Documentary videos

The Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) announces that its 2015 annual meeting will be held in Boston, Massachusetts, and it notes that a review of Ken Burns’s documentary The Roosevelts will appear in an upcoming issue of the TRA Journal. A text box lists the President and Executive Directors of the TRA, along with those responsible for assembling its journal, guidelines for submitting manuscripts, and information regarding the governance of the TRA.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2014

Creator(s)

Theodore Roosevelt Association

Variety defines this edition of “News & Notes.” The section highlights numerous ceremonies, celebrations, and exhibitions to mark the ongoing centennial observation of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency. It also covers the Fourth of July celebration in Oyster Bay, New York, the dedication of a plaque commemorating the attempt on Roosevelt’s life in October 1912 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the 50th anniversary of the opening of Sagamore Hill to the public. “News & Notes” also notes the death of Doris Albert Budner, the struggles of a Rough Rider museum in New Mexico, and the publication of an article by the Cato Institute that criticizes Roosevelt. 

The section contains three text boxes with quotations and excerpts from Roosevelt’s writings, and it is supplemented by four photographs, including two of humorist Mo Rocca at Sagamore Hill.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Nineteen numbered paragraphs detail the work and programs of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA). The paragraphs describe the various activities of the TRA from its support of historical sites related to the life of Theodore Roosevelt to its establishment of chapters scattered across the United States. An illustration of Pine Knot, Roosevelt’s presidential retreat in Virginia, appears at the end of the list.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2004

Creator(s)

Theodore Roosevelt Association

Wallace Finley Dailey describes the changes and additions to the Theodore Roosevelt Collection at Harvard University since his last report in 1994. Dailey notes the repair and restoration of thousands of pamphlets, the addition of manuscripts from Roosevelt family members, and the addition of books and articles whose authors made use of the collection in writing their works. Dailey also describes the process of moving the collection’s guides online, and he highlights the various exhibits mounted by Harvard Library using material from the collection. He closes the report by noting that the collection received Theodore Roosevelt’s Pigskin Library, and that it served as the centerpiece of an exhibit.

A photograph of the Pigskin Library appears on the first page of the report, and a text box with a quote from Roosevelt about reading appears at its end.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2004

The varied work and programs of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) are listed under nineteen topic headings, all of which are addressed in brief paragraphs. These include programs like the teddy bears for hospitalized children, police awards in major cities, and the support of historical sites related to the life of Theodore Roosevelt.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2001

Creator(s)

Unknown

In a speech at the annual meeting of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), John A. Gable presents the case for awarding the Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal to author David G. McCullough. Gable cites McCullough’s six books, his work in documentary television, and his support of historic preservation. Two photographs of McCullough supplement the text.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1996-10-26

Creator(s)

Gable, John A.

This edition of the “News and Notes” section features a report on an exhibition entitled Theodore at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum. The report lists the various entities that donated materials to the exhibition, quotes from the catalog introduction written by John A. Gable of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), and notes some of the other exhibitions hosted by the Johnson Library. Readers are also reminded that two documentary films about Roosevelt, My Father the President and The Indomitable Teddy Roosevelt, are available for sale. The report provides more information about each film as well as contact information to enable purchases.

“News and Notes” also highlights the lectures and appearances of Gable and TRA President William Davison Johnston at various schools, notes the passing of Jean Schermerhorn Roosevelt, and praises the work of Nicholas LaBella, the Superintendent of Youngs Memorial Cemetery in Oyster Bay, New York. This issue of the Journal is dedicated to LaBella. The section closes with a reminder that there are still aspects of Roosevelt’s life that need study, and it declares that the TRA is open to helping those who wish to pursue this work.

Two photographs are found in the section: one of Roosevelt standing in the back of an open car and another of LaBella. A detail of the Roosevelt photograph appears on the front cover of this issue.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

This four page edition of “News and Notes” is divided into six sections and is mostly concerned with a series of celebrations and commemorations of the 125th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt’s birth. The article details the celebrations held in Indianapolis, Indiana, in New York State in New York City, Oyster Bay, and Buffalo, and at Harvard University. The Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace hosted events as did the American Museum of Natural History. Oyster Bay held a parade while the Indianapolis gathering saw the planting of a tree at the home of Roosevelt’s Vice President, Charles W. Fairbanks. The meeting at the American Museum of Natural History saw the awarding of the Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal to four recipients. A dinner was held in Buffalo while at Harvard, John Morton Blum gave a lecture.

The article also discusses the 1983 Theodore Roosevelt Public Speaking Contest for the New York City public high schools held at the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace, and it details the premiere of the documentary film The Indomitable Teddy Roosevelt at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. “News and Notes” closes with an obituary for Helen M. MacLachlan who worked for both the Theodore Roosevelt Association and the National Park Service at the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace in New York City.

A photograph from the Oyster Bay parade and two photographs of members of the Roosevelt family at Theodore Roosevelt Island in Washington, D.C., are included in the article.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

This edition of “News and Notes,” seven pages in length, is divided into six sections. “TR Quasquicentennial Year Ends” covers events marking the 125th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt’s birth at venues in Indianapolis, Indiana, Oyster Bay and Buffalo, New York, Harvard University, and the National Archives in Washington, D.C. It notes that the final event of the celebration year was appropriately held at the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace in New York City, and it highlights some of the lectures and interviews given by John A. Gable, Executive Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), during 1983. An illustration of both sides of the TRA medallion and a photograph from the 125 Anniversary Dinner in New York City supplement the section.

The “Annual Meeting of the TRA Board of Trustees” examines the financial health of the TRA and notes that there needs to be an increase of revenue for the Association. It also covers changes to the By-Laws of the TRA regarding membership categories and terms for members of the Board of Trustees. It closes by noting the governance of the TRA and listing its officers and members of the Executive Committee.

“Filming ‘The Indomitable Teddy Roosevelt'” discusses the production of this documentary film and highlights the narration provided by actor George C. Scott and the music of John Philip Sousa. It notes its fluid mixing of reenactments and archival film footage. A photograph of the Roosevelt family as portrayed by actors and descendants and one of Gable in a cameo role accompany the section.

In “TR and the Wall Street Journal,” Gable attacks an article written by Art Pine of the Journal about the history of debt collection from foreign nations because of its sometimes “misleading” and “false” statements about Roosevelt. Gable enlists the work of historians Barbara Tuchman and Frederick W. Marks to refute some of Pine’s reporting.

“New Classes of Membership and Dues Schedules” notes that the TRA will be creating new membership categories and raising the cost of membership dues for the first time since 1956. The notice lists the six new categories along with the cost of membership dues for each. A profile photograph of Roosevelt appears to the left of this notice.

Newsreel documenting the second inauguration of President Roosevelt. A series of photographs and voiced narration listing Roosevelt’s different careers. Footage includes the parade, with Roosevelt in a carriage, shots of the crowd, and Roosevelt delivering his address.

Collection

Sherman Grinberg Film Collection

Creation Date

1932

Creator(s)

Paramount Screen Souvenirs

The fifty-sixth annual meeting of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) recently took place at the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site on October 27, 1975. The article notes some of the attendees and describes in detail the reports given by the leadership of the TRA, including those of the Executive Director, President, Vice-President and Treasurer. Topics covered in these reports include the plan to revitalize the East Twentieth Street neighborhood where the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace is located, the reissue of Roosevelt’s biography of Gouverneur Morris, the production of video cassette tapes and films documenting various aspects of Roosevelt’s life and work, and an announcement of the winner of the first TRA Essay Prize contest. Executive Director Gable notes the increase in both membership and contribution to the TRA since 1974.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1976

Creator(s)

Unknown

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 1975. Many of these initiatives are covered in more detail in individual articles in this issue of the Journal. The longest portion of the Report covers the plan to undertake an urban renewal effort in the neighborhood of the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site on East Twentieth Street in New York City. The planting of trees, painting of buildings, use of brick pavers and other measures are hoped to revitalize the neighborhood and increase visitation to the site.

The Annual Report also features three photographs from the TRA’s Annual Meeting and Dinner as well as two views of the sculpture bust of Theodore Roosevelt created by Gleb Derujinsky, a copy of which was donated to the city of Oyster Bay, New York by the TRA in October 1975.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1976

The article relates the history of the “Roosevelt Motion Picture Library” compiled by the Roosevelt Memorial Association and the Women’s Roosevelt Memorial Association in the 1920s. Headed by Caroline Gentry, the organizations procured films featuring Roosevelt from individuals and film studios and from these produced fifteen silent films about various aspects of Roosevelt’s life.  Made between 1924 and 1930, the films were shown at the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace as well as at schools and libraries. The article notes the praise the films received (including from Thomas Edison), their retirement in the 1950s due to changing technology, and their revival and reproduction as video cassette tapes in the 1970s.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1976

Creator(s)

Unknown