United States. National Park Service. Manhattan Sites

Article about the 1979 Theodore Roosevelt Public Speaking Contest featuring contestants from New York City public high schools. The article names several of the schools that participated and lists the student finalists,  contest judges, and the members of the committee that organize the competition. It also touches on the other student contests sponsored by the Theodore Roosevelt Association.

 

Two photographs accompany the article. One shows the winner of the contest, Melissa Heenan, delivering her speech during the finals competition, and the other shows her holding her prize of a Theodore Roosevelt bust with her coach Carol Millet.

 

A listing of the officers of the Theodore Roosevelt Association is found on the second page of the article.

John A. Gable reports on the work and achievements of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) for 1977. He notes a rise in membership and dues during the past year and discusses the many requests for help that the TRA office received from those pursuing work on Theodore Roosevelt. The report provides brief summaries of the work of the TRA that is covered in more detail in separate articles in this and past issues, such as the renovation and restoration of the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site and the visit to the White House by a delegation from the TRA.

 

The report also covers the annual student contests sponsored by the TRA, the research grants awarded by the American Museum of Natural History, the Association’s support of Youngs Memorial Cemetery and the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary for birds in Oyster Bay, and publications, such as the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal, produced by the TRA.

 

A photograph of John A. Gable and P. James Roosevelt talking to President Jimmy Carter at the White House accompanies the report.

Details of the reopening of the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site after a two year restoration. The article describes the ceremony, lists some of the more notable guests, and reprints parts of messages from President Jimmy Carter, Senator Jakob K. Javits, and Mayor Abraham Beame of New York City. The article gives a brief history of the house, details the funding of the restoration, and credits individuals who led the renovation.  

 

A photograph of the exterior of the home and two photographs of notable guests at the reception accompany the article.

 

David M. Kahn of the National Park Service Manhattan Sites relates the story of the painstaking restoration of much of the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site. He recounts how the building was first restored in 1923 while Theodore Roosevelt’s sisters were still alive and could serve as sources for how the home appeared in their childhood. Kahn notes that the 1977 restoration was designed to recreate how the home appeared after the first restoration. He describes the work of the conservators in repairing or replacing period furniture, carpet, and wallpaper.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1978

Creator(s)

Kahn, David M., 1950-

P. James Roosevelt and John A. Gable, President and Executive Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), provide a detailed accounting of the TRA’s outreach and education activities for 1976. Many of these initiatives are covered in more detail in individual articles in this issue of the Journal. The two longest sections of the report cover the expansion of the Theodore Roosevelt Collection, exhibits, and reading spaces at the Harvard University libraries and the project to restore the neighborhood surrounding the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site in New York City. The report also covers the annual student contests sponsored by the TRA, the research grants awarded by the American Museum of Natural History, and the publications, such as the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal, produced by the TRA.

 

A listing of the officers of the TRA is included in the report.

 

A photograph of TRA President P. James Roosevelt with Trustee Dorothy Horton McGee at the Annual Meeting and another of two children admiring a bust of Theodore Roosevelt at the Roosevelt Birthplace accompany the report.

Architectural historian James Sanders gives a detailed report on the East 20th Street Revitalization Project which aimed to reinvigorate the neighborhood surrounding the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site in New York City. Most of the work involved cleaning and painting buildings, planting trees, and installing new signage. Sanders gives a history of the Roosevelt Birthplace, detailing the neighborhood’s decline as the area moved from residential to light industrial use. He looks at the plans to revitalize the neighborhood and credits the various individuals, private entities, government bureaus, and corporations that contributed to the project.

The article has two accompanying photographs: one shows the exterior of the Birthplace at 28 East 20th Street in New York City and the other shows Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt IV with their son on the front steps of the Birthplace.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1977

Executive Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) John A. Gable relates Theodore Roosevelt related news in his message to readers. He notes that the revitalization efforts undertaken by the TRA and other organizations in the neighborhood surrounding the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site has inspired the formation of another group to work on the area south of the Birthplace. He also reports that the Library of Congress received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to catalog the TRA Motion Picture Collection. Gable also details the work of Roosevelt impersonators on stage, television, and in school appearances. He closes by listing the various schools and historical associations to which he has spoken in his capacity as Executive Director.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1977

Creator(s)

Gable, John A.

P. James Roosevelt and John A. Gable, President and Executive Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), provide a detailed accounting of the TRA’s outreach and education activities for 1975. Many of these initiatives are covered in more detail in individual articles in this issue of the Journal. The longest portion of the Report covers the plan to undertake an urban renewal effort in the neighborhood of the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site on East Twentieth Street in New York City. The planting of trees, painting of buildings, use of brick pavers and other measures are hoped to revitalize the neighborhood and increase visitation to the site.

The Annual Report also features three photographs from the TRA’s Annual Meeting and Dinner as well as two views of the sculpture bust of Theodore Roosevelt created by Gleb Derujinsky, a copy of which was donated to the city of Oyster Bay, New York by the TRA in October 1975.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1976