Roosevelt, Theodore

The front cover of the Fall, 1989 volume of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal features Theodore Roosevelt atop a steam shovel in Panama during his 1906 inspection of the construction of the Panama Canal. The back cover shows a delegation from the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) to the Netherlands, as well as the winners of the third annual Lawrence J. Saunders Awards of the TRA at the Roosevelt Study Center.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1989

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

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.

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Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

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

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

Three works come under consideration in the “Book Reviews” section. Cole Patrick looks at both the 1941 and 1989 editions of the Theodore Roosevelt Cyclopedia. He comments on the work of Albert Bushnell Hart in compiling and editing the first edition, and he quotes from William Allen White’s foreword from 1941. Patrick explains the various additions made to the 1989 edition by John A. Gable of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), including a bibliography, a chronology of Theodore Roosevelt’s life, and a history of the TRA.

Tweed Roosevelt examines Bartle Bull’s Safari: A Chronicle of Adventure and highlights its coverage of Theodore Roosevelt’s African safari of 1909-1910, and he also looks at other figures, British and American, who made safaris. He praises the book’s organization and illustrations but faults it for not giving a sense of who the hunters were as people, Roosevelt included. Marilyn E. Weigold praises Elizabeth Winthrop’s novel, In My Mother’s House, for its “precise descriptions of life in Manhattan in the last few decades of the nineteenth century.” The novel’s main character is based on the life of the daughter of Corinne Roosevelt Robinson, Theodore Roosevelt’s sister.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Variety marks the “News and Notes” column as it covers twelve topics over five pages. The first three topics involve awards and prizes conferred in 1988, and describe the Theodore Roosevelt Public Speaking Contest for the New York public schools, research grants from the American Museum of Natural History, and the Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize. The column reprints Tweed Roosevelt’s address on the 100 year anniversary of Arbor Day in Albany, New York, and notes the passing of Paul Russell Cutright who wrote two books about Roosevelt as a naturalist. “News and Notes” also highlights the speaking engagements of John A. Gable, promotes the Theodore Roosevelt Association’s publication of a collection of Roosevelt’s speeches, The Man in the Arena, and refutes assertions made in the media that Roosevelt believed in astrology.

A photograph from the finals of the public speaking contest, an illustration of Roosevelt, and one of both sides of the Theodore Roosevelt Association medallion appear in the column.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

In an article first published in the New York Times, David E. Pitt describes the ceremonies surrounding the conferring of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) Police Award to Sergeant Clement C. Johnson of the New York Police Department. Pitt explains how Johnson was wounded on the job, and he quotes both Johnson and his wife about why he returned to active duty. A photograph of Johnson with some of the leadership of the TRA and another of Johnson with his wife and daughter appear in the article.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1988

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.

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Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

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.

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.

After briefly describing the origins of the term “plankowner”–a ship’s crewmember assigned to a Navy ship on the day of the ship’s commissioning–this article lists the individuals, couples, and businesses who have earned the status of “honorary plankowners” of the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt because they have made “significant contributions of funds, time, or talent.”

Two photographs of the Theodore Roosevelt at her commissioning, a photograph of Theodore Roosevelt on the deck of the U.S.S. Connecticut, and a political cartoon supplement the listing.

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. 

Listing of the ten members of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Membership Committee, including four historians, two former Directors of the National Park Service, two members of the Roosevelt family, a retired Justice of the New York Supreme Court, and a business executive.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1985

Article about the conferring of the 1985 Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) Police Award to Officer Michael McCormick of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) on May 8, 1985. The article describes the actions taken by McCormick which earned him the award and notes his service record with the NYPD. The article quotes from remarks made by Theodore Roosevelt, great grandson of President Roosevelt, and highlights a number of the guests present from the TRA and NYPD. The article concludes with a look at some of the other awards sponsored by the TRA.  

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1985

Listing of the ten members of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Membership Committee, including four historians, two former Directors of the National Park Service, two members of the Roosevelt family, a retired Justice of the New York Supreme Court, and a business executive.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1985

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

William Davison Johnston records the achievements of Captain Edward L. Beach, United States Navy, both for his heroic service aboard submarines during World War II, as well as his command of the USS Triton which completed the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe in 1960. Johnston also notes Beach’s considerable body of work as an author of both fiction and nonfiction titles on naval topics. Johnston compares Beach to Theodore Roosevelt and finds him a worthy recipient of the Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal.

Photographs of Theodore Roosevelt, a great grandson of President Roosevelt, and of Beach at the award ceremony accompany the citation.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

John A. Gable gives a detailed report on the annual dinner of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) held on the 125th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt’s birth on October 27, 1983, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Gable provides some history about the Museum, quotes from the address given by President Ronald Reagan, and lists some of the various dignitaries and politicians who sent messages to the assembled guests. An excerpt from the speech given by the TRA President, William Davison Johnston, the presentation of a check to the American Museum of Natural History, and the awarding of the Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal to four individuals are also covered in detail. Gable also lists many of the guests, including members of the Roosevelt family, and closes with remarks on some of the other events held to mark the 125th anniversary of Roosevelt’s birth.

Seven photographs of various guests, speakers, award winners, and members of the TRA leadership accompany the article. Photographs of the equestrian statue of Theodore Roosevelt in front of the American Museum of Natural History and of President Ronald Reagan addressing the dinner guests on a video screen are also found in the article.

A listing of the officers of the TRA, along with the members of its executive, finance, and Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace committees, is found on the article’s second page.

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.