The Theodore Roosevelt Association, (TRA) is an historical and cultural organization based in Oyster Bay, New York, open to the general public. The organization's purpose is to honor the life and works of Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) and to educate the public on the 26th US President. The organization was founded in 1919 by friends and supporters of the late US 26th president originally as the Permanent Memorial National Committee. Soon renamed the Roosevelt Memorial Association, (RMA), it was chartered by an Act of Congress 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 as low as $20 for students and $35 for regular members. Several levels of membership are available. ^[1] Image File history File links Tra-seal. ... Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. ... The floor of the NYS Assembly Chamber during session 2007. ...

History

The association was formally chartered by Congress "to perpetuate the memory of Theodore Roosevelt for the benefit of the people of the United States of America and the world...." 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. ^[2] Thereafter, for 16 months, writer and private investor Edward Renehan, who had long volunteered with the organization as a trustee and member of the executive committee, served 16 months as interim executive director while the organization sought a permanent replacement for Dr. Gable. The presidency of the TRA was offered to Dr. Cathal Nolan of Boston University, but after spending four months as a part-time consultant he declined to accept the offer. During early 2007, Renehan joined Pulitzer Prize winning Theodore Roosevelt biographer Edmund Morris, supported by Dr. Nolan, in calling for the closing of the TRA, saying the organization's work was done and that the liquidated assets of the organization should be used to endow a full-time curator for the Theodore Roosevelt Collection at Harvard. ^[3] The current president of the TRA is James Bruns, former president and ceo of the Atlanta History Center. ^[4] Herman Hagedorn (1882- 1965; ) was an American author, poet, biographer of Theodore Roosevelt, born in New York City, and educated at Harvard University, University of Berlin, and Columbia University. ... Dr. John Allen Gable (1943-2005) served as executive director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association from 1974 through to his death in February 2005. ... Edward Renehan (aka, Edward J. Renehan Jr. ... For the similarly named institution in Chestnut Hill, see Boston College. ... The Pulitzer Prize is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in print journalism, literary achievements, and musical composition. ... Edmund Morris is a British biographer, winner of the 1980 Pulitzer Prize. ... Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and a member of the Ivy League. ... The Atlanta History Center is located in the Buckhead district of Atlanta, Georgia. ...

Preserving Rooseveltian Sites

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.

The 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 Theodore Roosevelt Jr., was donated to the National Park Service in 1963 (at the same time as the NYC Birthplace). 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. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 400 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2304 × 3456 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 400 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2304 × 3456 pixel, file size: 1. ... Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site is a unit of the National Park Service at 28 E. 20th Street in New York, New York. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Oyster Bay is the name of several places: Oyster Bay, New York, a hamlet in the town of Oyster Bay (town), New York, on Long Island, New York, United States of America Oyster Bay, Florida, a bay in Lee County, Florida, United States of America Oyster Bay, New South Wales... Theodore Roosevelt Island is a national park located in the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. named after the 26th president of the United States. ... Sagamore Hill was the home of President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. ...

Theodore Roosevelt Collection

The TRA's ancestor organization, the Roosevelt Memorial Association (RMA), collected manuscripts, diaries, 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. ^[5] 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.) ^[6] Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and a member of the Ivy League. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... Construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building, from July 8, 1888 to May 15, 1894. ...

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. ^[7]

1953 name change and merger with the Women's Association

TR's home Sagamore Hill, a National Historic Site donated to the National Park Service by the Theodore Roosevelt Association in 1963. Nearby is Old Orchard, the former home of Theodore Roosevelt Jr., which houses a comprehensive multimedia museum concerning the life and times of Theodore Roosevelt.

In 1953, the RMA changed its title to the current name, the Theodore Roosevelt Association. and the modern organization was born. On January 6, 1955, the Women's Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Association officially merged with the TRA.^{[8] [9]} Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 364 KB) Summary The House of Theodore Roosevelt called Sagamore Hill, in Oyster Bay, NY. This is now a National Historic Site. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 364 KB) Summary The House of Theodore Roosevelt called Sagamore Hill, in Oyster Bay, NY. This is now a National Historic Site. ... is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ...

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).

In 2007 to accomodate evening keynote speaker, Doris Kearns Goodwin's longtime passion for the Boston Red Sox, she gave her address after the cocktail reception and before the dinner, itself to seated guests. Additional planned remarks during the dinner were also supplied by scholars William Tilchin and Serge Ricard, TR scholar ^[10] and professor of American Foreign policy at The Sorbonne, who spoke on Roosevelt's foreign policy from prepared notes. His topic was "Theodore Roosevelt - The Right Man at the Right Time." Doris Kearns Goodwin (born January 4, 1943 in Brooklyn, New York) is an award-winning American author and historian. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 4, 8, 9, 27, 42 Name Boston Red Sox (1908–present) Boston Americans (1901-1907) Other nicknames The BoSox, The Olde Towne Team, The Sox Ballpark Fenway Park (1912–present) Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds... Serge Ricard, a Fulbright Scholar, is professor of American Civilization at the University of Paris III, Sorbonne Nouelle. ... Inscription over the entrance to the Sorbonne The front of the Sorbonne Building Sorbonne Place The name Sorbonne (La Sorbonne) is commonly used to refer to the historic University of Paris in Paris, France or one of its successor institutions (see below), but this is a recent usage, and Sorbonne...

