Comstock, Barbara J., 1930-2023

Report on the Theodore Roosevelt Association’s Bertha B. Rose Award. The report includes a biography of Bertha Benkard Rose that emphasizes her work in historic preservation, especially at Sagamore Hill. The report also includes brief notices about the twelve past winners of the award dating back to 1982, and it highlights the work of the 2003 recipient, Michael L. Manson. A text box lists all of the winners of the Rose Award, and the report also includes a list of the seventeen colleges and universities that granted Theodore Roosevelt honorary degrees from 1899 to 1917. A paragraph on Roosevelt’s history with New York City concludes the section.

A photograph of Manson with the commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt accompanies the report.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2004

Report on the annual meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) held in Buffalo, New York, on October 19, 2002. The article notes the various reports given by officers of the TRA, and it covers the election of a slate of officers as well as members of the Board of Trustees and the Advisory Board. The report highlights the TRA’s approval of efforts to expand the Elkhorn Ranch site in North Dakota, use of the TRA website, and changes to the association’s by-laws.

 

Three photographs supplement the report, including two winners of the Bertha B. Rose Award, Paul F. McHale and Kent Conrad, honored for their work in securing Theodore Roosevelt the Medal of Honor. An advertisement for Liberty Title Agency of Garden City, New York, appears at the end of the report. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Two page photo spread showing guests and dignitaries at the annual meeting and dinner of the Theodore Roosevelt Association held on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt on October 31, 1992.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1992

Creator(s)

Unknown

This sprawling edition of “News and Notes” encompasses sixteen pages and contains thirty-four parts. The conferring of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) police awards for New York City, Boston, and western New York State opens the section along with a feature on the design of a new medal for the award by sculptor Marc Mellon. News of the ceremonies and outings of the 1993 annual meeting of the TRA in Charlottesville, Virginia, follows with a description of the association’s required elections, a field trip to Pine Knot, and the naming of the Junior Officer of the Year Award for the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The meeting also saw the presentation of the Bertha B. Rose Award to Barbara J. Comstock and historian William Henry Harbaugh.

“News and Notes” also provides a history of Pine Knot, Theodore and Edith Roosevelt’s presidential retreat, discusses the reopening of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site after an extensive renovation, and highlights the contributions of Conrad L. Wirth and Horace M. Albright to both the TRA and the National Park Service. The Roosevelt Study Center in the Netherlands is featured with news of its hosting a conference of European historians; the conferring of the annual Lawrence J. Saunders Awards for essays in American history; and the publication of a book on Dutch-American relations by the Center’s director, Cornelius A. van Minnen. The section closes with a detailed look at the process of compiling a comprehensive article and picture index for the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal from 1975 to 1992 by the staff and volunteers of the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in Buffalo, New York.

Twenty photographs illustrate the section with entire pages devoted to the Boston Police Award ceremonies and the TRA annual meeting.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Robert D. Dalziel speaks on the occasion of being elected 12th President of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA). He recalls the beginning of his interest in Theodore Roosevelt, as well as his involvement with the TRA and how the TRA has developed. The TRA has grown greatly and strengthened its ties with a number of Roosevelt-related sites, and Dalziel hopes to continue growing the membership of the TRA across the country. Other areas that Dalziel hopes to focus on include putting the TRA on a firmer financial footing and enhancing the scholarly reputation of the TRA.

Accompanying Dalziel’s speech is a brief list of recent recipients of the TRA’s Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal, and photographs of President George Bush interacting with members of the TRA at a lecture by David G. McCullough.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1990

Awards and grants sponsored by the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) make up much of this edition of the “News and Notes” column and include the conferring of the Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize, the TRA Police Award for the New York City Police Department, and the annual research grants  from the American Museum of Natural History. The column also covers a reunion of the two branches of the Roosevelt family comprising the descendants of Theodore Roosevelt from Oyster Bay, New York, and those of Franklin D. Roosevelt from Hyde Park, New York. A letter from Elliott Roosevelt, a son of Franklin D. Roosevelt, to John A. Gable of the TRA recounts some shared episodes of Roosevelt family history, including Theodore Roosevelt’s role in Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s wedding and Theodore Roosevelt’s attempt to serve in World War I. “News and Notes” also describes the dedication of a rose garden in honor of Jessica Van Ausdall Kraft at Sagamore Hill, highlights the work of some of the TRA leadership, and promotes the publications of the TRA.

