by Matthew Schaefer Sometimes history loops back on itself and offers timely advice for the present and for the future. In a reply to a press inquiry, October 5, 1953, former President Herbert Hoover offered advice that needs no further comment: ‘The weakest link in the whole chain of protections to liberty is the vote. … Continue reading Herbert Hoover on the Importance of Voting
By Thomas F. Schwartz Royal visits to the United States are always complicated affairs, especially when things do not go according to plans. Such was the case in 1919 when the King and Queen of Belgium were invited by Congressional invitation, the first extended since Lafayette came in 1825 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of … Continue reading Badges, “Buttons”, and Royal Visits
By Thomas F. Schwartz On March 30, 1932, a letter was sent to President Herbert Hoover from a young boy in Jackson, Tennessee along with a photograph. Perhaps his first letter ever written to a President, the young man wrote: Mr. Herbert Hoover This letter is going to be different from any other I … Continue reading A Boy Named Herbert Hoover
Matthew Schaefer Sometimes, for an archivist, what you learn while looking up other things is more interesting than the original topic. Recently a patron sought information on Herbert Hoover’s dealings with Cuba. I found the ‘usual suspects’ for a food administrator, Commerce Secretary and President and his relations with our nearest non-contiguous neighbor. But it … Continue reading Sometimes a Man Just Wants a Good Cigar
by Matthew Schaefer Even before entering the White House, the Hoovers determined that they would need to escape Washington DC’s notorious summer heat and humidity. Given their love of the outdoors, the Hoovers’ purchase and development of a summer camp on the Rapidan River in Virginia came as no surprise. The camp was in the … Continue reading Home Improvements at Camp Rapidan
By Thomas F. Schwartz One of the great Hanna-Barbera cartoons was Wally Gator that ran from 1962 through 1963. The vocal talents of Daws Butler, best known as the voice of Yogi Bear, made Wally Gator the alligator counterpart of that wily rabbit Bugs Bunny. As everyone knows, alligators are found in the United States … Continue reading Not a Croc: The Hoover Alligators
By Thomas F. Schwartz The most common association with the word “mole” is a skin blemish that most of us sport on some part of our anatomy. Those more attuned to popular culture may also think of the hip hop Chicago trio, Moleman, or the supervillain in Marvel comics, Mole Man, or the campy 1961 … Continue reading When a Mole is not a Mole.
By Thomas F. Schwartz Most people have forgotten the days when you were born at home, often married at home, and had your wake and funeral at home. These significant events were of importance to immediate family members and their church family members. Records of births, marriages, and deaths were recorded in family Bibles and … Continue reading The Value of Knowing Your Birthday
by Matthew Schaeffer Many years after Hoover left the White House, he became a respected elder statesman. Hoover relished this role, giving advice to Democrats and Republicans alike as he entered his eighties. At this late stage of his life, Hoover came to be seen as a model of vigorous aging. Magazine articles were written … Continue reading Days of Reckoning-Herbert Hoover’s Birthdays at age 80+
By Thomas F. Schwartz William Shakespeare remains one of the most studied individuals in world history. Among the many writers about the Bard of Avon, James Shapiro, the Larry Miller Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, explores the life of William Shakespeare and his writings for a general audience in a number … Continue reading Shakespeare, Hoover, and Calvin Hoffman
