Lehman, John F.

The 76th Annual Meeting of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) took place at Norfolk, Virginia, as well as onboard the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt. The Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal was presented to former Secretary of the Navy John F. Lehman. The TRA also gave several gifts to the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt, and held its meeting of the Board of Trustees. One prominent topic during the Board of Trustees meeting was about the future of Pine Knot–the Virginia cabin of Theodore Roosevelt and Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt.

Other news items include the presentation of a number of Theodore Roosevelt-related awards, such as the TRA’s annual police awards, the appearance of Theodore Roosevelt on several television programs during 1995-1996, reports on several TRA-related activities like the annual teddy bear distribution, and an obituary of Dorothy R. Kidder. At the end of this section is a selection of several Theodore Roosevelt-related facts, including the names of the Secretaries of the Navy during Roosevelt’s presidency, and Roosevelt’s appointments to the Supreme Court.

Five photographs from the annual meeting, two illustrations of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, and a photograph of Secretary of the Interior Bruce E. Babbitt appear in the section.

In this citation for the Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal, Perry D. Floyd cites a long list of John F. Lehman’s accomplishments as Secretary of the Navy during the Reagan administration which qualify him to receive the award. Lehman is especially noted for increasing efficiency in the Navy and strengthening the military capabilities of the branch. Lehman was also involved in the naming of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt.

Two photographs of Lehman and one of Floyd appear in the article.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

John A. Gable reviews Douglas Brinkley’s The Majic Bus: An American Odyssey and highlights the work’s section on Medora, North Dakota. Gable notes that some of the royalties from the sale of the book will go to the Theodore Roosevelt Association, and he quotes at length from Brinkley’s call for a return to basics in teaching American history. The review is followed by an excerpt from The Majic Bus. “Book Notes” also discusses the conferring of the 1993 Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize to Brinkley and his co-author Townsend Hoopes for their biography of James Forrestal, and it lists all of the recipients of the prize from 1986 to 1993. The section also includes a meditation of Theodore Roosevelt by William Hard in which he asserts that Roosevelt’s magnetic personality could transform the ordinary into the “immortally interesting.”

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1993

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. 

Assistant Secretary of the Navy Chase Untermeyer examines the evolution of the office of Assistant Secretary of the Navy from the time it was held by Theodore Roosevelt until Untermeyer’s entry into the role in 1984. Untermeyer also provides a biography of Secretary of the Navy John F. Lehman and asserts that Roosevelt would have approved of his career and policies. Untermeyer praises the work of President Ronald Reagan and Lehman in enlarging the U.S. Navy, and he quotes Roosevelt to draw a parallel between the world of 1897 and that of 1979-1980.

 

A photograph of Untermeyer appears on the first page of the article.

Announcement of the launch of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt on October 27, 1984. The announcement lists the dignitaries and speakers at the launch ceremony and gives statistics about the ship such as its length, height, and speed. An illustration of both sides of the medallion of the Theodore Roosevelt Association accompanies the announcement.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1984

Article about the launching of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt on October 27, 1984. The article has four parts. The first section notes the speakers and dignitaries at the ceremony, quotes from three of the speakers, and describes the christening of the ship. The second section, “The New Big Stick,” gives details about the ship’s construction and its capabilities and notes the other aircraft carriers that belong to the Nimitz class of carriers. “Aircraft Carrier is Fourth Ship Named After Theodore Roosevelt” discusses the two other ships and one ballistic missile submarine that were named to honor Roosevelt. “The Roosevelt Navy Tradition” examines Roosevelt’s relationship with the Navy and discusses the four other members of the Roosevelt family who, like Theodore Roosevelt, served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy.

Nine photographs of the christening and launching of the carrier and a photograph of the USS Louisiana supplement the text. A listing of the officers of the Theodore Roosevelt Association and the members of its executive committee is found on the second page of the article.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Announcement that a nuclear powered aircraft carrier for the United States Navy will be named Theodore Roosevelt.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1982