Two photographs of the rose garden ceremonies at Sagamore Hill, two from the luncheon for the Naval History Prize, and one of Theodore Roosevelt join a picture of both sides of the TRA medallion to illustrate the column.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1989

John A. Gable recounts the life and work of Jessica E. Kraft who worked as a secretary for Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt and was the first Curator of Sagamore Hill. Gable highlights Kraft’s thirty-four years of service to the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) and notes the many roles and positions she held in the association. Gable also examines her volunteer work in the Oyster Bay, New York community, and the article contains the citation read on the occasion of her winning the Bertha B. Rose Award from the TRA in 1983.

Six photographs of Kraft, four of which show her with others, appear in the article as does an illustration of both sides of the TRA medallion.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1987

Report on the ceremonies and events surrounding the commissioning of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt from October 24 to October 28, 1986 in Newport News, Virginia. The report covers the work of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) in raising funds and supplies for the ship’s crew and lists many of the members of the TRA who facilitated the work. The report also discusses the annual dinner of the TRA held on board the ship, the commissioning of the carrier, the ecumenical religious services held on board the ship, and the two balls held for the ship’s crew. The report names the descendants of Theodore Roosevelt who attended the commissioning, highlights the organization of a ship’s museum dedicated to Roosevelt, and covers the history of other U.S. Navy ships named Theodore Roosevelt.

Five photographs depicting the construction and commissioning of the carrier appear in the report. A brief notice in an article box about the TRA and its journal appears on the fourth page of the report. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Judge Theodore R. Kupferman was elected the eleventh president of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) on December 6, 1986, at the TRA’s annual meeting. The report on the meeting includes highlights from the reports of the officers and leadership of the TRA, and it lists the results of the election for officers, members of the executive committee, and Board of Trustees. Two photographs of members of the TRA leadership appear in the report.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1987

Creator(s)

Unknown

This edition of “News and Notes” features an obituary of Jessica Van Ausdall Kraft who served as the personal secretary to Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt, Curator of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, and in various roles with the Theodore Roosevelt Association. The section also explains the decision of Harold and Sheila Schafer of Medora, North Dakota, to found the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation to run the various motels and shops in the tourist town formerly run by Harold Schafer’s Gold Seal Company. “News and Notes” closes with an announcement about a new musical, “Teddy and Alice,” which depicts the life of President Theodore Roosevelt and his daughter Alice Roosevelt Longworth in the White House.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1987

Creator(s)

Unknown

Article about the visit of President Ronald Reagan to Theodore Roosevelt Island on July 11, 1984. The article focuses on the history of the island since it was purchased by the Theodore Roosevelt Association in 1931. It also discusses the natural history of the island and the events held there to mark the 125th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt’s birth.

A photograph of Reagan seated at a desk in front of a statue of Roosevelt supplements the text.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1984

William Davison Johnston, President of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), explains that the commissioning of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt will be funded and overseen by the TRA. Johnston details the many components of the commissioning, including providing commemorative gifts for the crew, supplying the ship and its crew with books, movies, and athletic equipment, and aiding in the design and outfitting of an onboard museum devoted to Theodore Roosevelt. Johnston lists the members of the commissioning committee as well as the heads of the five subcommittees, and he notes that the TRA has rented space solely to manage the many aspects of the commissioning scheduled for October 27, 1986.

The article includes a column “Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) Facts and Figures” that lists forty different aspects about the ship such as her length, and it also includes a listing of the officers of the TRA as well as the members of its executive committee. Photographs of the carrier and of Roosevelt appear in the article.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1986