Your TR Source
The Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) announces that it will take a field trip to Pine Knot, Virginia, to tour Theodore Roosevelt’s rustic retreat and listen to presentations by three speakers on the topic of Roosevelt and conservation as part of its 2005 annual meeting activities. A small photograph of the cabin supplements the announcement.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
2005
The Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) announces that its annual meeting for 2006 will be held in Atlanta, Georgia. The announcement includes a list of the four speakers at a symposium on the Roosevelt family, and it notes their publications and the topic they will be addressing.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
2006
Don Arp discusses Theodore Roosevelt’s encounters with alligators, crocodiles, and caimans while on a hunting trip to Louisiana, his safari in Africa, and his expedition in Brazil. Arp emphasizes that Roosevelt did not particularly like any of these reptiles, and that he relished hunting the caimans in Brazil, but that he nonetheless made careful observations of the crocodilians that he encountered. Arp includes several excerpts from Roosevelt’s writings about these three types of reptiles.
Andrew L. Knudson’s painting of Roosevelt as a Rough Rider appears in the article as does a text box with information about the Theodore Roosevelt Association.
This edition of “News & Notes” opens with the announcement that a conference scheduled to mark the centennial of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency had been cancelled because of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The section notes that the long awaited second volume of a biography of Roosevelt by Edmund Morris was scheduled for release in November 2001 and that Sylvia Jukes Morris’s biography of Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt was to be reissued in paperback. “News & Notes” highlights Roosevelt’s induction into the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon, the conferring of a historic preservation award to the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), and the announcement of the winners of the TRA’s Rose Award. Obituaries for Tilly DeVries and Lion DeVries of the TRA and a summary of this issue’s book reviews complete the section.
Three photographs from ceremonies celebrating Roosevelt’s Medal of Honor award appear in the section.
Report on the joint history conference, “The Big Stick and the Square Deal: The Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt,” and annual meeting of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) held in Buffalo, New York, in October 2002. The report has three parts: a report on the conference and meeting; a full-page of thirteen photographs showing speakers, attendees, and dignitaries; and a full-page listing of patrons, supporters, and sponsors of the weekend’s events. The report highlights the conferring of the TRA’s Bertha B. Rose Award and its Distinguished Service Medal. The Rose Award was given to three members of Congress who helped secure Theodore Roosevelt’s Medal of Honor while the Distinguished Service Medal was given to the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt.
An additional photograph on the first page of the report shows eleven of the conference speakers.
Report on the presentation of Theodore Roosevelt’s Medal of Honor by Tweed Roosevelt to President George W. Bush for permanent display at the White House. The report notes the long effort to secure the medal for Colonel Roosevelt, and it lists some of the key members of Congress who helped secure legislation enabling the conferring of the medal. The report notes the national tour made by Roosevelt’s medal, and it highlights the remarks made by Tweed Roosevelt and Bush at the ceremony. It lists the twenty-two members of the Roosevelt family and sixteen members of the Theodore Roosevelt Association who attended the White House ceremony.
A photograph of Tweed Roosevelt and Bush accompanies the text.
The front cover of this issue features a photograph of President Theodore Roosevelt speaking in Evanston, Illinois, in 1903 while the back cover has a photograph of Tweed Roosevelt and other members of the Roosevelt family with President George W. Bush on the occasion of donating Theodore Roosevelt’s Medal of Honor to the White House.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
2002-09-16
Vice President Theodore Roosevelt addresses the opening of the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, on May 20, 1901. Roosevelt makes a point of directing some of his remarks to those attending from Canada and to the republics of Latin America, and he emphasizes that he believes in the Monroe Doctrine. In addressing his fellow Americans, Roosevelt notes that the rapid industrial development underway will produce benefits and many problems, and he stresses that the nation’s citizens will need virtue and hard work to overcome them.
A photograph of the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site and a painting of Roosevelt as the Colonel of the Rough Riders accompany the speech.
Report on the 78th annual meeting of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) held at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. The report details the field trips, dinner, speakers, and elections that marked the weekend meeting. The report highlights the reelection of Lawrence H. Budner as President of the TRA, the address of William N. Tilchin, and the conferring of the Junior Officer Leadership Award for the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. Jesse Shapiro, winner of the TRA Public Speaking Contest for the New York City public schools, also addressed the dinner gathering.
Eight photographs of some of the assembled guests, speakers, and dignitaries, including four commanders of USS Theodore Roosevelt, populate the report.
