Johnston, William Davison

Report on the 80th annual meeting of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) held in Norfolk, Virginia, onboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, and at Pine Knot, Theodore Roosevelt’s retreat in rural Virginia. The report details the annual dinner, noting its ceremonies and speakers, including the conferring of the TRA’s Junior Officer of the Year Award for the USS Theodore Roosevelt and recognizing John A. Gable’s twenty-five years as Executive Director of the TRA. The report highlights the association’s visit to the aircraft carrier, including an air show and the results of the various TRA elections for members of the Advisory Board, Board of Trustees, and Executive Committee. The report provides brief biographies of some of those elected to various capacities, and it highlights the presentation of Theodore Roosevelt’s naval flag to the USS Theodore Roosevelt for display in its museum.

The report highlights the speech given by Tsakhia Elbegdorj, a former Prime Minister and President of Mongolia, and it provides coverage of the TRA’s visit to Pine Knot, including a history of the property and plans for its upkeep and use. Thirteen photographs populate the report, including four of Pine Knot and two of the aircraft carrier.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2000

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

P. James Roosevelt confers the Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal on Harold Lyle Schafer and Sheila Schafer. Roosevelt quotes extensively from Theodore Roosevelt in his remarks in which he notes the philanthropic work done by the Schafers, the roots of their success in the Gold Seal Company, and their restoration of the town of Medora, North Dakota.

A photograph of the Schafers with Roosevelt and William Davison Johnston of the Theodore Roosevelt Association accompanies the citation. A text box with the “Vision Statement of the Theodore Roosevelt Association” supplements the speech. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1983-10-27

The Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) offers nine books by or about Theodore Roosevelt for sale: six collections of Roosevelt’s writings and speeches; two deal with his homes, Sagamore Hill and Pine Knot; and one depicts his life in pictures. The TRA also offers for sale the autobiography of Selwa Roosevelt along with two documentaries about Roosevelt in the videocassette format. The ad includes an order form and illustrations of Roosevelt reading in a rocking chair and one side of the TRA medallion.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1997

Creator(s)

Theodore Roosevelt Association

The Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) offers seven books by or about Theodore Roosevelt for sale: two collections of Roosevelt’s writings and speeches; two deal with his homes, Sagamore Hill and Pine Knot; two evaluate his life in essays and pictures; and the novel The Alienist covers his time as Police Commissioner of New York City. The TRA also offers for sale the autobiography of Selwa Roosevelt. The ad includes an order form and an illustration of Roosevelt reading in a rocking chair.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1994-1995

Creator(s)

Theodore Roosevelt Association

R. Hal Williams examines the friendship between Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas B. Reed, who twice served as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Williams notes that despite their different backgrounds, the two Republicans became good friends united by their love of books, the workings of politics, and the fortunes of the Republican party. Williams presents forty-one letters exchanged between the two from 1888 to 1902, and he provides annotations to the letters in 117 endnotes.

Two photographs of Reed and one of Roosevelt visiting Reed’s home in Maine appear in the article. The article also features two photographs of King Hussein of Jordan visiting the USS Theodore Roosevelt in 1995 as well as a list of the members of the executive committee of the Theodore Roosevelt Association.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1994-1995

Seven of the nine pages of this edition of the “News and Notes” section deal with the meeting, dinner, ceremonies, and reports from the annual meeting of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) held onboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt on October 31, 1992. Highlights of the meeting include the presentation of the Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal to the members of the Rio Roosevelt expedition team; the conferring of the TRA’s Bertha B. Rose Award to Paul Whitney Parcells; and the inauguration of the TRA Junior Officer Leadership Award for a member of the crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The section includes TRA President Robert D. Dalziel’s annual report, and it highlights the donation of Pine Knot, Theodore Roosevelt’s rustic retreat in Virginia, to the TRA by Theodore Roosevelt IV. “News and Notes” also covers programs held at the Sagamore Hill and Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Sites, and it details the performance of the cast of “Phantom of the Opera” onboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

