September 11 Terrorist Attacks (2001)

Richard Siegelman examines the role Theodore Roosevelt posthumously played in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Siegelman notes that Todd Beamer, who along with his fellow passengers helped crash one of the hijacked airliners well short of its intended target, kept an excerpt from Roosevelt’s famous “Man in the Arena” speech in his desk. Siegelman asserts that Roosevelt may very well have inspired Beamer’s heroic actions. A photograph of Beamer and three photographs of Siegelman with his elementary school students supplement the essay.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2020

Creator(s)

Siegelman, Richard

Brief essay that reports that Todd Beamer, one of the heroes of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, kept a quote from Theodore Roosevelt’s “Citizenship in a Republic” speech in his den. The quote is the passage often referred to as the “Man in the Arena.”

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2005

Creator(s)

Unknown

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. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

John A. Gable reviews the second volume of Edmund Morris’s biography of Theodore Roosevelt, Theodore Rex. Gable notes the literary character of the work, and he argues that Henry F. Pringle’s biography of Roosevelt is still read not because of its judgments, but because it is well written. Gable also compares Morris’s book to those of Lewis L. Gould and William Henry Harbaugh, and he quotes from several reviews of Theodore Rex in leading newspapers and magazines. Gable singles out the critical review of Christine Stansell, and he rebuffs some of her arguments by quoting from a response he wrote to her review. Gable concludes his essay by noting that many reviewers found parallels between the events of September 11, 2001 and the assassination of President William McKinley in September 1901. 

 

A photograph of Roosevelt, two of Morris, and a text box advertising a CD-ROM published by the Theodore Roosevelt Association appear in the review.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Report on the annual meeting of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) held on November 3, 2001 at the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site in New York City. The report covers the many sets of elections for officers and members of the advisory board and board of trustees for the TRA. The report highlights the election of Norman Parsons as the next President of the TRA, providing a brief biography of him, and it provides a synopsis of his address to the gathering. The nationwide tour of Theodore Roosevelt’s Medal of Honor, the status of the Pine Knot property, and the conferring of the TRA’s annual Junior Officer Leadership Award for the USS Theodore Roosevelt are also discussed.

 

Photographs of the most recent presidents of the TRA, Parsons and Lawrence H. Budner, supplement the report.

 

 

The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt appears as a subject in four of the six articles found in this edition of the “News & Notes” section. Paul B. Madden recalls his visit to the ship as a twelve year old; the carrier won a coveted award from the U.S. Navy; and GreenPoint Financial Corporation made a large donation to the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) to support the ship. “News & Notes” also discusses the origins of Theodore Roosevelt’s use of the term “bully pulpit,” and it notes the 2001 winner of the Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize. 

 

An illustration of the carrier and a photograph of John A. Gable with members of Oregon’s congressional delegation and the Speaker of the House of Representatives appear in the section. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal