Former president Hoover with Stanford University president, Ray Lyman Wilbur, enjoying the Yale vs. Penn football game at Franklin Field. 10/13/1935 Sometimes history—and this blog post—take shape through coincidence. For instance, I was in Baltimore last week for a family event. I took advantage of the situation to do some literary sight-seeing, visiting the homes … Continue reading H. L. Mencken: Sage of Baltimore
1940 official rule book - American Football for Boys A Safe Game. Official Rules If it is autumn, Americans’ attention turn to football. The cool crisp autumnal air is the perfect vector to carry the satisfying sound of leather meeting leather on the gridiron. The satisfaction of a well-executed tackle was held just as dear … Continue reading Seasons Change, but Football Remains
By Thomas F. Schwartz New York Stock Exchange, ca. 1929 Much of the negativity connecting Herbert Hoover to the Great Depression was a relentless effort on the part of Charles Michelson a publicist hired by the Democratic National Committee in 1930 to attack Hoover’s policies and person. It was Michelson who created a series … Continue reading Parodies of the New Deal
This Royal typewriter is on display at the Hoover Museum, it is typical of what Herbert Hoover would have used while living in the Waldorf-Astoria. By Thomas F. Schwartz As the manuscript collections clearly document, Herbert Hoover was a compulsive writer. Typically, drafts were typed, edited, amended, and retyped ad nauseam before Hoover was … Continue reading When Typewriter Rentals Were Banned
Secretary Hoover had this small radio receiver installed in his home in order that he could better understand the complaints received by the Commerce Dept. from citizens with similar equipment. By Thomas F. Schwartz An old joke in the media industry is to indicate to something that they have “a face for radio.” I have … Continue reading A Face for Radio
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter proclaimed June 27th Helen Keller Day in America. This proclamation coincided with the 100th anniversary of Helen Keller’s birth. It was an apt way to celebrate the life of this remarkable woman. Keller lost her hearing and vision at a young age, but was able to have a long career … Continue reading Helen Keller and the Hoovers
By Thomas F. Schwartz President Hoover and First Lady Lou Hoover at a dinner at the Waldorf Astoria, Feb. 12, 1933. A common approach to short biography today is to provide a series of questions asking the interview subject to list their favorite foods, movies, music, etc. The archivists are frequently asked these same questions … Continue reading An Eclectic Taste in Music: Herbert Hoover’s Favorite Tunes
Part 2 By Thomas F. Schwartz Though the original ten reel production never was released for general viewing, the existing scripts give a sense of its contents. Because it was a silent film, the subtitles clearly describe the film footage that preceded it. It begins by stating: “This is not a picture of actors … Continue reading The Lost Documentary Film of the Commission for Relief in Belgium
By Thomas F. Schwartz Herbert Hoover, American Relief Administration, Brussels, Belgian ca. 1919 Among the innovative methods to publicize the work of the Commission for Relief in Belgium [CRB] and the American Relief Administration [ARA] were two documentary film efforts, both which are lost to history. George Barr Baker served with Herbert Hoover in both … Continue reading Herbert Hoover, American Relief Administration, Brussels, Belgian ca. 1919
By Thomas F. Schwartz Collaborating Collectors, the new temporary exhibit at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, explores the collecting habits of Herbert and Lou Hoover. But it ultimately poses the question “What do you collect?” When someone posed that question to me, I gave an unhelpful answer: “dust.” But a more serious and … Continue reading What Do You Collect?