Five photographs from the annual dinner and two photographs of Pine Knot supplement the text.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1992

Six of the ten pages of this edition of the “News and Notes” column are devoted to the visit of a delegation from the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) to the Netherlands in October 1989. The TRA, for the first time, held its annual meeting and dinner outside of the United States. The column notes the group’s visit to various sites across the Netherlands, describes the activities of the Roosevelt Study Center, and discusses fundraising efforts to support the Center. The column also discusses efforts to increase the endowment for the TRA and to establish an endowment for the Theodore Roosevelt Collection at Harvard University.

The column is illustrated with fifteen photographs from the TRA’s visit to the Netherlands and two more from the fundraising dinner held to support the endowment of the Roosevelt collection at Harvard.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1989

The “Book Reviews” section examines two books in detail while providing short notices of five others under the heading “New Books of Interest.” Matthew J. Glover reviews Selwa Roosevelt’s chronicle of her seven year stint as Chief of Protocol for the United States during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. New books given brief notices include a study of President Theodore Roosevelt’s diplomacy in the Caribbean basin and an examination of Roosevelt as a speaker. The section also notes the publication of a paperback version of Sylvia Jukes Morris’s biography of Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt and a paperback of Theodore Roosevelt’s Outdoor Pastimes of an American Hunter. The section praises James F. Vivian’s collection of Theodore Roosevelt’s speeches in North Dakota and closes with a review of William Davison Johnston’s history of the Oyster Bay, New York, Presbyterian Church.

Photographs of Selwa Roosevelt and Richard H. Collin appear in the section as does a text box noting that this issue of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal is “dedicated to the memory of Archibald B. Roosevelt, Junior,” husband of Selwa Roosevelt.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1990

This edition of “News and Notes” begins with a summary of the events, elections, and speeches at the seventy-first annual meeting of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) which included the selection of Robert D. Dalziel as the twelfth President of the TRA. The report includes a listing of those elected to the Board of Trustees as well as brief biographies of the past presidents. “News and Notes” also details the conferring of annual awards and prizes supported by the TRA including: natural history research grants from the American Museum of Natural History; the Theodore Roosevelt Public Speaking Contest for the New York City public schools; the TRA Police Award for the New York City Police Department; and the Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize. The section also notes the passing of Archibald B. Roosevelt, Junior, changes in command of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and highlights a lecture by David McCullough at the White House on Theodore Roosevelt.

Two photographs from the TRA annual meeting, a photograph of McCullough with President George Bush, and an illustration of both sides of the TRA medallion appear in the section.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1990

This edition of the “News and Notes” section begins with media coverage of the Rio Roosevelt Expedition 1992, including the reprinting of a New York Times article on the expedition and highlighting coverage on ABC television’s “Good Morning America” program. The section also details some of the many awards and honors bestowed by the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) and its partners in 1992, including police awards in New York City and Boston; research grants from the American Museum of Natural History; the public speaking contest for the New York City public schools; and the awards given by the Roosevelt Study Center in the Netherlands for essays in American history. “News and Notes” also features three obituaries of prominent figures in the TRA: Oliver R. Grace, Elisha Dyer, and William Davison Johnston. The latter two served as Presidents of the TRA, and this issue of the journal is dedicated to Johnston. The section closes with reflections on Theodore Roosevelt by three of his contemporaries, Van Wyck Brooks, Joseph Bucklin Bishop, and Hamlin Garland.

