Vanden Heuvel, William J. (William Jacobus), 1930-.

William N. Tilchin recalls his friendship with William J. Vanden Heuvel. Tilchin quotes from their correspondence, and he notes that they shared a belief that Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt shared similar outlooks on domestic and foreign policies. Tilchin asserts that Vanden Heuvel devoted much of his work to linking the two presidents, as well as healing the rift between the two branches of the Roosevelt family.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2021

The Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) announces that this issue of its journal is dedicated to the memory of William J. Vanden Heuvel who served the TRA in a variety of capacities as a member of the Board of Trustees and the Advisory Board. The announcement highlights aspects of Vanden Heuvel’s career and notes that he was a recipient of the Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal. A text box lists the President and Chief Executive Officer of the TRA, along with those responsible for assembling its journal, guidelines for submitting manuscripts, and information regarding the governance of the TRA.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2021

William N. Tilchin reports that he has received favorable feedback regarding his review of Ken Burns’s documentary on the Roosevelt family which appeared in the Winter-Spring-Summer 2015 issue of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Tilchin quotes from email and letters he received, and he highlights letters received from William J. Vanden Heuvel of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute. Tilchin closes with commentary reflecting on the shared perspectives of Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2015

Report on the 80th annual meeting of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) held in Norfolk, Virginia, onboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, and at Pine Knot, Theodore Roosevelt’s retreat in rural Virginia. The report details the annual dinner, noting its ceremonies and speakers, including the conferring of the TRA’s Junior Officer of the Year Award for the USS Theodore Roosevelt and recognizing John A. Gable’s twenty-five years as Executive Director of the TRA. The report highlights the association’s visit to the aircraft carrier, including an air show and the results of the various TRA elections for members of the Advisory Board, Board of Trustees, and Executive Committee. The report provides brief biographies of some of those elected to various capacities, and it highlights the presentation of Theodore Roosevelt’s naval flag to the USS Theodore Roosevelt for display in its museum.

The report highlights the speech given by Tsakhia Elbegdorj, a former Prime Minister and President of Mongolia, and it provides coverage of the TRA’s visit to Pine Knot, including a history of the property and plans for its upkeep and use. Thirteen photographs populate the report, including four of Pine Knot and two of the aircraft carrier.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Genna Rollins, Secretary of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), highlights the ceremonies and speeches that marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the Roosevelt Study Center (RSC) in Zeeland, the Netherlands, on September 19, 2011. Rollins notes the various speakers from the United States and Holland, and she briefly summarizes their remarks. Rollins also provides a history of the RSC, with an emphasis on its relationship with the TRA, which included funding, donations of books and materials, and providing speakers such as John A. Gable, longtime executive director of the TRA. In one of her endnotes, Rollins examines the history of the Roosevelt family in the United States, noting the the two branches headquartered in Oyster Bay and Hyde Park, New York. 

Six photographs populate the essay, including three of the speakers at the anniversary celebration.

Report on the annual meeting and dinner of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) held in October 2003 in New York City. The report highlights three awards conferred by the TRA and the annual elections for members of the executive committee, board of trustees, and the advisory board. The report also touches on reports from various officers and committees, and it highlights the TRA’s involvement in publishing, art exhibitions, and documentary films about Theodore Roosevelt. The section closes with a look at the field trips undertaken by the members of the TRA in and around New York City to Roosevelt-related sites.

Three photographs from the annual dinner appear in the report.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Obituary for John A. Gable, Executive Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) and the founder and editor of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. The obituary highlights Gable’s education, his publications, and his consulting work for documentaries on Theodore Roosevelt. It notes that he was awarded the Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal shortly before his death, and it lists those who spoke at his funeral service at Christ Church in Oyster Bay, New York. The obituary includes a photograph of Gable, as well a photograph of him with members of his family, and a text box with information about the TRA.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2005

List of sponsor, co-sponsors, patrons, and supporters of the 84th annual dinner and meeting of the Theodore Roosevelt Association in October 2003. The sponsor, Roosevelt & Cross Incorporated, was founded by Archibald B. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt’s son, and one of the co-sponsors, The Roosevelt Investment Group, was founded by P. James Roosevelt.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2004

John P. Avlon explores Theodore Roosevelt’s thoughts and beliefs on twelve different topics, ranging from self-improvement to facing death, by quoting from Roosevelt’s writing and speeches. Many familiar quotations are invoked, including a passage from “Citizenship in a Republic,” better known as the “Man in the Arena” speech. Photographs of Avlon and Roosevelt supplement the text.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2003-10-24

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.

