Lisa and have been enjoying watching the Ken Burns film, “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History.” It is airing in two-hour segments all week long on PBS.
Tonight’s segment, I believe, details TR’s final years (after leaving the Presidency in 1909 through his death in 1919).
Theodore Roosevelt may very well be my favorite President. If not number one, he would definitely be on my “Mount Rushmore” of Presidents (Oh, wait, he’s actually on THE Mount Rushmore…so scratch that…). Let’s rephrase and say if he’s not number one, he’d be in the Top 5!
Ahem.
I find him fascinating. I love how much energy he had. I love how he managed the work/life balance before that was ‘a thing.’ I also think he lived and governed in fascinating times.
I’m also a fan of Edith, his wife. I think the two of them were a great match for each other. And when you hear stories of the colorful, energetic family, you can almost close your eyes and imagine their antics. Rich; fun family life.
I’ve read a number of biographies about both of them. And one of the highlights of our family vacation in 2008 was a visit to Sagamore Hill, the Roosevelt home near Oyster Bay, Long Island.
We were the first tourists to arrive that morning, so we got to participate in the ceremonial flag raising ceremony at that National Park Service site. A review of the website featuring Sagamore Hill tells me the site is closed while the home is being refurbished, so I feel our ’08 visit was a real treat.
Some months ago, I ran across this piece and I decided to stash it in my blog file for later use. When you see some of these phrases detailed in the article, you can imagine the staccato delivery of our nation’s 26th President such as in the audio clips preserved on the Library of Congress website.
He was a bold leader for a bold new century. I’ve really been enjoying the Burns film and reliving those great highlights in American history.
If you are interested in watching the series, you can tune in to your local PBS station. Tonight’s episode begins at 8 p.m. EDT. And, if you have missed any of the episodes, you can view each of them online at http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-roosevelts/watch-videos/
JG
Originally posted 9/16/2014
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