Eleven photographs illustrate the section: two of members of the Rio Roosevelt Expedition; five from the police awards in Boston and New York City; three of Dyer and Johnston; and one of the awards ceremony at the Roosevelt Study Center. There are two text boxes in the section: one seeks a financial sponsor for the TRA public speaking contest, and the other notes a change in the mailing address of the TRA.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1992

The front cover of the Winter, 1992 issue of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal shows a view of New York City in 1900 with advertisements for the Madison Square Republican Club and the presidential campaign of William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt prominently displayed. On the back, William Davison Johnston gives a speech at the launching of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1992

Creator(s)

Theodore Roosevelt Association

A list of the presidents of the Theodore Roosevelt Association, along with their dates of leadership.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1988

Creator(s)

Unknown

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

This edition of the “News and Notes” section opens with a report on the annual meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA). The report notes the election of new members and classes of the Board of Trustees and of the TRA’s leadership for 1985-1986. The section also covers the TRA’s involvement in the Outward Bound program and the granting of the first Theodore Roosevelt Scholarship for that program, the results of the Theodore Roosevelt Public Speaking Contest for the New York City public high schools, and the passing of Philippa Jeffries Roosevelt. 

The section also covers the “first scholarship conference devoted entirely to TR” at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, which was held in October 1985. It also notes new works on Theodore Roosevelt, a panel on Roosevelt’s foreign policy to be held at the meeting of the Organization of American Historians, and highlights the work of Frederick W. Marks and Serge Ricard on Roosevelt’s diplomacy found in this issue. The section closes with a notice that Edmund Morris has signed a contract to write a biography of President Ronald Reagan. 

Photographs of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, and of Edmund Morris are included in the section.

Article that relays the mission statement and purpose of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA). It also gives examples of the TRA’s work such as the preservation of historic sites associated with Theodore Roosevelt and the collection of documents and films relating to his life. It notes other work of the association such as publishing and sponsoring student contests, and it touches on its governance and leadership.

An illustration of Roosevelt’s head appears in the upper right corner of the article box.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1986

Joyce M. Bisso opens this edition of “News and Notes” with a report on the effort to gather library books from the greater Oyster Bay, New York, area to build a library for the sailors aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt. The task fell to students from Oyster Bay High School and local public libraries. Bisso quotes the two sailors from the ship, Petty Officer Timothy L. Blackstone and Senior Chief Edward J. Tessier, who came to Oyster Bay to collect the books and other materials gathered by the community. The article also reprints a letter from Captain Paul W. Parcells, Commanding Officer of USS Theodore Roosevelt, to William Davison Johnston, the President of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA). A photograph of students examining books; one of Blackstone and Tessier; and another of the two sailors with Oyster Bay High School students appear in the article. 

The section also contains a report on the natural history research grants awarded from the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Fund by the American Museum of Natural History in New York City for 1986. The report notes the members of the TRA who serve on the awards committee, lists the winner of the largest award, Mark L. McKnight, and it provides a history of the involvement of Theodore Roosevelt and his father with the museum. A chart listing the number of award applications, the number of awards, and the value of the grants from 1961 to 1986 appears in this section.

“News and Notes” also reports that Elizabeth E. Roosevelt of the TRA will volunteer at the Roosevelt Study Center in the Netherlands when it opens in the fall of 1986. The section notes that Edmund Morris will be one of the speakers at the Center’s opening, and it relays the purpose and the location of the Center. The section discusses the work of several Roosevelt historians and biographers, including Sylvia Jukes Morris, John Milton Cooper, and Kathleen Dalton. “News and Notes” closes with an obituary of Julian K. Roosevelt who was an accomplished yachtsman and a member of the International Olympic Committee.

Article that relays the mission statement and purpose of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA). It also gives examples of the TRA’s work such as the preservation of historic sites associated with Theodore Roosevelt and the collection of documents and films relating to his life. It notes other work of the association such as publishing and sponsoring student contests, and it touches on its governance and leadership.

An illustration of Roosevelt’s head appears in the upper right corner of the article box.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1986

Article that relays the mission statement and purpose of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA). It also gives examples of the TRA’s work such as the preservation of historic sites associated with Theodore Roosevelt and the collection of documents and films relating to his life. It notes other work of the association such as publishing and sponsoring student contests, and it touches on its governance and leadership.

An illustration of Roosevelt’s head appears in the upper right corner of the article box.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1986