Commemorative Event to Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the FDR Memorial Completion
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The FDR Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting, preserving and promoting the FDR Memorial in Washington, D.C., will host a commemorative event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the FDR Memorial wheelchair statue and the completion of the FDR Memorial.
Sketch by Lawrence Halprin
The event will take place Wednesday, May 13 at 6 pm at the FDR Memorial at 1850 West Basin Drive, SW, Washington, DC.
Featured speakers will include former U.S. Senator Tom Harkin; Anna Eleanor Fierst, great-granddaughter of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt; and Jonathan Darman, historian and author, serving as Master of Ceremonies.
“The FDR Memorial Foundation’s celebration of the completion of the FDR Memorial fits well into our nation’s 250th anniversary celebration,” Mary Dolan, Co-Founder and Executive Director, FDR Memorial Foundation, said.
“In a 7.5-acre garden setting, the Memorial tells the story of FDR’s leadership in the Great Depression and World War II, Eleanor Roosevelt’s pioneering role as First Lady, and more. This includes the final feature of the Memorial, FDR in a wheelchair within the Prologue Room,” Dolan said.
“The wheelchair statue was added following a six-year campaign led by the disability community, recognizing that FDR’s experience with polio helped shape the resilience and leadership he brought to the nation during one of the most challenging periods of the 20th century,” she added.
The event will continue anniversary celebrations that began March 31 with a panel presentation, “Disability Representation in America, FDR, the Fight for the Wheelchair Statute, and the Politics of Commemoration” at American University.
The second event, “A Landscape of Memory: Art and Design at the FDR Memorial and the Art of a Seamless Collaboration,” will take place May 12 at The National Union Building, 918 F Street, NW, Washington, D.C. The program commences at 7 p.m.
For more information about the May 12 and May 13 events, visit the FDR Memorial Foundation website here.
The FDR Memorial Foundation is a nonprofit organization with a mission to protect, preserve and promote the FDR Memorial in Washington, D.C. for future generations.
For more information, please contact Mary E. Dolan, Co-Founder and Executive Director at mary@fdrmemoriallegacy.com or 202-368-1083.