08/13/1960 Former President Hoover throws out the first ball at the Old Timers game, Yankee Stadium. Red Rutting, Bob Feller and Joe DiMaggio. In exploring the Hoover-Ruth salary story, I indulged myself to compare salaries of other baseball players in light of the annual salary of the President. Given that the POTUS’s salary changed only … Continue reading Comparing Earnings of Presidents and Baseball Players.
Herbert Hoover and Babe Ruth before the Stanford vs. University of Southern CA. football game. 11/11/1933 Summer is here and it is time to recall some trivial links between baseball, America’s national pastime, and the Presidency, America’s highest public position. Although they met only once, at a Stanford-USC football game in November 1933, there are … Continue reading Herbert Hoover and Babe Ruth
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
Lou Henry Hoover, ca. 1932 By Thomas F. Schwartz Lou Henry Hoover liked to capture kernels of ideas on papers for further elaboration at some later date. Often, the ideas never were revisited and remain unpolished thoughts containing interesting potential. One of these describes the problem of human nature. Lou writes: “It is a … Continue reading On Human Nature: Lou Henry Hoover’s Musings
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?
