Newspaper Articles, 1982-1995
| Spring 1982 | Spring 1982 Disabled USA.FDR An Unusual Look at a Hero.pdf | |
| 8/3/93 | 8.3.93.Green.San Diego Union-Tribune.FDR Memorial.pdf | Published in August 1993 in the San Diego Union-Tribune, this article talks about the long-awaited start of the construction of the FDR Memorial in Washington, DC, roughly 50 years after Congress initially discussed the idea. Slated for completion in 1996 (which bystanders of the future know this is not accurate), it planned to chronicle Roosevelt's presidency through the Great Depression and WWII. |
| 12/6/94 | 12.6.94.Roosevelt.USA Today.WCF.pdf | First published in December 1994 in USA Today, this article by David B. Roosevelt (FDR's grandson as well as a member of the FDR Memorial Commission) argued against the depiction of FDR in a wheelchair at the upcoming memorial. He believed that the monument should show how FDR presented himself to the American public, while also praising the work of disabillity advocacy groups. Although he did not wish for FDR to be depicted in a wheelchair, he assured readers that the site will be fully wheelchair-accessible and will have educational materials that address the president's disability. |
| 12/6/94 | 12.6.94.OpEd.USA Today.WCF.pdf | This article presents the advocacy position, stating that FDR's disability should be explictly shown at the memorial. It argues that acknowledging his use of a wheelchair is essential for historical accuracy and is a powerful symbol of leadership, as he led the nation through the Great Depression and World War II while living with a disability. |
| 12/27/94 | 12.27.94.Bruce.Boston Globe.WCF.pdf | This article, published on December 27th, 1994 in the Boston Globe, highlights the construction of the FDR Memorial in Washington, DC, and the lack of representation of FDR as a person with a disability. It also breaks down the process of the FDR Memorial Commission and the choosing of the memorial's landscape architect. |
| 1/5/95 | 1.5.95.Letter to the Editor.Report on Disability Programs.WCF.pdf |
Published in January 1995, this Letter to the Editor from
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| 2/1/95 | 2.1.95.Suckley photos.Boston Globe.Special Friend Suckley.pdf | This newspaper clipping shows one of the most well-known photos of President Roosevelt in his wheelchair, beside Ruthie Bie and Fala. |
| 2/1/95 | 2.1.95.Suckley photos.Boston Globe.Special Friend Suckley (2).pdf | Published in the Boston Globe on February 1, 1995, this article talks about the deeply intimate (and likely platonic) relationship between FDR and his close companion, Daisy Suckley. While there was no proof that they were in what is typically considered a romantic relationship, they shared a deep friendship where FDR apparently let down his guard. Notably, and with relation to FDR's public perception of his disability, Suckley is the person who took two known photographs of FDR in his wheelchair. |
| 3/3/95 | 3.3.95.Dobbin.Sacramento Bee.WCF.pdf | Copy. |
| 3/26/95 | 3.26.95.Ryan.Detroit News.WCF.pdf | This article, from March 26, 1995, talks about the contesting viewpoints between the disability community and the FDR Memorial Commission. The Commission pointed out that the memorial would not completely ignore his polio, as a granite carving had been planned to read "1921, STRICKEN WITH POLIOMYELITIS... HE NEVER AGAIN WALKED UNAIDED," and brochures would outline his paralysis. Activists rejected this, saying that one line on a wall is not the same as a statue. |
| 3/28/95 | 3.28.95.Tabor.NY Times.Friend Suckley.pdf | This article, published in the New York Times by Mary B. W. Tabor on March 28, 1995, discusses the book Closest Companion by Geoffery C. Ward. This book talks about the emotional intimacy between Margaret Lynch Suckley and FDR. Historically, it gives insight into FDR's final two years and his health decline. |
| 4/3/95 | 4.3.95.letter of The Editor.Time.WCF.pdf | This Letter to the Editor, written by David B. Roosevelt (FDR's grandson and a member of the FDR Memorial Commission) and published in Time Magagzine on April 3, 1995, is a response to a previous article about the controversy of the depicton of FDR's disability at the upcoming memorial. According to him, FDR wanted the public to focus on the strengths as a leder, not his handicap. |
| 4/8/95 | 4.8.95.Robertson.Washington Post.Book Hard Bargain.pdf | This article is a book review written by David Robertson and published in The Washington Post on April 8, 1995; it reviews Ribert Shogan's book, Hard Bargain: How FDR Twisted Churchill's Arm, Evaded the Law, and Changed the Role of the American Presidency. With a focus on the summer of 1940, he claims FDR created a precedent of executive power. |
| 4/9/95 | 4.9.95.Baker.Washington Post.America Loved FDR.pdf | This article, written by Kevin Baker in 1995, reflects on the immense influence and national mourning the nation had when FDR passed. Baker says that FDR's greatness came from his bold experimentation, which allowed him to get through the trials and tribulations of the Great Depression and World War II. In addition, this article notes that his battle with polio deepened his empathy for the struggles of general Americans. |