This edition of the “News & Notes” section provides brief notices of three books, all of which have some content related to Theodore Roosevelt. The section also promotes the website, upcoming annual meetings, and publications of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA). It also lists the roster of historians and biographers scheduled to speak at a symposium marking the centennial of Roosevelt’s presidency scheduled for September 2001, and it includes a text box listing the officers of the TRA. Two photographs of the Medals of Honor awarded to Roosevelt and his son, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, supplement the text.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2001

This edition of “News and Notes” opens with news of the History Channel’s production of another documentary film about Theodore Roosevelt. The report provides some details about its production and highlights members of the Roosevelt family who have roles in the film. “News and Notes” highlights the journey of “Bully” the moose from Alaska to Colorado to the USS Theodore Roosevelt; the trophy mount was acquired by members of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA). A posthumous award for Roosevelt from the United States Navy Memorial Foundation and a conservation roundtable sponsored by the TRA receive attention as do a number of personnel changes at Roosevelt related historic sites like Sagamore Hill.

The section promotes the TRA’s website, its Theodore Roosevelt CD-ROM, and the association’s next annual meeting. Two photographs from the production of the History Channel documentary and a photograph of Bully the moose with the commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt appear in the section. 

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.

John A. Gable provides a detailed report on the opening of the Roosevelt Study Center in the Netherlands on September 19-20, 1986. Gable discusses the inaugural symposium held at the Center, listing the speakers and their topics, and he examines the genealogy of the Roosevelt family, looking at its roots in the Netherlands and the split of the family into the Hyde Park and Oyster Bay, New York, branches. Gable also touches on the purpose of the Center, to provide a European home for the study of American history, and he notes the various resources available to students and scholars. Gable also lists the members of the Roosevelt family and the Theodore Roosevelt Association who attended the opening and are involved in the Center’s administration.

Ten photographs supplement the text; seven show people at the opening of the reception with an emphasis on members of the Dutch government, and three show the exterior of the Center’s building, the Middelburg Abbey.  

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. 

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.

Article on the establishment of the Roosevelt Study Center in Middleburg, capitol of the Province of Zeeland in the Netherlands. The article notes that the Center will focus on the lives of Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Eleanor Roosevelt. It details the visit made to the Netherlands by John A. Gable, Executive Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), in November and December of 1985 in which he gave five lectures and visited with various government officials. The article discusses the history of Middelburg and lists the various individuals and entities, including the TRA, that will be involved in its operation and governance. 

A picture of the Middleburg Abbey which will house the Center accompanies the article.

The “News and Notes” section returns after a hiatus in the prior two issues. The section opens with a listing of the deaths of seven people in 1985 who had some connection to Theodore Roosevelt or the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), and this issue is dedicated to them. The deaths of Peter R. Fisher and John E. Roosevelt are discussed at length in the issue while the life of Harold R. Kraft is examined in this section. The section also covers the visit of a delegation from the Netherlands to Oyster Bay, New York, in connection with the establishment of the Roosevelt Study Center in Middelburg, Province of Zeeland, in the Netherlands. The purpose of the Center, some of its leadership, and the role of the TRA in its founding are examined. 

A brief on the “Theodore” exhibit at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum and a notice about a lecture given by John A. Gable at Grey Towers, Gifford Pinchot’s home, complete the section. Two photographs of members of the Dutch delegation in Oyster Bay, New York, are found in the section.