Activities in modern 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 receives over 10,000,000 hits per year and provides information on the many facets of TR. The organization also conducts the Theodore Roosevelt^R Police Awards (given in New York, Dallas, Boston, Nashville and other locations 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. ^[11] The organization is now entering a growth stage as outlined below. This article is about the state. ... Dallas redirects here. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... Teddy bear Barrymans original cartoon A Teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear for children. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

2006-2007 activities

In 2006 a new chapter was started in Washington State. WATRA, as it is known, has grown steadily since that time. WATRA will be hosting the Centenniel Celebration of the Arrival of TR's Great White Fleet in Seattle for May 23, 2008. ^[12] Early in 2007, the TRA began to push recruiting, appointing a Michelle Bryant, who was heavily involved in activities of the US Navy's USS Theodore Roosevelt, as the wife of one of its former commanding officer, of Seattle, WA as the chair of the membership committee. TRA members from Bismark, ND, Minnesotta and Florida also indicated interest in starting state chapters. ^{[citation needed]} Mort Kuntsler 1977 painting The Great White Fleet Sails. ... is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (common) era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... Two vessels of the United States Navy have been named USS Theodore Roosevelt, in honor of Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President and an important supporter of the Navy. ... The commanding officer (CO) is the officer in command of a military unit. ...

Current Theodore Roosevelt Museums and Sites

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.

The Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, established 1978, encompasses more than 70,000 acres (280 km²)

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 City. All three museums remain open to visitors. Old Orchard was recently gutted on its ground floor and redone into a state-of-the-art 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 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 Badlands in 1884-1887. Theodore Roosevelt's face is enshrined on Mount Rushmore beside those of Lincoln, Jefferson and Washington. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 2. ... Theodore Roosevelt National Park from NPS public domain digital image archive File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Theodore Roosevelt National Park from NPS public domain digital image archive File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Sagamore Hill was the home of President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. ... The Theodroe Roosevelt Birthplace is a National Historic Site located on 20th Street in Manhattan, New York City (USA). ... Sagamore Hill was the home of President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. ... The Theodroe Roosevelt Birthplace is a National Historic Site located on 20th Street in Manhattan, New York City (USA). ... Theodore Roosevelt Island is a national park located in the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. named after the 26th president of the United States. ... Established in 1978, Theodore Roosevelt National Park is a United States National Park comprising three geographically separated areas of badlands in western North Dakota. ... The Chinle Badlands at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. ... For the 1960s rock band, see Mount Rushmore (band). ...

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 "a world-class museum ...dedicated to the 26th president." ^[13]

Unlike any Presidential Library, this will be a "Center" for people of all ages to learn more about TR, from his earlychildhood to his last days. An experiential immersive experience, visitors will find themselves face to face with the stories of TR in ways that have not been explored or presented before. The expectation is that once people learn about TR they will be further inspired to visit other NY State sites such as Sagamore Hill, his gravesite, Birthplace and Inaugural Site as well as other sites, such as TR National Park and the Elkhorn Ranch in North Dakota.

Plans also call for an "education and research arm" which may promote some of the current programs and develop others, and, perhaps, a public policy arm, not to take sides on an issue, but to encourage debate on topics of particular import to TR. The intention remains to build a "L.E.E.D." or "green" building that would take advantage of technologies in lighting, HVAC and waste management.

In an interview with the Oyster Bay Enterprise Pilot, Bruns described the project as a challenge to build "a permanent home for [the TRA] and create a fitting place of national reflection in honoring the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt." An article published July 23, 2007 in Newsday indicated that the TRA intends to build its project in either Oyster Bay, Cambridge (Massachusetts), or Washington, D.C., with Oyster Bay being the most likely site. ^[14] is the 204th day of the year (205th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

"We find ourselves wonderfully unfettered by the need to start by preserving millions of papers and ephemera. We've done that," commented a board member. TR's presidential papers are preserved at the Library of Congress. The TRA gave its collection of manuscripts and books to Harvard in 1943 and has continued to directed certain donations in that way. Many of the organization's collections of objects related to the life of Theodore Roosevelt went in 1963 with the gift of Sagamore Hill, Old Orchard, and the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace to the National Park Service.

