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?
By Thomas F. Schwartz When historians mention Herbert Hoover’s influence abroad, most cite his humanitarian efforts with food and emergency relief. Less studied is the influence of his writings such as American Individualism which was translated into many languages and his work as Secretary of Commerce and President. The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum … Continue reading Hoover’s Influence in Japan
By Thomas F. Schwartz W. J. Loring and Herbert Hoover, mining in Australia, Hoover on the left. ca. 1903 November As part of an ongoing exploration of Herbert and Lou Hoover’s connection with the Rosetta Stone exhibit, this blog post examines Herbert Hoover’s brief efforts to revive a turquoise mine in the Sinai Peninsula. The … Continue reading An Explosive Story: Hoover and the Sinai Peninsula Turquoise Mine
Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover with President Warren Harding on the 1923 Alaskan trip. Herbert Hoover was head of the United States Food Administration when he first met Warren Harding. As Hoover tells the tale, Senator Harding came into his office late one evening and said: “I am here to serve and to help.’ This … Continue reading Hoover and 20th Century Presidents: Warren Harding
By Thomas F. Schwartz, PhD Herbert Hoover during his years at Stanford. A story often cited claims that when Hoover was a student at Stanford, he invited the famed Polish pianist, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, to perform at Stanford for a promised fee of $2,000. Much to Hoover’s chagrin, the ticket sales fell short of the … Continue reading Hoover and Paderewski
Herbert Hoover mining in possibly Australia or South Africa, ca. 1900. America celebrates National Engineering Week each February in the week containing February 22nd, George Washington’s birthday. Washington, who used engineering skills while surveying land on the frontier, is an apt President on which to hang this celebration of engineering. Other Presidents who’d merit consideration … Continue reading Presidents and Engineers
Herbert Hoover, 1931. A while back, I wrote on Hoover’s smoking as President. Given the times, this was not a surprise. No further surprise to learn that Hoover smoked all of his adult life. Thus there are six folders in box 286 of his Post-Presidential Subject Files related to smoking. These document various aspects of … Continue reading I Might as well Finish my Smoke…
While every region has its natural collegiate rivals in football—think Auburn-Alabama, Michigan-Ohio State, Texas-Oklahoma—only one rivalry comes complete with capital letters. The Stanford-Cal Big Game [always capitalized by the cognoscenti] dates back to 1892, when Walter Camp coached the Stanford team to a 14-10 victory over their rivals across the bay. As a student, … Continue reading Stanford-Cal Big Game
by Matthew Schaefer This blog is the closest this archivist gets to modern social media and the digital social network. I’m a bit of a dinosaur in this regard. Facebook, Twitter, Snap-Chat are as foreign to me as Urdu, Swahili and Latin. My social networking is old school. It does not trend. It trades on … Continue reading Old School Iowa Social Networking
