Parcells, Paul W. (Paul Whitney)

Report on a conference held at Hofstra University, April 19-21, 1990, on “Theodore Roosevelt and the Birth of Modern America.” The report covers the various proceedings of the conference, including the showing of films on Theodore Roosevelt, highlights the major addresses, and lists all of the speakers. The report also notes that the conference included the conferring of the Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal to three recipients, Tom Wolfe, Hamilton Fish, Senior, and Paul H. Nitze. It includes biographies of each recipient and also lists the many individuals, organizations, and corporations that supported the conference. The report includes eighteen photographs of conference participants as well as a listing of the officers of the Theodore Roosevelt Association.

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

Much of this edition of the “News and Notes” column is dedicated to a report on the annual meeting and dinner of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) held in Dallas, Texas, in October 1988. The report notes the meeting of the Board of Trustees, highlights the annual election of the leadership of the TRA, and discusses the various talks and reports presented at the meeting. The column details the opening of a special exhibit at the DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University, “The Incredible Teddy Roosevelt,” that comes from the Theodore Roosevelt collection of Lawrence H. Budner and Doris Albert Budner of Dallas, and it quotes from various Dallas newspaper editorials on Theodore Roosevelt.

The column also announces that the 1989 TRA Annual Meeting will be held at the Roosevelt Study Center in the Netherlands and notes the publication of a previously unpublished article by Roosevelt, “Sou’-Sou’ Southerly,” in Gray’s Sporting Journal. The column includes Roosevelt related news from Buffalo, New York, Bethlehem, New Hampshire, and from the USS Theodore Roosevelt. “News and Notes” concludes with John A. Gable’s speaking engagements and reminders about Roosevelt related publications available from Meckler Publishing, including a reissue of the Theodore Roosevelt Cyclopedia.

The column features seven photographs of guests at the TRA annual dinner, a portrait painting of Roosevelt, and a photograph of the Budners in their Dallas home. An illustration of both sides of the TRA medallion appears on the last page of the column.

This lengthy edition of “News and Notes” opens with a report on the annual meeting of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) held in New York City on November 8, 1987. The report details the election of the leadership of the TRA, and it highlights an address to the gathering by the Director of the Roosevelt Study Center in the Netherlands. A section on the Broadway musical “Teddy and Alice” follows with a listing of its cast and crew, numerous quotes from New York newspaper reviews, and comments on the actors’ performances. A section on the Roosevelt Studies Center in the Netherlands highlights the conferring of the first Lawrence J. Saunders Awards for essays on American history by Dutch university students.

Updates from the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, the Navy League of the United States, and TRA member George Epstein also garner sections. A report on the second annual Teddy Bear drive sponsored by the TRA and the National Park Service, an update on the Roosevelt family genealogy project, and information about the 1988 TRA annual dinner to be held in Dallas, Texas, complete “News and Notes.”

Two scenes from the musical “Teddy and Alice,” three photographs from the Roosevelt Study Center, and a photograph of members of the TRA in Medora, North Dakota, join an illustration of both sides of the TRA medallion as supplements to the text.

Bill Bleyer describes a day in the life of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt during one of its shakedown cruises in March 1987. Bleyer follows the actions of the ship and her crew from 6:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. He visits a variety of stations and areas on the carrier and quotes officers and enlisted men about their duties and conditions onboard the ship. Bleyer highlights the visit to the carrier of Theodore Roosevelt IV, a great-grandson of Theodore Roosevelt, and a Navy veteran.

Two photographs of F-18 Hornet fighter planes preparing for launch from the carrier illustrate the article along with a photograph of Theodore Roosevelt IV with two members of the ship’s crew after his flight. A listing of the officers of the Theodore Roosevelt Association also appears in the article.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

William Davison Johnston addresses the annual dinner of the Theodore Roosevelt Association on October 24, 1986, on the eve of the commissioning of the USS Theodore Roosevelt. He notes the many Roosevelt family members in attendance and closes his remarks by reading a passage from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “The Building of the Ship.” A photograph of Johnston shaking hands with Captain Paul W. Parcells, Commanding Officer of Theodore Roosevelt, supplements the text.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1986-10-24

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.

William Davison Johnston, President of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), opens this lengthy and crowded edition of the “News and Notes” section by praising the documentary “The Indomitable Teddy Roosevelt,” noting the opening of the Roosevelt Study Center in the Netherlands, and discussing the role of the TRA in the commissioning of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. The section covers the conferring of two awards sponsored by the TRA: the TRA Police Award and the Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize. Officer Vivian F. Picciarelli won the Police Award for 1986 and was the first woman to do so while Ronald H. Spector won the Naval History Prize for his book Eagle Against the Sun. “News and Notes” also discusses the work of historians Edmund Morris and Joe F. Decker on Theodore Roosevelt’s political language, and it notes the recent publications of TRA Executive Director John A. Gable on Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot, and Amos Pinchot.

“News and Notes” also covers the death of David Russell Roosevelt, a great grandson of Theodore Roosevelt, the reprinting of Sagamore Hill: An Historical Guide by the TRA, efforts to mark the spot of Roosevelt’s famous bear hunt of 1902 in Mississippi, and the various student contests and awards for high school students sponsored by the TRA. The section also examines the donation of letters to Harvard University by Joanna Sturm, Alice Roosevelt Longworth’s granddaughter. Letters to and from Theodore Roosevelt with Alice Hathaway Lee, his first wife, and Longworth, his daughter, make up most of the donation. An exhibit at Harvard and an article, both based on the correspondence, are also covered. The section closes with a report on three benefits, two balls and a reception, held in July and August 1986, to benefit the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The historic locations for the events, the involvement of the Roosevelt family, and the officers of the ship who attended are all discussed.

