Ronald H. Koehn of Fulton, IL, retired from teaching Social Studies at Fulton High School in 2003. He continues to educate the public through programs on various historical topics. On Tuesday, January 15, 2019, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Koehn will present “Theodore Roosevelt: Enough for Two Lifetimes” at Odell Public Library, 307 S. Madison Street, Morrison, IL.
Koehn will share highlights of Roosevelt’s political career and his many other accomplishments.
Even though he was born into a wealthy and well-connected family in New York City, Roosevelt (1858-1919) did not seem destined to play a major role on the American stage. He was a frail, nearsighted, asthmatic boy who led a rather sheltered and pampered life as a youth. Yet Theodore Roosevelt, Senior recognized a keen intellect in his son and the need for him to develop an equally strong body. With his father’s encouragement, “Teedie” (as he was known within the family circle) determined to improve his body.
He accomplished this with a vigorous regimen of physical exercise in the gymnasium specially constructed for him, on the second floor of the Roosevelt home. For the remainder of his life, TR was a person of energy and strength, both mentally and physically.
Not long after his graduation from Harvard College in 1880, Roosevelt’s record of public service began a meteoric rise. The velocity of his career was compared to that of an express train by Henry Adams, the American historian and philosopher.
In comparatively quick succession, Theodore Roosevelt was a State Representative in the New York Assembly (1882-84); unsuccessful candidate for Mayor of New York City (1886); member of the U. S. Civil Service Commission (1889-1895); President of the New York City Board of Police Commissioners (1895-97); Assistant Secretary of the Navy (1897-98); Governor of New York (1899-1900); U. S. Vice-President (1901); 26th President of the United States (1901-09); unsuccessful Presidential candidate of the Progressive Party (1912.)
For more information or to register for this intriguing program, contact Odell Public Library at 815-772-7323. Reservations are encouraged, but not required.