Eleanor Roosevelt

	
Her own surname as that of her husband, was of Dutch origin
	
The name means, does it not, rose field?
	
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt had been orphaned at an early age
	
Her relatives did not consider her pretty as a child
	
She was by report 5'11" tall . . . or an even six feet
	
Eleanor was for thirteen years voted the most admired woman in the United States
	
This was by the Gallop Poll, including during the Eisenhower administration
	
She was buried in the rose garden at Hyde Park
	
With so many, many named roses, why is there none named Eleanor?
	
Isn't this an oversight to be corrected by the Grange?
	
Especially the Washington State Grange which first passed Resolution 94-62?

Silently, I waited for years until repatriation in October 1984. Then even longer -- never telling anyone -- until once more I had a newspaper column being published. Over time, I was being published in three different newspapers. Below, are lightly edited reprints, and later updates.

Born October 11, 1884, in 1936 at over fifty years of age she began writing a newspaper column, My Day, continuing even after being widowed in 1945. The syndicated column was published until 1962, the year she died, aged 78. Eleanor -- as her public knew her -- began writing when her husband, 32nd president of the United States, was elected to his second of four terms, and selections of her columns are available at libraries in three volumes, 1936/44, 1945/52 and 1953/62.

She was born Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, same surname and distant cousin to the man she married. And, my old Heritage Illustrated Dictionary (International Edition, latest copyright date 1973) gives her more space than they did him, beginning, American diplomat, writer, humanitarian, and political figure; only then adding, wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Our most influential First Lady in history was well known throughout the United States, and around the world, traveling to dangerous places even in war-time. Eleanor was beloved and respected by more than a few who disliked her husband or disagreed with him politically. A five cent stamp was issued in her honor in 1963 and a 20 cent stamp in 1984.

Not reading daily newspapers when her column began, as a young teenager I still seldom read her war-time My Day. I did however, seek out the many political cartoons about her. She was easy to caricature and cartoons poked fun, usually in a nice way.

Typical was one of soldiers in a foxhole seeing the tall, angular woman with prominent teeth, wearing sensible shoes and long skirt, striding purposefully across the battlefield. The caption, as in many cartoons about her, had one soldier saying in astonishment, It's Eleanor!

Her five children criticized her for not being as motherly as they would have liked. She did however, support her husband in his endeavors -- including his seeking the highest political office in the land after he was badly crippled by polio contracted in adulthood. She continued her support to the end despite his unfaithfullness -- his death arriving to her shock and surprise while with the mistress he had sworn to give up.

Intelligent, ungainly and awkward, at an age when many retire she retained a purposeful dignity serving her, and her country, to the end of her days; upon being ushered from the White House precipitously as happens to a family after the death of a president, her service to humanity did not end, but enlarged to include the world.

My Day was just that one day at a time until 1962, but now the time has come some of us believe, for Eleanor to have an annual day of her own. In our country such has never been accorded to a woman. To many men yes, including most recently a Black man... and we would not take from that. Some other countries (one being Panama) recognize the bravery of a woman in the face of danger and social obstacles, but ours has not. And no, a woman named Mary is not the exception -- she is idolized only because of the son she bore. Believing there is no one more deserving, this one woman immediately recognizable by a single name by so many in the world is our nomination from here in the Far West for a day of her own, to be celebrated annually. As they commonly used to say on the radio, Stay tuned . . . for more from those of us who are Eleanor Committed.

Even if, while I was in junior and senior high school at Willapa Valley School, there had been such murders taking place in Washington, DC during her husband's second term as president, it seems unbelievable to me that First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt would have had time to play amateur detective.

Putting aside the single unbelief however, it is interesting how precise a picture of the times, people and places her son painted, in murder mysteries where he made his mother the star. Amusingly once, by describing one male character as 6 feet three inches tall, so he could look down by a few inches at the very tall First Lady.

We know, having lived those years, or been in history classes if younger, many that the younger Roosevelt wrote about and his parents knew personally. But he shows unexpected -- and not always flattering -- facets of such as Winston Churchill and Harry Hopkins. Admittedly, Elliott Roosevelt's writing skill doesn't equal Agatha Christie's, but his Mrs. Roosevelt, the president and other named real people are drawn true to life in the way the fictitious Miss Marple could never be.