Various photographs depicting the Dolonor Summer Balls and the Sunset Reception, occurring in July and August of 1986, respectively. The balls were benefits for the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt, and were attended by officers of the ship, as well as supporters and members of the Theodore Roosevelt Association.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1986

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. 

Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger addresses the crowd assembled for the commissioning of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt on October 25, 1986. Weinberger traces Theodore Roosevelt’s interest in the United States Navy from his writing of the Naval History of the War of 1812 to his sending of the Great White Fleet while President. Weinberger also discusses the maritime strategy of the administration of President Ronald Reagan and argues that its policy mirrors that of Roosevelt’s with its emphasis on a powerful Navy and negotiating from a position of strength. Weinberger uses Roosevelt’s phrase “the just man armed” to describe the purpose of the Theodore Roosevelt.

Two photographs of Captain Paul W. Parcells, Commanding Officer of USS Theodore Roosevelt, with members of the ship’s crew, Weinberger, and members of the Roosevelt family, accompany the address. A photograph of the ship at dock in Newport News, Virginia, also appears in the address. 

This edition of “News and Notes” opens with coverage of the commissioning of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. A letter from Captain Paul W. Parcells, Commanding Officer of the ship, praises the work of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) in making the commissioning a success. The section also discusses the thirteen flags donated by the TRA to the carrier. Each flag of the city, state, or entity is identified and is followed by a brief paragraph about its history and meaning to Theodore Roosevelt. The individual responsible for donating the flag is also noted. A notice about a new prize, the Roosevelts Gold Medal, awarded by the New York Council of the Navy League of the United States, also features in the section. 

“News and Notes” reviews the plans of Prism Entertainment to issue a video cassette of the film “The Indomitable Teddy Roosevelt,” and it notes that the company will establish a fund to promote historical and environmental films, and will donate money to the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Fund at the American Museum of Natural History. The section also highlights two recent publications by John A. Gable, Editor of the TRA Journal, and it quotes from a letter from President Ronald Reagan on the occasion of the opening of the Roosevelt Study Center in the Netherlands. “News and Notes” closes by quoting from three letters by members of the TRA praising its work.

Awards, award ceremonies, and award winners dominate this edition of the “News and Notes” section. Twelve different awards, ten of them directly involving the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), are discussed across five pages of the section. The Theodore Roosevelt Police Award, the Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize, the Theodore Roosevelt Public Speaking Contest, and the John Paul Jones Award won by the commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt are all discussed in their own subsections. A Christopher Award given to the documentary “The Indomitable Teddy Roosevelt” and the research grants awarded from the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Fund at the American Museum of Natural History also merit detailed coverage.

“News and Notes” also touches on the speaking engagements of the TRA’s Executive Director John A. Gable, the passing of Horace M. Albright, a TRA Trustee and former Director of the National Park Service, and a change in the leadership of the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site Foundation.

A photograph of the students, judges, and coaches at the Theodore Roosevelt Public Speaking Contest, a photograph of a smiling Theodore Roosevelt, and a photograph of Captain Paul W. Parcells and his family appear in the section along with an illustration of both sides of the TRA medallion.

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

Report on a number of activities and ceremonies in and around Buffalo, New York, October 25 -27, 1985, to mark Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday and to highlight his presence in the Buffalo area. The report details the proceedings of a symposium on Roosevelt at Canisius College, listing the presenters and their topics as well as the other guest speakers. It also touches on the dedication of a plaque at a museum and a sign at an intersection to Roosevelt as well as the birthday dinner held in his honor. A photograph of four members of the leadership of the Theodore Roosevelt Association in Buffalo appears in the report.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1986

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

John A. Gable recounts the ceremony on April 20, 1985, in which the Theodore Roosevelt Association gave its highest honor, the Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal, to Reverend Norman Vincent Peale and Brigadier General Chuck Yeager. Gable notes that Yeager, a famous test pilot, broke yet another record with his flight from California to New York to attend the awards dinner. Gable lists those from the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) who organized and ran the ceremony, and he summarizes the remarks of the speakers. The article also includes a congratulatory letter from President Ronald Reagan and a listing of some of the guests. A listing of the officers of the TRA along with the members of its executive committee is included in the article.

Three photographs of Peale and Yeager at the awards dinner supplement the text.

Report on the 65th Annual Dinner and Meeting of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) held in Williamsburg, Virginia, on October 27, 1984, following the launch of the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The report quotes from the address given by the President of the TRA, William Davison Johnston, and from the letter sent to the TRA by President Ronald Reagan. The report lists many of the guests in attendance, including Theodore Roosevelt historians and biographers, employees of the National Park Service, and members of the Roosevelt family. It also reviews the financial state of the TRA, noting that it had run a deficit for the past two fiscal years, covers the election of officers, and notes the changes implemented to the Board of Trustees. The report concludes with a review of gifts given to the leadership of the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

A photograph of Roosevelt with his granddaughter Grace Roosevelt and three photographs of various guests, dignitaries, and members of the Roosevelt family at the annual dinner accompany the report.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

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