotes have as their theme idealism and the striving to uphold high ideals while at the same time working to achieve practical goals. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1977

Brief notice about the production of a play, “Bully,” on the life of Theodore Roosevelt, starring actor James Whitmore. The notice lists the writer, director, and producer and quotes from a review of the play. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1977

Advertisement for a reprint publication of Theodore Roosevelt’s biography of Gouverneur Morris timed to coincide with the 1976 Bicentennial. The notice provides background on the decision to reissue the work and it notes that Roosevelt should be remembered as an important “man of letters” who published several works of history. An order form for the book accompanies the advertisement.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1977

Architectural historian James Sanders gives a detailed report on the East 20th Street Revitalization Project which aimed to reinvigorate the neighborhood surrounding the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site in New York City. Most of the work involved cleaning and painting buildings, planting trees, and installing new signage. Sanders gives a history of the Roosevelt Birthplace, detailing the neighborhood’s decline as the area moved from residential to light industrial use. He looks at the plans to revitalize the neighborhood and credits the various individuals, private entities, government bureaus, and corporations that contributed to the project.

The article has two accompanying photographs: one shows the exterior of the Birthplace at 28 East 20th Street in New York City and the other shows Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt IV with their son on the front steps of the Birthplace.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

This article describes the dedication ceremony for the “20th Street Revitalization Day” that was held in front of the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site on October 2, 1976. The article notes the music and dance performances, the invocation, and gives a brief synopsis of each of the speeches, including one by Mayor Abraham Beame of New York City that was accompanied by the yelling of striking New York City policemen. The article notes the many private organizations, including the Theodore Roosevelt Association, and the government agencies that supported the urban renewal project.

The article has two photographs: one shows Mayor Beame speaking at the ceremony and the other shows John A. Gable, Executive Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association, addressing the crowd.

The “Book Notes” column has two separate articles dealing with the historiography of Theodore Roosevelt. In “Paperbacks on T.R.,” John A. Gable looks at seven works, mostly biographies and mostly published in the 1960s, about Theodore Roosevelt and notes the contributions that each makes to the study of Roosevelt. Frederick W. Marks reviews ‘A Good Innings’: The Private Papers of Viscount Lee of Fareham in “A Special English Friend: Arthur Hamilton Lee.” Marks traces the history of the Roosevelt-Lee friendship, examines the editing of the volume by Alan Clark, and remarks on Lee’s descriptions of prominent Americans. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1977

Obituary of Frederick M. Davenport, Jr., Trustee of the Theodore Roosevelt Association. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1977

Description of the services that marked the seventy-fifth anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt’s elevation to the presidency in September 1901. The commemorative event was held at the North Creek, New York Railroad Station. The article notes the remarks given by William D. Johnston of the Theodore Roosevelt Association, the festive atmosphere surrounding the occasion, and the reenactment of Roosevelt’s arrival by wagon at the station.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1977

Description of the ceremony on September 14, 1976 marking the seventy-fifth anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt’s elevation to the presidency. The ceremony was held at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in Buffalo, New York where Roosevelt took the oath of office after the death of President William McKinley. The article notes the order of the ceremony and summarizes the remarks of the speakers. It also gives a brief history of the inaugural site, notes the other commemorative programs in the fall of 1976 marking the beginning of Roosevelt’s presidency, and concludes with a paragraph on the challenges faced by Roosevelt from 1901 to 1909 and how he responded to these issues.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1977

P. James Roosevelt and John A. Gable, President and Executive Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), provide a detailed accounting of the TRA’s outreach and education activities for 1976. Many of these initiatives are covered in more detail in individual articles in this issue of the Journal. The two longest sections of the report cover the expansion of the Theodore Roosevelt Collection, exhibits, and reading spaces at the Harvard University libraries and the project to restore the neighborhood surrounding the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site in New York City. The report also covers the annual student contests sponsored by the TRA, the research grants awarded by the American Museum of Natural History, and the publications, such as the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal, produced by the TRA.

A listing of the officers of the TRA is included in the report.

Obituary of Earle Looker, a childhood friend of Quentin Roosevelt and author of The White House Gang. The notice relates one of the gang’s White House encounters with President Roosevelt and the popularity that the children gained during Roosevelt’s presidency. Looker’s service in both World Wars is recounted as is his work as a speech writer for President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1977

Report on the 57th annual meeting of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) on October 29, 1976 at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, Oyster Bay, New York. The article details the events of the meeting which center around the Trustees Dinner followed by the various reports given by the officers of the TRA including the President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Executive Director. Highlights of the reports include an update on the revitalization effort surrounding the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site in New York City, the state of the TRA’s finances, and the work of the Executive Director in answering inquiries to the TRA. Historian Frederick W. Marks addressed the guests as did representatives of the National Park Service. Dorothy Horton McGee was honored for her work as a historian of Oyster Bay, Long Island.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1977

Two topics dominate this issue of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal: anniversary celebrations of the seventy-fifth anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt’s elevation to the presidency in September 1901 and detailed reports about the urban renewal project in the neighborhood of the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site in New York City. This issue also has two new features, a “Book Notes” column featuring news and reviews on books about Roosevelt, and a “Theodore Roosevelt Speaks” column featuring eight quotations from Roosevelt.

The cover of this issue has two photographs of guests at the Annual Meeting and Dinner of the Theodore Roosevelt Association on October 29, 1976.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Advertisement and membership application for the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) listing membership categories and costs. The ad features pictures of Sagamore Hill and the Roosevelt birthplace as well as the TRA medallion.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1976