This is certainly not meant as a review of books published up to a decade ago, but we have been putting in some interesting rainy afternoons and evenings reading light fiction, avoiding boredom available via the cyclops in the living room.

This fiction gives the same Washington-insider insight begun earlier in books by the adult child of another president, Harry Truman. And while sex and violence are not missing from the murder mysteries of either author . . . it just isn't presented in the living and panting color which makes workable plots unnecessary in television and movies.

Would I have been less captivated, if not earlier reading books of fact about my hero, Eleanor Roosevelt? Perhaps, but fiction can be a lot more fun. More relaxing than research, especially when we are familiar with the background.

William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens produced great literary works, but it makes for dull reading for students who want only to pick up enough information to get a passing grade. The England of centuries past is entirely foreign in way of life as well as locale.

I've read on my own without teacher's assignment -- due to the ribald nature of his diaries I'm sure -- some of what Samuel Pepys wrote. But really, why should most of us care that much about what happened in Europe long before we were born?

Any more than the average young person these days, has any reason for being intrigued by the details of what has happened in this country, and around the world, during the Great Depression and both World Wars.

Few who taught history classes I attended were ever particularly interested in the subject. And I don't believe in smaller schools as found locally, it has changed that much. Where a History Major does present the subject, curriculum restrictions still make most classes boring to the majority of students.

I'd like to see teachers throughout Pacific County read a few of the same books we have been. Okay, don't make them assigned reading. Instead, maybe make a pointed remark or two, to the effect that murder mysteries are only fiction. Get one student interested in just one of these books, and others will learn about it.

Even many of the most bored students in our schools, I'm sure could be counted upon to bring up their grade point averages.

Grange members have always been mostly Republicans. So I didn't at first look for Republican help in establishing a day honoring Eleanor Roosevelt. That Republicans even in our decades-long, predominantly Democratic counties could forgive Eleanor her husband's politics, was a happy surprise.

Especially when the idea was met with less than enthusiasm from local Democrats I approached back in 1993. The Democrats, with their own narrow agenda, wanted my support but refused me theirs. Subsequently, I who always vote for the candidate and not the party, severed any Democratic relationship. To work I thought, alone.

My friend Opal Kraft suggested a resolution be submitted for consideration by Gray's River Grange # 124. Where we were both members. Then she told me how a resolution should be written. It was Republican Carlton Appelo who revised the resolution by adding that the Roosevelts had been Grangers. Okay, a Republican, but still he's of Finnish ancestry . . . a nationality notorious for long granting women equal standing with men.

The Grange too, was founded after the Civil War, on equality of male and female. Though you wouldn't always know it the way the farmer and his wife appear in print in this state with more Grange members than any other in the country . . . when a woman does just as much work on the farm as her husband does.

It was personally gratifying to see how enthusiastically Gray's River Grange supported the resolution. Passage at the State Grange Convention at Hoquiam was the next hurdle it faced. Attending as delegate, I dared not hope too much. Except for a very few unenlightened people however, it was unopposed. The one man who stood to asked publicly on the microphone why any woman warranted recognition, probably did more to help than hinder passage.

When our Senators in Washington DC were asked to consider a day honoring Eleanor Roosevelt, a thoughtful and encouraging letter was soon received from male Republican Senator Slade Gorton. Female Democrat Patty Murray replied after a long while with a form letter, saying only, always nice to hear from you. Perhaps she won't hear from me again, except from the voting booth.

Men of the United States are honored on the calendar, and across the country statues are raised to them as individuals. The Statue of Liberty built by France, is woman and not any particular female. So too, female faces on coins are mythological.

Even when this was not pointed out many individuals in private conversation, both women and men, endorsed so honoring a woman. Further, they agreed Eleanor Roosevelt was deserving.

However, various groups contacted, including complacent professed Democrats, usually did not answer letters. Those few who did, expressed the view that recognizing a woman -- as after much effort a Black man has been -- could not be done. Martin Luther King deserved recognition in January, but internationally revered Anna Eleanor Roosevelt did not in August.

The Washington State Grange Convention in June gave the backing of over sixty thousand Grange members, here where we remember relatively inexpensive Bonneville Power became ours during and as result of the Roosevelt administration. What incentive could we hope there would be for delegate support, lending the strength of three hundred thousand Grangers nationwide, at the November National Grange Convention in Peoria in November?

