By Thomas F. Schwartz A recent opinion piece advocated for the return of meatless Monday as a way of addressing climate change. Certain animals release methane, a greenhouse-gas that adversely impacts the ozone. Foregoing meat on Monday, according to the editorial board, would help the environment. This view is hardly new. A website was launched … Continue reading The Original Meatless Monday
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 Spencer Howard Continuing Coningsby Dawson's tour of post-World War I Vienna, his writings sought to convey the absolute desperation of the people – primarily children – who were dependent on the American Relief Administration. In this dispatch, he describes his visit to one of the child-feeding stations: Today I visited one of the strategic points … Continue reading Christmas in Vienna, 1920 – Part 3: Caring for the children
by Spencer Howard In December 1920, as Coningsby Dawson toured Central Europe writing articles to promote the American Relief Administration fund drive, he sought to inform his readers about not only the immediate work of the ARA, but also to offer a wider view of the newly independent nations that were struggling to recover from the … Continue reading Christmas in Vienna, 1920 – Part 2: The Dorotheum
by Spencer Howard The year 2018 marked the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I. As far as most Americans were concerned, that was the end of the war – the fighting stopped, the doughboys soon came home, and the Versailles Peace Conference concluded an acceptable peace. In much of Europe, the … Continue reading Christmas in Vienna, 1920 — Part 1: A visit from Santa
Part 2 (Part 1: A Mother's Day Gift: the Friendship of Louis Chevrillon and Herbert Hoover) By Thomas F. Schwartz On December 15, 1938, Chevrillon wrote to Hoover presenting a grim future for France and Europe. Commending Hoover on his strong public statements against the German government’s oppression of Jews on what is now referred … Continue reading The Clouds of War: The Friendship of Louis Chevrillon and Herbert Hoover
Part 1 By Thomas F. Schwartz One of the under researched aspects of Herbert Hoover is his vast network of associates that provided him with vital information as well as served as valuable agents in his many humanitarian efforts. Louis Chevrillon is unknown to most Americans, but he was one of the driving forces in … Continue reading A Mother’s Day Gift: The Friendship of Louis Chevrillon and Herbert Hoover
By Thomas F. Schwartz It is easy to overlook the significance of Herbert Hoover’s food relief efforts by looking merely at numbers. The precise number of people Hoover saved from starvation remains murky but most scholars agree it is in the hundreds of millions. Ironically, one of the most brutal leaders of modern times, Joseph … Continue reading Preventing Tragedy and Statistics
This piece was written by George Schaefer, for use at a corporate retreat with the theme ‘Building a Legacy of Success.’ He used this story to convey what it takes to create and sustain a legacy. It is used here with his permission. This is a story about a man named Bert. It is a … Continue reading What Will Be Your Legacy?
by Hoover Archivist, Matthew Schaefer In honor of First Lady Lou Henry Hoover's birthday, March 29, 1874 At 5:15 in the evening of Sunday, November 27th, 1932, First Lady Lou Hoover gave an address, ‘Women’s Place in the Present Emergency,’ over the NBC national radio network. The speech was part of a series of weekly … Continue reading Women’s Place in the Present Emergency
