Theodore_Roosevelt_Association

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Theodore Roosevelt Association Theodore Roosevelt Association The Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) is an historical and cultural organization dedicated to honoring the life and work of Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), the 26th president of the United States. The group is based in Oyster Bay, New York, Roosevelt’s home. History The organization was founded in 1919 by friends and supporters of the late president originally as the Permanent Memorial National Committee. Soon renamed the Roosevelt Memorial Association (RMA), it was chartered under Title 36 of the United States Code in 1920. In parallel with the RMA was an organization for women, The Women’s Theodore Roosevelt Association that had been founded in 1919 by an act of the New York State Assembly. Both organizations merged in 1953 under the current name. In 2007, membership fees were $20 for students and $35 for regular members. Nearly 90 Years of Preserving Theodore Roosevelt’s Legacy The two ancestor organizations that eventually combined to form the modern Association established four public sites: the reconstructed Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site, New York City, which it dedicated in 1923 and donated to the National Park Service in 1963; Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park, Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York, which it dedicated in 1928 and gave to the people of Oyster Bay; Theodore Roosevelt Island in the Potomac in Washington, D.C., given to the federal government in 1932; and Sagamore Hill, Roosevelt’s Oyster Bay home, which opened to the public in 1953 and, together with nearby Old Orchard, home to Sitting room in the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site on East 20th Street in NYC. The building was rebuilt by the Women’s Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Association in the 1920s and donated to the National Park Service by the Theodore Roosevelt Association in 1963. Theodore Roosevelt Jr., was donated to the National Park Service in also in 1963. Along with the 1963 gifts of the Birthplace and Sagamore Hill properties, the TRA also donated an endowment to help support both parks sites. The TRA currently owns Theodore Roosevelt’s simple cabin, "Pine Knot", near Charlottesville, VA, which is managed by The Edith and Theodore Roosevelt Pine Knot Foundation. Theodore Roosevelt Collection One of the two TRA ancestor organizations, the Roosevelt Memorial Association (RMA), collected manuscripts, diaries, 1 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia correspondence and other items relating to Roosevelt’s personal and professional life. In 1923, the RMA opened a research library in New York City, and continued to build its archive. During 1943, the organization presented that entire collection of materials to Harvard University, Roosevelt’s alma mater. Today the Theodore Roosevelt Collection is housed in Harvard’s Houghton and Widener Libraries. [1] The collection continues to be a major resource for the study of the life and times of the 26th president of the United States. (Note: The only larger Theodore Roosevelt Collection is that at the Library of Congress (LOC), which includes Roosevelt’s Presidential Papers, donated personally by Roosevelt to the LOC.) [2] Theodore Roosevelt Association Activities in Recent Times In recent years, the organization’s endeavors included creation and maintenance of About Theodore Roosevelt, the TRA web site at www.theodoreroosevelt.org which has been criticized by scholars as hagiographic and hard to navigate. [5] The organization also conducts the Theodore RooseveltR Police Awards (given in New York, Dallas, Boston, and Nashville to police officers who have overcome handicaps), and the Theodore Roosevelt Teddy Bear program, which each year gives Teddy Bears to hospitalized children in New York City and Nashville during the December Holiday season. The TRA also publishes a quarterly journal, conducts occasional historical and educational conferences, and sponsors public speaking contests for high school students in New York. [6] Theodore Roosevelt Film Collection The compilation of the film collection was originally embarked upon by the RMA in January 1919. Later, during 1924, the RMA formally established the Roosevelt Motion Picture Library housed in the president’s reconstructed NYC birthplace. During 1962, the TRA donated the Roosevelt Motion Picture Library to the Library of Congress. [3] Annual Dinner/Meetings Annual meetings of the Theodore Roosevelt Association - held near TR’s October 27th birthday - occur generally in places that are somehow associated with TR - Boston/Cambridge where he attended college and met his first wife, New York/Oyster Bay where he lived most of his life, Norfolk around the USS Theodore Roosevelt, Washington DC where he worked as Asst. Sec. of Navy, Vice President and President, Atlanta GA where his mother grew up, and even the Netherlands where the Roosevelts originated. The annual dinner frequently includes the awarding of the Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal (DSM). Annual meetings often include lectures on TR, visits to Roosevelt-related sites, and silent auctions and bartering/ selling of TR collectibles by collector members of the association. Leadership of the TRA Led in the years 1919-1957 by Secretary and Director Hermann Hagedorn (1882-1964), the Association engaged in a wide spectrum of programs and activities to preserve Roosevelt’s memory. Dr. John Allen Gable served as executive director from 1974 until his sudden death in early 2005. [4] After interim appointments, the TRA’s leadership decided to expand and modernize the organization and hired James Bruns as Director to implement an organizational growth strategy. Bruns, was the former President and CEO of the Atlanta History Center (AHC) and while there had been quite successful tenure developing the museum’s physical and financial resources as well as raising almost 30 million dollars. Before the AHC position, Bruns had for a number of years at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, where he