Announcement was made at the first Gray's River Grange meeting of the new year, that the National Grange had considered Resolution 94-62. It was one of the 21 adopted, that had been proposed by Subordinate Granges in our state.

To report your own committment, you can email the Washington State Grange News Informing Grangers Since 1912 the 94th Volume being published in 2005. Or email the National Grange, whose New Grange Volume 1 is being distributed to subscribing Grangers across the country. The Grange Master in our state has been elected second in command on the National level.

The first year of course, things went far too smoothly. After years of waiting for the time to be right, step by step everything seemed to have fallen into place. If local support for belatedly giving Eleanor Roosevelt the recognition she deserved did not come where expected, I would find it elsewhere. And I did.

First, unexpectedly, support from a publisher. A beginning, even if it didn't last once the majority of Democrats in Congress lost to Republicans. Second, a friend of a few years enthusiastically suggested proposing a resolution to the Subordinate Grange to which we both belonged. Under Opal Kraft's guidance since I knew nothing about the process, I prepared the words and phrases she outlined for me, realizing Grange members with farm roots are mostly Republicans and Eleanor Roosevelt was married to a Democrat.

The usual turnout for meetings at Gray's River Grange is roughly a quarter of the hundred or so members. Most of those present at the deciding meeting, voted in favor of the resolution. Delegates at the 1994 State Grange Convention in Hoquiam, then overwhelmingly put the 62,000 Washington state members behind it. And in November, National Grange delegates in Peoria followed suit for the 300,000 national members.

Next, National Grange Master Robert E. Barrow sent a letter to Congressman Norman D. Dicks as senior member of the Washington State delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives, with copies of the letter going to our eight other representatives. And wrote also to our senior senator, Slade Gorton.

The adopted resolution was part of the letter to Representative Dicks, including the request, . . . I ask that you take the necessary steps to guarantee a national day of recognition for Mrs. Roosevelt.

Proclaiming a commemorative day for the first woman ever so honored, would not add to the deficit, nor, as without being a legal holiday, would it be costly to taxpayers.

When I added my own plea in letters to each of our representatives and senators, Congress was in recess. Still, though Randy Tate was among those back in his home state, I received a call from his office in Washington D.C. which was echoed by a letter from the Tate office. This was followed within the week, by a letter from Representative Linda Smith saying, Recently, the House Committee on Rules decided to prohibit commemorative days. As a result, it will not be possible to proclaim a particular day for Mrs. Roosevelt. . . .

From Timberland Library I learned the Rules Committee is made up of nine Republicans and four Democrats, which ensures complete control by the majority over legislation. The Ban on Commemoratives is found in H.RES.6 under Sec. 216. (a)In rule XXII -- Among Rules Committee Republicans listed there is one freshman, and Democrats have none.

Because of our obvious disgust during the election in 1994 with Gridlock and the business as usual attitude in Congress, the Republicans think we gave them a mandate. The Supreme Court has ruled it was unconstitutional for 22 states to vote for congressional term limits. While with our 1994 votes we replaced many homesteaders, 28 representatives and senators in office in the 91st Congress of 1969, were still in the 104th in 1995.

All look forward to handsome pensions, not restricted to the Social Security we are, though most treat constituents with contempt and a few have been censured by their peers. November 1996 we had another chance at the the homesteaders, and even if we cannot yet do anything about the Supreme Court Justices-for-life, when it comes to Congress, we can every so often throw the bums out! (which will not affect their pensions.)

Finally, there was again something to report, when everyone must think even I had long ago given up the idea. On October 20, 1993 had been printed my suggestion in the Willapa Harbor Herald, that Eleanor Roosevelt deserved a commemorative day. Something I'd been wanting to say for at least a decade and a half while living overseas and before returning to Pacific County.

A Black male -- and more power to his people -- is honored in the month of January. In Panama, a young and very brave woman since early in the 20th century has received recognition, but our country does not honor a single female citizen.

The late Opal Kraft read that first column and said, She's always been my hero! and suggested I should write a resolution for our subordinate grange. With the help of Opal and others, I did. The resolution was passed at the local level, committing about 100 members to the idea in this corner of the state as I reported April 13, 1994.

