Historical Society Program To Look At Teddy Roosevelt

The student of American history will be hard-pressed to find a combination of color and leadership equal to that provided by Theodore Roosevelt. Descendant of wealth, cowboy, big game hunter, military leader, urban police commissioner, governor, President, TR did it all and did it with flair. Whether bulldozing a new nation of Panama from a reluctant Columbia or winning a Nobel Peace Prize for his diplomacy ending the Russo-Japanese War, Mr Roosevelt used his bully pulpit of the Presidency to promote his vision of what the nation and the world should be.

At the time he was the youngest president in US history, and he discovered to his sorrow that after his term he had no pulpit and no bulldozer. After leading America into the Progressive Era, his abortive attempt at a third term running with the Progressive Party spelled the effective end of his public career.

But all that is the stuff of history books; what is harder to find is Mr Roosevelt’s personality and character. On Monday, June 9, beginning at 7:30 pm, the Newtown Historical Society will present a program to examine just those facets of Teddy’s life, in the community room of the Booth Library, 25 Main Street in Newtown.

Presented by Gordon Williams, the program will look at the history to provide a context, but the real emphasis will be on this marvelous character, more colorful than fiction. Mr Williams will go from Mr Roosevelt’s youth to his dissatisfaction with a powerless retirement, offering stories illustrating TR’s personality, how he handled affairs, and his reception and reaction among the people who loved and hated him.

And during the stories of this colorful character, try to picture the teddy bear, the nearly universal cuddly toy, being named after John Adams, say, or Warren Harding, and begin to have a measure of the man.

Gordon Williams retired after 39 years as a teacher, most of his career being in the social studies department at Trumbull High School. He is a active member of the Newtown Lions and the Board of Trustees of the Booth Library, having served as president of each, and is the newly elected president of the Newtown Historical Society. He is also active in church work, and further serves the community as a literacy volunteer. He first became interested in Theodore Roosevelt when the Progressive Era was presented as a topic in preparation for examinations leading to a master’s degree at Long Beach State University in California.

All programs of the Newtown Historical Society are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served at the program’s conclusion. Call 426-5937 for further information.