Report on the successful effort to pass legislation authorizing President Bill Clinton to award the Medal of Honor to Theodore Roosevelt for his actions at the Battle of San Juan Hill, July 1, 1898. The report highlights the diligent efforts of Congressmen Paul F. McHale and Rick A. Lazio to pass the legislation in the House of Representatives and notes the work of Senators Kent Conrad and Robert C. Smith in the Senate. The report also notes the lobbying efforts of the membership of the Theodore Roosevelt Association, in particular that of Tweed Roosevelt, and it details the opposition of the U.S. Army to the conferring of the medal.
Photographs of McHale and Lazio, along with two illustrations of the Rough Riders, supplement the text.
Linda E. Milano reviews Betty Boyd Caroli’s The Roosevelt Women and John A. Gable examines eight books published to coincide with the centennial of the Spanish-American War in the “Book Reviews” section. Milano praises aspects of Caroli’s work, but she details what she considers the sometimes inaccurate and unfair depiction of Ethel Roosevelt Derby. Gable likes the two pictorial histories of the war by Stan Cohen and Ron Ziel, and he also admires the two works based on primary sources, Wallace Finley Dailey’s editing of Theodore Roosevelt’s war diary and Jeff Heatley’s compilation of newspaper accounts about the Rough Riders’ return to New York state. While Gable notes three other works, he devotes four paragraphs to a detailed critique of Teddy Roosevelt at San Juan by Peggy Samuels and Harold Samuels which he labels a “trashy book” for its reliance on unreliable sources and its agenda of belittling Roosevelt’s actions in the war.
The section includes a text box containing the mission statement of the Theodore Roosevelt Association.
Report on the successful effort to posthumously award the Medal of Honor to Theodore Roosevelt for his actions during the Battle of San Juan on July 1, 1898. The report details the history of the efforts to secure the medal for Roosevelt dating back to the aftermath of the Spanish-American War, and it closely examines the renewed efforts since 1996, highlighting the work of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) and numerous members of Congress. The report also covers the White House ceremonies of January 16, 2001 presided over by President Bill Clinton, and it includes coverage of the heroics of Andrew Jackson Smith who was also posthumously awarded the medal for his actions during the Civil War. A history of the Rough Rider regiment, Clinton’s remarks at the ceremony, and the citation accompanying Roosevelt’s medal are included in the report.
Five photographs from the medal ceremony and two of Roosevelt appear in the article.
John A. Gable critiques a book and an article that have been cited to undermine the case for awarding Theodore Roosevelt the Medal of Honor. Gable considers Teddy Roosevelt at San Juan: The Making of a President by Harold Samuels and Peggy Samuels and an article by military historian Mitchell A. Yockelson. Gable argues that the panel considering the merits of Roosevelt’s case should consider these works so that they can see the weakness of the argument against awarding Roosevelt the medal. Gable highlights some of the deficiencies in each of these works and refers to the Samuels’s book as “a blatant hatchet job.”
A photograph of Gable with Tweed Roosevelt and two photographs of the Roosevelt Rough Rider equestrian statue in Portland, Oregon, supplement the letter.
This edition of “Book Notes” lives up to its billing as it features two brief reviews and notes about five other works previously reviewed in the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. The section praises two new works, a biography of Alice Lee Roosevelt and a study of the Rough Riders from New Mexico, and it promotes Joseph R. Ornig’s study of the River of Doubt expedition and three books on Theodore Roosevelt’s tenure as Police Commissioner of New York City.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
1994-1995
The “News and Notes” section highlights the expansion of the Theodore Roosevelt Association’s (TRA) Public Speaking Contests and Police Awards to Long Island, New York, and it provides notices of the deaths of three TRA members who served on the association’s Board of Trustees. The section also notes an upcoming PBS documentary on Theodore Roosevelt, considers the operation of Sagamore Hill in the face of budget cuts, and includes a recollection of Roosevelt by Frank Ross McCoy, a former President of the TRA.
Four photographs, two from the ceremonies marking the TRA Police Award for New York City, supplement the text.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
1994-1995
A list of the leadership of the Theodore Roosevelt Association, including the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees. This includes the trustee classes of 1996, 1997, and 1998, as well as honorary trustees and trustees for life.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
1996
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.