With support of our legislators, the state convention of the Washington State Grange at Hoquiam -- mostly Republicans -- (I was a delegate) put over 60,000 people behind the resolution.

In November 1994 at the convention of the National Grange the full 300,000 Grangers in the United States were committed. As I reported January 18, 1995, and the National Grange Master in March communicated to the senators and representatives in the US Congress from throughout our state.

I did a followup to each of them in early April. However, you'll remember there had been an election in which voters tried to get the attention of those elected. In disgust voting to send a message of throw the bums out because we had not choice of none of the above. Republicans getting into office as a result, took it as the mandate it was not.

Two weeks after my letters to Washington, DC, one was received from our then (one term) Republican representative, stating in part: Recently, the House Committee on Rules decided to prohibit commemorative days. Recently? You can bet it was, immediately after she got my letter!

Considering the heavy Republican balance of the Rules Committee then, there was no point in wasting time and effort on an appeal. Nine Republicans and four Democrats in the US House of Representatives of the One Hundred Fourth Congress, with H.RES.6 amended two clauses, effectively blocking the stated wish of a spread out, substantial segment of our country's population.

Time forward to April 2000, when after local precincts met we had a Democratic Party Caucus at the courthouse. (Holding my nose while I did so, I had again joined the Democratic party, more in disgust with the Republicans than anything else.) I may not approve of the caucus system in the State of Washington, but as we have it, I took advantage.

My resolution, copied from the one the Grange passed, was passed at the county level. It was voted to leave off every Whereas and only send on the Resolved, but that carried the main suggestion of honoring Anna Eleanor Roosevelt the second Monday of every August.

Then the wait again for the next step. In June, Democrats met in Lewis County, to be followed by the late Summer convention in Los Angeles.

Please be sure you are registered, and don't forget to vote. Whomever gets elected to office, every adult citizen is responsible for putting each of them there. Non-voters at least as guilty as any who exercise the privilege.

From our Grange member State Senator, August 15, 2005

Rare and controversial, but possible with grassroots demand. Okay, that tells us where to start, doesn't it!

Your Help Needed

Eleven states, one million square miles -- ours in the upper left corner, the smallest.
The only one that must always identify as the state of . . .

It has been a few years since, because there were more women in office in ours than in any other state, there was consideration in Olympia of starting a legislative female caucus. Some men also expressed an interest in joining. Time passed, and for some unfortunate reason, it never happened.

While we can expect male legislators to be sympathetic to the cause, there were fewer female senators in the Grange listings. You would of course contact your own senators and representatives first. But why not take the time to email some of the others, who do not consider you as constituent? It can't hurt to let more people know where we stand.

It is fitting that we lead in honoring a woman, finally, with a day of her own on the calendar. Even a long weekend . . . or a month. She who wrote for years a syndicated column My Day and held for the longest time to date over a half century ago, the title of First Lady.

It was in the lower left corner of our Pacific Northwest state, washed by the waters of the largest western river in the country, the movement for recognition began. Thirteen years ago in November at convention, the National Grange, following in the footsteps of this small state with more Grange members than any other, passed the resolution to honor Anna Eleanor Roosevelt n the Second Monday of each August.

In little Pacific County, with population remaining somewhere between 20,000 and 23,000 -- the about three thousand resident in the City of Raymond -- for three years was announced one day of the three day weekend, as celebration of Eleanor Roosevelt's life. Rural sites until 2005, when on Monday, a no-host brunch was held at the Corner Cafe at 3rd and Duryea in Raymond. The Raymond Branch of Timberland Regional Library has been mounting a display in August of all three years and being discussed at this time, is scheduling a full three days of events in Raymond for 2008, to be announced once more in Chase's Events Calendar.

Behind the endeavor is Willapa Chapter DAWN, Domestic Abuse Women's Net a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, asking not for tax-exempt contributions toward the commemoration cause, but for backing in request to the legislature that our state be first to declare a long weekend in August recognizing a woman for the contribution made to her country in a long, hard-working life.

Men have eleven months of each year, some with promotion not for a three day weekend but for the entire month. Isn't it fitting that the smallest of eleven western states dedicate the month of August, at long last, to the most deserving of women?

We women do have the backing of the better men in our community and across the nation.