Kraft, Jessica Van Ausdall, 1909-1987

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

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

The front cover of this issue of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal features a photograph of Theodore Roosevelt at his Sagamore Hill home with three of his grandchildren, his wife Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt, his daughter Ethel Roosevelt Derby, and his daughter in law, Grace Stackpole Lockwood Roosevelt. The back cover features a photograph of Jessica E. Kraft at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site in 1974.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1974

Creator(s)

Theodore Roosevelt Association

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

Hermann Hagedorn describes several episodes from Theodore Roosevelt’s life at his home, Sagamore Hill. He highlights Roosevelt’s welcoming of the peace negotiators from Russia and Japan, his dive in the submarine USS Plunger, his election as Governor of New York, and other milestones. Hagedorn also notes the visit of President Dwight D. Eisenhower to Sagamore Hill on June 14, 1953.

A photograph of Sagamore Hill; a photograph of dignitaries, including Eisenhower, on the porch at Sagamore Hill; and a photograph of Jessica Van Ausdall receiving a United States flag, illustrate the article.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1987

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

Stephen R. Fox explores the divide in the American conservation movement between camps headed by followers of John Muir and those of Gifford Pinchot. He talks about the popularity of each and of the scholarship that has been produced about each of them. Fox argues that Pinchot “is best understood not as a conservationist but as a politician,” and he examines Pinchot’s autobiography in some detail to support this assertion. Fox argues that Pinchot had presidential aspirations and that he demonstrated little interest in practical forestry matters in his later years, but he also contends that Pinchot remains an important figure in the history of the American conservation movement.

A photograph of Roosevelt and Pinchot appears in the article as does a listing of the officers of the Theodore Roosevelt Association. A notice that this issue of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal is dedicated to Jessica Kraft appears on the last page of the article.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1987

Report on the presentation of the Bertha Benkard Rose Award to William Davison Johnston, past president of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA). The article notes the work of Rose with the TRA, lists previous winners, and provides the citation for Johnston’s award. The citation details Johnston’s six year term as president of the TRA and notes the various projects and initiatives he undertook. A photograph of Johnston speaking, and a photograph of Johnston with Theodore R. Kupferman and John A. Gable of the TRA, appear in the report.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1987

Creator(s)

Unknown

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

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

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 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

The “News and Notes” section returns after a hiatus in the prior two issues. The section opens with a listing of the deaths of seven people in 1985 who had some connection to Theodore Roosevelt or the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), and this issue is dedicated to them. The deaths of Peter R. Fisher and John E. Roosevelt are discussed at length in the issue while the life of Harold R. Kraft is examined in this section. The section also covers the visit of a delegation from the Netherlands to Oyster Bay, New York, in connection with the establishment of the Roosevelt Study Center in Middelburg, Province of Zeeland, in the Netherlands. The purpose of the Center, some of its leadership, and the role of the TRA in its founding are examined. 

A brief on the “Theodore” exhibit at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum and a notice about a lecture given by John A. Gable at Grey Towers, Gifford Pinchot’s home, complete the section. Two photographs of members of the Dutch delegation in Oyster Bay, New York, are found in the section.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

The “News and Notes” section focuses on the celebrations, ceremonies, and lectures highlighting the 125th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt’s birth in New York City, Oyster Bay, and Washington, D.C. The section repeats in shortened form some of the information provided in other articles in the issue, looks at the various lectures and interviews given by John A. Gable, Executive Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association, and notes personnel news from the various Roosevelt sites managed by the National Park Service.

A photograph of Harold and Sheila Schafer in Medora, North Dakota, is found on page two of the section.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1983

Report on the award ceremony for Eisha Dyer and Jessica Van Ausdall Kraft who were each given the Bertha B. Rose Award for service to the Theodore Roosevelt Association. The article reprints the citations given to Dyer and Kraft, with special emphasis on their work in preserving Sagamore Hill National Historic Site.

A photograph of Dyer and Kraft accompanies the article.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1983

Report on the luncheon at the White House on October 27, 1982, on the occasion of the presentation of Theodore Roosevelt’s Nobel Peace Prize Medal to President Ronald Reagan. The report describes the ceremony and lists all of the guests, including the leadership of the Theodore Roosevelt Association, the Roosevelt family, and White House staff.

Five photographs of the gathering, all of which feature Reagan, accompany the report.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1983

The “News and Notes” column acknowledges the authors who contributed to this issue of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal and promotes the work of various scholars who have written books on Theodore Roosevelt related topics. It lists the winners of Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) sponsored awards and contests and notes the work, achievements, and passing of members of the TRA. It highlights an Independence Day celebration held in Oyster Bay, New York at the bandstand rebuilt by the TRA.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1982

Creator(s)

Unknown

Report on two meetings of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) held in October 1981 in Oyster Bay, New York and Washington, D.C. The article highlights the reports given by the leadership of the TRA at the Oyster Bay meeting, and quotes extensively from remarks given by TRA President William Davison Johnston at both meetings. The speakers for the gatherings, David McCullough and Edmund and Sylvia Morris, are discussed as are their works on Theodore Roosevelt.

Fourteen photographs (two from the Oyster Bay meeting and twelve from the Washington, D.C. meeting) showing some of the guests, dignitaries, speakers, and members of the leadership of the Theodore Roosevelt Association accompany the article.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

John A. Gable opens this edition of the “News and Notes” column by quoting extensively from an article in Psychohistory Review by Kathleen Dalton that addresses why Theodore Roosevelt was so popular with the American people. He talks about Roosevelt related gatherings in Buffalo, New York, Tampa, Florida, and Harvard University, and he notes the winner of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Essay Contest at Long Island University. Gable notes one of his recent speaking engagements and closes with a further endorsement of Frederick W. Marks’s study of Roosevelt’s diplomacy, Velvet on Iron.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1980

Creator(s)

Gable, John A.