Report on the 77th annual meeting of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) held in and around Boston, Massachusetts in October, 1996. The report highlights the conferring of several awards sponsored by the TRA: the Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal to author David McCullough; the Bertha B. Rose Award to Wallace Finley Dailey of Harvard; the Police Award for a member of the Boston, Massachusetts, Police Department; and the Junior Officer of the Year Award to a member of the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The report also details the annual elections of the TRA, including the selection of Lawrence H. Budner as the next president, and it notes that tours of Harvard, including the Theodore Roosevelt Collection, were given for those who attended. The report highlights the many years of service to the TRA of P. James Roosevelt and announces that a lecture series will be established in his name.
Thirteen photographs of those who attended the various events populate the report, including five of McCullough.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
1997
The combined “Books” and “Book Notes” sections contain four lengthy reviews, a brief review essay, and a notice about five works related to the life of Theodore Roosevelt. It also includes a short excerpt from Roosevelt’s writings on conservation and a report by Wallace Finley Dailey on the status of the Theodore Roosevelt Collection at Harvard University. Christopher Volpe praises Edward Renehan’s biography of John Burroughs and highlights Burroughs’s friendships with Roosevelt and the poet Walt Whitman. Volpe notes that Burroughs was a very popular figure as a nature writer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, but that he fell into obscurity after his death in 1921.
John A. Gable admires the cartoons and commentary found in J. David Valaik’s Theodore Roosevelt, An American Hero in Caricature which reproduces forty-seven caricatures of Roosevelt found in the pages of Puck magazine. Gable also favors Caleb Carr’s historical novel, The Alienist, which revolves around Roosevelt’s tenure as Police Commissioner of New York City. Gable, deeply skeptical of fictional portrayals of Roosevelt, finds Carr’s treatment “entirely accurate,” and he notes how other characters that people the novel have roots in real persons.
James G. Lewis reviews Char Miller’s Gifford Pinchot: The Evolution of an American Conservationist and notes that the work challenges the established view of the relationship between Pinchot and John Muir. Lewis says that Miller is “writing revisionist environmental history” by providing a nuanced portrait of Pinchot. Some of the selections as well as some of the commentary found in Mario R. Di Nunzio’s Theodore Roosevelt: An American Mind are questioned by the anonymous reviewer.
Wallace Finley Dailey, Curator of the Theodore Roosevelt Collection at Harvard University, provides a detailed update on manuscript and book additions to the collection; the use of the collection holdings by numerous authors; and the adoption of new computer based cataloging technology. Dailey also discusses fundraising efforts, exhibitions using the collection materials, and donations from members of the Roosevelt family. Photographs of Burroughs, Pinchot, Carr, and Valiak appear in the sections along with a view of the Theodore Roosevelt Gallery at Harvard.
Seven books, including two memoirs, are examined in six review essays in this edition of the “Book Notes” section. Michael L. Manson reviews two books on Theodore Roosevelt’s 1914 scientific expedition to Brazil; one penned by Roosevelt and the other by Joseph R. Ornig. Manson praises the forewords to both books written by Tweed Roosevelt, and he finds Ornig’s book provides a detailed look at the expedition and the cast of characters besides Roosevelt who made it successful. Stacy A. Cordery notes that journalist Joseph Alsop’s memoirs deal mostly with the major events and figures of the mid to late twentieth century, and she reveals Alsop’s opinions of various senators, presidents, and generals.
Richard P. Harmon faults Peter Collier’s The Roosevelts: An American Saga for focusing too much on the private lives of the two Roosevelt families, and he says that many of Collier’s assertions are not backed by evidence and that the book relies too much on a psychohistory approach. James Summerville asserts that H. Paul Jeffers’s look at Roosevelt’s tenure as Police Commissioner of New York City, Commissioner Roosevelt, disappoints and that readers should turn to Jay S. Berman’s study or to coverage of this period of Roosevelt’s career in biographies. John A. Gable provides a positive and short review of a short book, William H. Harbaugh’s fifty page history of Pine Knot, which Gable says is written with “charm and style.” Robert D. Dalziel, President of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), reviews the memoirs of Hamilton Fish, a winner of the TRA’s Distinguished Service Medal. Dalziel says that Fish’s opinions are straightforward and blunt like their author.
Two photographs appear in the section: one shows three members of the Rio Roosevelt Expedition of 1992 and the other dignitaries of the Dutch government at the Roosevelt Study Center in the Netherlands.