| 4/10/95 | 4.10.05.Mutchler.NY Times.WCF.pdf | Published in the New York Times in April 1995, Meghan Mutchler's article describes the growing controversy over the under-construction FDR Memorial in Washington, DC. Disability advocates and historians argued that the decision to exclude any depictions of FDR in a wheelchair is something that is cruical to his story and identity. On the other side, the FDR Memorial Commission, and the memorial's designer, Lawrence Halprin, argue that the depiction of his disability would contradict his efforts to conceal his paralysis, citing the potential for added cost and even more delays. |
| 4/10/95 | 4.10.95.Mutchler.The New York Times.pdf | Copy. |
| 4/11/95 | 4.11.95.Novoselick.Muskegon Chronicle.WCF.pdf | Published in the Muskegon Chronicle on April 11, 1995, Paul Novoselick's article sharply criticizes the decision to exclude the depictions of FDR as a person with a disability in the FDR Memorial. He acknoweldges that it must have felt compelling to hide FDR's disability in the 1930's and 1940's, but argues that today, it was an insult to all Americans, particlarly the disabled community. |
| 4/12/95 | 4.12.95.Morgenthau.NY Times.Last night.pdf | Published in the New York Times on April 12, 1995, Henry Morgenthau III writes in an op-ed to recount his father's (Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau Jr.) final evening with FDR, just hours before his death. Using his father's diary to tell the story, he describes how Morgenthay Jr. was shocked at the President's frail nature and difficulties transferring from his wheelchair. He also says how despite his decline in physical health, he maintained a sense of normalcy during dinner with friends, discussing plans to attend the upcoming UN conference. |
| 4/12/95 | 4.12.95.Forgey.Washington Post.WCF.pdf | Published in The Washington Post on April 12, 1995, Benjamin Forgey's article talks about the controversy over whether to add a statue of FDR in a wheelchair. Forgey sides with the designers, arguing that the addition of a new statue would disrupt the aesthetic intention of the designers. |
| 4/12/95 | 4.12.95.Burnes OpED.NY Times.Happy Warrior.pdf | From the New York Times on April 12, 1995, James MacGregor Burns's co-op talks about the persona most people assumed during FDR's last months in office (of a sick and confused man), and argues that FDR was an active, functioning leader despite his physical decline. |
| 4/13/95 | 4.13.95.Moss.USA Today.WCF.pdf | From USA Today on April 13, 1995, Desda Moss's article talks about whether or not the FDR Memorial should visually depict FDR's paralysis. The contrast is between the wish to honor Roosevelt's triumphs in a world which was not made nor accepting for people with disabilities with the historical idea that he went to great lengths to conceal his disability from the American public. |
| 4/16/95 | 4.16.95.McGrory.Washington Post.WCF (2).pdf | In her 1995 article called "Who Stole FDR?" Mary McGrory talks about the political irony of Republicans like Ronald Reafan attempting to claim FDR's legacy while actively dismantling the programs that he created. She contrasts between FDR's handling of his polio (which she describes as stoic), and the political culture of the 1990s. She compares President Clinton and Roosevelt. |
| 4/17/95 | 4.17.97.Yardley.Washington Post.WCF.pdf | From the Washington Post article "Muddled Memorial to FDR," Johnathan Yardley argues against the large-scale FDR Memorial in Washington DC. He talks about how FDR himself only requested a simple, desk-sized stone in front of the National Archives, meaning that the large, $50 million dollar memorial contrary to his own wishes. He also claims that the memorial's design has been hijacked by modern groups and something called "grievance politics." He claims that there is a sense of irony of the disability advocates demanding FDR in a wheelchair, while he went to great lengths to hide his paralysis. |
| 4/19/95 | 4.19.95.Letter to the Editor (Schwebel).NY Times.WCF.pdf | In her 1995 letter to the editor in the New York Times, Carolyn Schwebel speaks for representing FDR's disabilty at his memorial. Schwebel argues that FDR was forced to hide his polio due to the prejudices of his era, and that erasing his disability because he "overcame it" is as absurd as ignoring Martin Luther King Jr.'s racial identity. She also talks about the importance of representation for children with disabilites, reflecting on her own childhood with very few disabled role models. |
| 4/22/95 | 4.22.95.Sutton letter.Washington Post.Remembering FDR.pdf | These letters to the editor, published in the Washington Post in 1995, gives three views on the wheelchair statue at the FDR Memorial in Washington, DC (it should be noted that the third entry is cut off). |