Defenders of the project point out, among other things, to the millions of dollars of donor contributions that will fund modern digital information retrieval technology that will allow the new museum working with other institutions such as Dickinson State University which has already announced a project to digitize all of Roosevelt's papers. ^[15] Those digital facsimiles and word-for-word text technologies will make Roosevelt's 8 million plus words available to researchers and scholars worldwide as were the Thomas Jefferson papers when the University of Virginia digitized its collection of his papers. Thus, the actual physical location of Roosevelt's papers and artifacts will be irrelevant to researchers and scholars who would never have had access to them. In fact, these same technologies will preserve the documents and physical artifacts from on-going deterioration as the result of human contact and interface. These same defenders also point out that neither Harvard, the National Park Service nor the Library of Congress have any such plans in place to digitize Roosevelt's papers and that the new library will provide precisely the resources needed for this important work of dissemination. Critics point out that while digitization is a worthy ambition, it obviates the need for a brick and mortar research library. Dickinson State University is a regional four-year insitution within the North Dakota University System. ...

A growing number of people supporting the project with pledges of financial support, although some are contingent on the project going forward in Oyster Bay.

In the hamlet of Oyster Bay Cove (where, according to press reports, the museum will most likely be sited)a few locals are wary of the project. While many officials of the wider Town of Oyster Bay seem enthusiastic about the project, some citizens and officials in Oyster Bay Cove, which will be most greatly impacted by the museum, have reservations regarding issues related to traffic, parking, waterfront management, and pollution of the bay. Interviewed in late September 2007, Oyster Bay Cove Mayor Rosemary Bourne said, "I don't know why they need it. I'm not in favor of it. I don't understand why it's needed and - who is going to support it? Sagamore Hill is not open every day for lack of financing so I don't understand about the deal. ... It's a question of priorities. Rather than a TR Museum I'd rather have a WaterFront Center building. There are a finite number of people who can write out a check to support each one. We need a WaterFront Center building." Jack Williams, former president of Friends of the Bay and mayor of neighboring Centre Island, directly across the water from the site of the proposed museum, commented at the same time: "The TR Museum is inappropriate. It is too big, it will bring in too much traffic, it will cause too much expense and use too much water. If it gets the visitors they claim there will be too many toilet flushes." And Marie Knight, past president of the Oyster Bay Civic Center, criticizes the proposed placement of the building. "It's a flood area. Cars have been flooded there, I know from local people. Why split up a museum and take away a parking lot that is so needed. That and add more traffic. Why put it there when they have Sagamore Hill?" Ralph Fumante, President of the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary Board, support the project saying, "A TR Museum might be the shot in the arm Oyster Bay needs." ^[16] (Note that the Sanctuary is not in the hamlet of Oyster Bay Cove where the museum will be built, but rather in Cove Neck several miles to the east.) Local debate is ongoing. ^[17]

Members of the TRA Board

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, several members of the Roosevelt family including TR's great-grandsons Tweed Roosevelt and Mark Ames, granddaughter Susan Roosevelt Weld and great-great-grandson Simon Roosevelt, and several cousins of TR. Additional trustees include Robert Charles, who worked in both the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush White Houses, served as counsel to US House Speaker Dennis Hastert, and was President George W. Bush’s Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, and the Hon. Lee Yeakel, a Federal Judge appointed by President George W. Bush

Membership

The TRA’s membership numbered 1800 as of 2006. (For backup on 2006 membership figure see: Theodore Roosevelt Association Financial Statements as of June 30, 2006, Together with Auditor's Report prepared by Callaghan Nawrocki LLP. Copies available from the office of the Theodore Roosevelt Association pursuant to New York State Law.) is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Interests of the membership are as varied as were Theodore Roosevelt's own interests. Members include teachers at all levels, doctors, lawyers, students, military members, volunteers, members of finance, and biographers; naturalists and conservationists, hunters and outdoor enthusiasts, professional historians, supporters of the Navy, Rough Rider fans, political buffs and collectors, and Theodore Roosevelt impersonators. Some members join simply because they are serious collectors of "Teddy" bears. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. ... Roosevelt and the Rough Riders atop San Juan Heights, 1898 The Rough Riders was the name bestowed by the American press on the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry regiment during the Spanish-American War. ... For other uses, see Teddy bear (disambiguation). ...

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.

Contacts

The Association can be reached by writing:

Theodore Roosevelt Association P.O. Box 719 Oyster Bay, NY 11771-0719

Telephone (516)921-6319 FAX (516) 921-6481

General e-mail: mailto:info@theodoreroosevelt.org President Jim Bruns: mailto:jbruns@theodoreroosevelt.org

Notes

See also

• Theodore Roosevelt
• Theodore Roosevelt Cyclopedia

Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. ... A comprehensive project to publish, in one set of collection, the significant saysings, important conversations and writings of 26th US President, Theodore Roosevelt. ...

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