oversaw the building of the National Postal Museum and also had raised hundreds of millions of dollars for various projects. Bruns is raising funds for a new Presidential Library and Research Center. Current Theodore Roosevelt Museums and Sites As noted above, Theodore Roosevelt’s home, Sagamore Hill, and the adjacent Old Orchard (home of Theodore Roosevelt Jr.) were both given to the National Park Service by the TRA in the early 1960s, along with the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace in New York 2 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Theodore Roosevelt Association Badlands in 1884-1887. Theodore Roosevelt’s face is enshrined on Mount Rushmore beside those of Lincoln, Jefferson and Washington. Proposed Presidential Center/Museum Press announcements in March 2007 concerning the appointment of James Bruns as president of the TRA noted a plan to build a museum and research center dedicated to the 26th president. In Oyster Bay, NY, where the project is proposed to be built on a site popularly known as "Firemens Field" - local debate is ongoing. [7] A citizens group - the Coalition to Save Firemen’s Field - has been formed to defend the proposed site of the new museum from development. [8] Many residents cite grave concerns over increased traffic to the Museum over two-lane roads for a five mile perimeter around the proposed site: roads that are already frequently choked with traffic jams. Others note redundancy with the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site - former home of the President - and the adjacent Old Orchard Museum, housing an impressive multimedia museum dedicated to TR. Fountain and statue at the National Theodore Roosevelt Memorial on Theodore Roosevelt Island. The island was donated to the National Park Service by the TRA in 1931. The National Theodore Roosevelt Memorial on the island was dedicated in 1967. Members of the TRA Board The Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, established 1978, encompasses more than 70,000 acres (280 km²) City. All three museums remain open to visitors. Old Orchard was recently gutted on its ground floor and redone into a state-of-theart museum featuring even more artifacts, as well as multimedia presentations documenting the life and career of TR. Not only does the National Park Service administer Sagamore Hill and Old Orchard in Oyster Bay, as well as the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace in NYC, but also the aforementioned Theodore Roosevelt Island, an 80-acre (320,000 m2) tract in the Potomac at Washington, DC, which incorporates an imposing national memorial to Theodore Roosevelt dedicated in 1967. There is also the enormous (more than 70,000 acres (280 km²)) Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota which has a museum dedicated to TR’s experiences as a rancher in the The current chair, Barbara Brandt serves as the TRA’s 1st woman president. She is joined on the board and in the association by members from a wide variety of walks of life, and numerous members of the Roosevelt family including TR’s great-grandsons Tweed Roosevelt and Mark Ames, great-granddaughter Susan Roosevelt Weld and greatgreat-grandson Simon Roosevelt, and several cousins of TR. Other members include but are not limited to those in finance, the judicial/legal arenas, the military, and teaching. Membership The TRA’s membership numbered 1767 as of 2007, and their total corpus of funds less than $2 million. (For backup on 2007 membership figure see: Theodore Roosevelt Association Financial Statements as of June 30, 2007, Together with Auditor’s Report prepared by Callaghan Nawrocki LLP. Copies 3 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia available from the office of the Theodore Roosevelt Association pursuant to New York State Law.) Interests of the membership are as varied as were Theodore Roosevelt’s own interests. Members include Rough Rider fans, political memorabilia collectors, and Theodore Roosevelt impersonators. Some members join simply because they enjoy "Teddy" bears. Theodore Roosevelt Association Notes [1] Roosevelt Collection at Harvard University [2] Library of Congress Roosevelt Collection [3] Library of Congress on the Roosevelt Picture Library [4] Press notice of the death of Dr. John Gable [5] Review of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Web Site by Rich Hephner of the Public History Resource Center [6] Theodore Roosevelt Association [7] http://www.antonnews.com/ oysterbayenterprisepilot/2007/11/09/ news/ November 2007 Oyster Bay Enterprise Pilot Article [8] http://www.savefiremensfield.org/ Coalition to Save Firemen’s Field Rights and Privileges of Members Membership in the Association includes a subscription to the quarterly TRA Journal, and invitations to Association functions. Members also receive free admission to Sagamore Hill (Oyster Bay, NY) and the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace in Manhattan, upon presentation of their membership cards. See also • Theodore Roosevelt • Theodore Roosevelt Cyclopedia Office Location and Contact Information The Association’s Office is located at Theodore Roosevelt Association 20 Audrey Avenue Oyster Bay, NY 11771-1532 The TRA can be reached by writing to that address or to their post office box: Theodore Roosevelt Association P.O. Box 719 Oyster Bay, NY 11771-0719 President Jim Bruns: mailto:jameshbruns@aol.com James Bruns Direct Line: 703-969-9367 External links • http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org Theodore Roosevelt Association Official Site • http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/ troosevelt_film/ Library of Congress Theodore Roosevelt on Film • http://www.publichistory.org/reviews/ View_Review.asp?DBID=100 Review of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Web Site by Rich Hephner of the Public History Resource Center Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt_Association" Categories: 1919 establishments, United States historical societies, Theodore Roosevelt This page was last modified on 21 April 2009, at 15:26 (UTC). All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) taxdeductible nonprofit charity. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers 4