Gable, John A.

In the “Notes” column, John A. Gable summarizes the dedication ceremonies for the Richards-Theodore Roosevelt Collection at Boston University and promotes the Theodore Roosevelt Association’s (TRA) publication Sagamore Hill: An Historical Guide. He notes the contributions of various members of the TRA for their efforts in preserving Sagamore Hill, the Inaugural Site in Buffalo, and the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace in New York City. He remarks on the lecture series centered on the twenty-fifth anniversary of Sagamore Hill as a historic site and closes with a paragraph about what readers will find in the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1978

Creator(s)

Gable, John A.

John A. Gable reports on the work and achievements of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) for 1977. He notes a rise in membership and dues during the past year and discusses the many requests for help that the TRA office received from those pursuing work on Theodore Roosevelt. The report provides brief summaries of the work of the TRA that is covered in more detail in separate articles in this and past issues, such as the renovation and restoration of the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site and the visit to the White House by a delegation from the TRA.

The report also covers the annual student contests sponsored by the TRA, the research grants awarded by the American Museum of Natural History, the Association’s support of Youngs Memorial Cemetery and the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary for birds in Oyster Bay, and publications, such as the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal, produced by the TRA.

A photograph of John A. Gable and P. James Roosevelt talking to President Jimmy Carter at the White House accompanies the report.

Obituary for Ethel Roosevelt Derby, Theodore Roosevelt’s eldest daughter, written by John A. Gable. Gable quotes from various newspapers reporting her death, describes the funeral service, and lists the all male pallbearers. In addition to naming her siblings and her own children, he describes Ethel’s service in World War I as a nurse and her long years of service to the American Red Cross. Gable details her work with the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and her role in preserving Sagamore Hill National Historic Site.

Three photographs accompany the obituary: one shows Ethel Roosevelt as a child at the White House in 1902; another shows her with First Lady Rosalyn Carter at the White House in 1977 and the third shows the entire Theodore Roosevelt family (along with Congressman Nicholas Longworth) at the White House in an undated photo.  

A listing of the officers of the Theodore Roosevelt Association is found on the first page of the obituary.

In the “Book Notes” column, John A. Gable reviews two books that cover different aspects of the era of Theodore Roosevelt. He praises David McCullough’s The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 for its “careful research, balanced judgment, and good prose.” Gable compares McCullough’s verdict on Roosevelt’s actions regarding the Canal with the work of other Roosevelt scholars, and he gives over much of his review to an extended quote from a letter McCullough wrote to President Jimmy Carter supporting passage of the 1977 Canal treaties.

Gable endorses, with some reservations, They Were Ragtime, a popular history of the United States in the Progressive era written by Warren Forma. Gable lists many of the personalities from entertainment, the arts, and the business world who populate Forma’s work, and he argues that the work is valuable for its look at popular culture in turn of the twentieth-century America. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

John A. Gable discusses the publication of two books on Theodore Roosevelt.  Sagamore Hill: An Historical Guide was published by the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) and Memories of the American Frontier, a collection of Roosevelt’s writings on the American West, was issued by the Westvaco Corporation. Gable notes the individuals and organizations that helped bring both works to publication. He mentions that author David McCullough visited the offices of the TRA, and he closes with more tributes to Ethel Derby Roosevelt who died on December 10, 1977.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1978

Creator(s)

Gable, John A.

In this edition of “Notes from the Executive Director…,” John A. Gable reviews and praises an article on President Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy by historian Frederick W. Marks III that appeared in Diplomatic History. Gable notes that the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) has printed the citation that accompanied Ethel Roosevelt Derby’s TRA Distinguished Service Medal. He notes the publication of a guide book to Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, describes the Roosevelt gallery in the headquarters of the Roosevelt Savings Bank in Garden City, New York, and lists the talks he gave in his capacity as Executive Director of the TRA. He congratulates author David McCullough for winning the National Book Award for his work on the Panama Canal and lists the TRA publications that preceded the publication of the TRA Journal.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1978

Creator(s)

Gable, John A.

