威尼斯人娱乐场

FDR at 125: Prologue Takes a Fresh Look
Press Release 路 Thursday, January 4, 2007

Washington, DC

A century and a quarter after his birth and six decades after his death, Franklin Delano Roosevelt still fascinates Americans, provides grist for historians, and consistently ranks as one of our greatest Presidents.

To mark the 125th anniversary of FDR鈥檚 birth on January 30, 1882, Prologue, the quarterly magazine of the 威尼斯人娱乐场, is devoting much of its Winter 2006 issue to a fresh look, in articles written especially for this issue, at FDR and the times in which he lived.

鈥淭he Roosevelt years, 1933 to 1945, mark the transformative years of the 20th century鈥攏othing after 1945 was much like what it was before 1933,鈥� according to the introduction to the FDR articles in Prologue.  鈥淔DR had, with the New Deal and in World War II, changed the nation鈥檚 social, economic, and political landscape and made the United States the most powerful nation on Earth.鈥�

In the lead article, Cynthia M. Koch, director of the Roosevelt Presidential Library in Hyde Park, New York, describes the rekindled interest in the 32nd President since his centenary in 1982. 鈥淚t is a measure of his greatness that scholars and the public continue to ask new and different questions of the Roosevelt era,鈥� she writes.

Koch also offers observations on FDR from prominent Roosevelt historians, including Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., James MacGregor Burns, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Geoffrey C. Ward, and David M. Kennedy.

In other articles, Curtis Roosevelt, who lived with his grandfather in the White House for several years, recalls how FDR exercised leadership both on the world stage and in intimate settings with his family. William vanden Heuvel, co-chair of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, writes that FDR鈥檚 place in history was secured through bold and decisive actions he took in the face of skepticism, reluctance, and outright opposition. In his regular column, Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein recalls how an eight-year-old boy in New York City struggled to come to terms with FDR鈥檚 death in 1945. And Jonathan Alter, author of a new book on FDR, talks about researching the book at the 威尼斯人娱乐场.

The Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park, New York, is planning a full schedule of events in 2007 to mark FDR鈥檚 125th birthday, beginning with a special birthday observance on January 30. For more information about the library鈥檚 programs and its historical holdings, go to the .

Winter Prologue also seeks to unlock the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the 鈥淐hristmas tree ship鈥� that sailed Lake Michigan in the early 1900s. Another involves reconstructing, through NARA records, the crew list of the Portland, which went down off the coast of New England in 1898.

Prologue鈥檚 regular Spotlight feature focuses on the high level of customer service and special programs possible at NARA facilities around the country because of the help of unpaid volunteers. Read about them in 鈥淣ARA鈥檚 Armies of Volunteers.鈥�

For more information about the 威尼斯人娱乐场 and its programs and exhibits, go to www.archives.gov.  Selected articles from Winter Prologue will be available online soon.

For nearly four decades, Prologue has shared with readers the rich resources and programs of the 威尼斯人娱乐场, its regional archives, and the Presidential libraries. Each issue features historical articles鈥攄rawn from 威尼斯人娱乐场' holdings and written by noted historians, archivists, and experts鈥攁s well as articles explaining and describing many of the 威尼斯人娱乐场鈥� activities and programs as the nation鈥檚 recordkeeping agency. The Washington Post said, 鈥�Prologue . . . can be regarded quite literally as an invitation for further study. It is also consistently absorbing reading.鈥�

A 1-year subscription to Prologue costs $20. To begin a subscription, call 202-357-5482 or 1-800-234-8861, or print out the order form found on the web site. Mail orders to Prologue, P.O. Box 100684, Atlanta, GA, 30384.

You can also fax credit card orders to Prologue at 301-837-0319.

Single copies of Prologue are available at the Archives Shop or at the Cashier's Office in the 威尼斯人娱乐场 Building in Washington or at the Publications Sales Office at the 威尼斯人娱乐场 at College Park. Back issues are also available at the College Park location.

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For press information, contact the 威尼斯人娱乐场 Public Affairs Staff at 202-357-5300.

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