| 5/4/95 | 5.4.95.Deland letter.Washington Post.WCF.pdf | These two letters to the editor, published in the Washington Post in May 1995, from Mike Deland and Jane Girdley share their support for FDR to be depicted in a wheelchair, using historical evidence of his disability. |
| 5/4/95 | Ltr to editor.Wash Post.Deland.5.4.95.pdf | copy |
| 5/4/95 | Deland.editorial.5.4.95.pdf | In this letter to the editor, published in The Washington Post on May 4, 1995, Mike Deland strongly argues for depicting President Franklin D. Roosevelt's disability at his upcoming memorial. He pushes back against claims that the memorial should hide FDR's wheelchair just because FDR minimized its visibility during his lifetime. He claims that his disability the main aspect to his persona and leadership, representing to the American public that he could help them overcome the Great Depression and World War II just as he had overcome his own personal difficulties which being disabled in the early 19th century carries. |
| 5/8/95 | Deland.Poll and Commission Responce. 5.8.95.pdf | This document contains a May 1995 fax transmission from the FDR Memorial Commission which includes the results of a Harris Poll alongside the Commission's official response. The enclosed poll shows that 84% of Americans were aware of President Roosevelt's paralysis, and a strong majority (73%) favored depicting his disability in the new Washington, D.C. memorial. The poll release quotes NOD President Alan Reich, who argued that Roosevelt's triumph over his personal adversity was central to his leadership and ability to inspire the nation. In the fax's cover letter, Executive Director Dorann H. Gunderson advises memorial designer Larry Halprin to limit media comments strictly to the Commission's official statement. The press release shows this official stance, stating that the Commission respects the poll's findings and will acknowledge FDR's disability through a granite inscription, rather than a statue. |
| 5/10/1995 | 5.10.95.Mutchler.NYT.WCF.pdf | This article, written by Meghan Mutchler in the New York Times on May 10, 1995, covers the growing controversy over the design of the FDR Memorial, showing both pro wheelchair-statue points of view as well as anti. |
| 5/13/1995 | 5.13.95.Rochelle.NYT.WCF.pdf | This article, published in the New York Times by William J. Rochelle, argues against designing the FDR Memorial to focus heavily on or explicitly show FDR's physical disability, believing his memorial should focus primarily on his leadership and legacy as President during the Great Depression and World War II. |
| 5/13/1995 | 5.13.95.Beck.Chicago Tribune.WCF.pdf | This article, published in the Chicago Tribune by Joan Beck, argues that the memorial should show how President Roosevelt chose to present himself to the American public during his life, where his use of a wheelchair was intentionally kept away from the spotlight. |
| 5/29/95 | 5.29.95.Sidey.TIME.WCF.pdf | From the May 29, 1995 TIME magazine article "Where's His Wheelchair?", Hugh Sidey shows the growing protests by Americans with disabilites over the FDR Memorial under construction in DC. Advocates like NOD leaders Mike Deland and Alan Reich argue that the memorial's failure to show him in a wheelchair is an erasure of history and a central part of his identity. The push to include the wheelchair was gaining significant traction from people like historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, who argued that acknowledging his disability would be one of the most powerful elements of the entire memorial. |
| 7/3/1995 | 7.3.95.Superville.Associated Press.WCF.pdf | From the Associated Press on July 3, 1995, Derlene Superville talks about a new survey conducted for the NOD which reveals that coorporate executives strongly support the Americans with Disabilites (ADA) Act. |
| 7/3/95 | 7.3.95.Superville.Washignton News.WCF.pdf | From the Washington Post on July 3, 1995, Derlene Superville talks about a new survey conducted for the NOD which reveals that coorporate executives strongly support the Americans with Disabilites (ADA) Act. |
| 7/14/95 | 7.14.95.Matthews.Washington Post.WCF.pdf | ADA- not related to FDR Memorial. |
| 7/18/95 | Deland.Editorial.7.18.95.pdf | Published in the International Herald Tribune on July 18, 1995, Robert Kuttner's editorial discusses the upcoming FDR Memorial and the political legacy of President Roosevelt. Kuttner warns against sanitizing FDR into a politically neutral icon, criticizing modern conservatives for praising Roosevelt's leadership while simultaneously trying to dismantle the New Deal programs he championed. The author emphasizes that FDR was a "fighting liberal" who unapologetically used government power to regulate capitalism, build public works, and create social insurance. |
| 8/7/95 | 8.7.95.Barnes.Washington Times.WCF.pdf | In the August 7, 1995 article from The Washington Times, Denise Barnes talks about the conflict between disability advocates and the Roosevelt family over the design of the FDR Memorial in Washington, DC. Advoates argued that it was historically inaccurate, using a Harris poll which indicated that 73% of Americans favored a depiction of FDR's disability at the memorial. |