John A. Gable recaps some of the items presented in this issue of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal by noting the visit to the White House by a delegation from the Theodore Roosevelt Association, his visit to Camp Bronco Junction for asthmatic children, and the dedication of a memorial bird sanctuary to Hermann Hagedorn. He details the additions that have been made to the Theodore Roosevelt Collection at Harvard, lists the donors of materials, and notes the many requests for use of items in the collection.  

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1977

Creator(s)

Gable, John A.

John A. Gable describes in detail the life and work of Hermann Hagedorn, historian, biographer, and long-time Director of the Roosevelt Memorial Association and its successor, the Theodore Roosevelt Association. Gable covers Hagedorn’s life as a child of German immigrants in Brooklyn, New York, his education and teaching at Harvard, and his early career as a writer and poet. He notes Hagedorn’s difficulties as a German-American during World War I and the start of his friendship with Theodore Roosevelt that would define his career. Gable traces Hagedorn’s leadership of the Roosevelt Memorial Association over nearly four decades, discusses his many publications on Roosevelt, and looks at his other writings, including a number of biographies and many works of poetry.

Two photographs accompany this article. One is a formal portrait of Hagedorn and the other shows Hagedorn with President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the dedication of Sagamore Hill in June 1953.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Executive Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) John A. Gable relates Theodore Roosevelt related news in his message to readers. He notes that the revitalization efforts undertaken by the TRA and other organizations in the neighborhood surrounding the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site has inspired the formation of another group to work on the area south of the Birthplace. He also reports that the Library of Congress received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to catalog the TRA Motion Picture Collection. Gable also details the work of Roosevelt impersonators on stage, television, and in school appearances. He closes by listing the various schools and historical associations to which he has spoken in his capacity as Executive Director.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1977

Creator(s)

Gable, John A.

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

Creator(s)

Gable, John A.

Executive Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) John A. Gable provides an update on the various projects undertaken by the TRA in 1976 with an emphasis on the expansion of the Theodore Roosevelt holdings at Harvard University. He notes the establishment there of the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial, and he gives an update on the revitalization project underway in the neighborhood surrounding the Theodore Roosevelt National Historic Site in New York City. Gable promotes the reissue of Roosevelt’s biography of Gouverneur Morris, and he lists the various clubs and organizations he spoke to in his role as Executive Director of the TRA. He notes the receipt of four letters from Roosevelt to William T. Hornaday which the TRA has added to the Harvard University Roosevelt Collection.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1976

Creator(s)

Gable, John A.

John A. Gable, Executive Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), provides a summary of the TRA’s efforts to promote the study and appreciation of Theodore Roosevelt in the Bicentennial year 1976. He touches on subjects covered in detail in articles in this issue of the Journal, such as the Roosevelt film collection, the reissue of Roosevelt’s biography of Gouverneur Morris, and efforts to improve the neighborhood surrounding the Roosevelt Birthplace in New York City. He closes by noting that there has been an increase in memberships in the TRA in the past year.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1976

Creator(s)

Gable, John A.

Executive Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) John A. Gable reviews the different publications of the Association that have preceded the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. He critiques the movie The Wind and the Lion and argues that it “is a work of fantasy.” He closes with a review of the contents of the last two issues of the TRA Journal and reminds readers that the TRA needs an infusion of new members and dues to continue its work.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1975

Creator(s)

Gable, John A.

John A. Gable asserts that Theodore Roosevelt must be understood not just as a man of action, but as an accomplished thinker, intellectual, and writer. He cites as proof the many publications Roosevelt produced, from letters to works of history and natural science. Gable stresses Roosevelt’s work in the field of history and believes that his knowledge of history contributed to his success as President. He notes the literary organizations that Roosevelt belonged to and his friendship with many of the leading intellectuals of his time.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1975

Creator(s)

Gable, John A.

Executive Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) John A. Gable says that the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal will now act as the “official periodical” of the TRA. Gable thanks members of the Association for their response to a recent fund raising drive, but he notes that the TRA needs more members and income to continue its work.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1975

Creator(s)

Gable, John A.

Business card of John A. Gable, Executive Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Creation Date

Unknown

Creator(s)

Gable, John A.