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Understanding 9/11tv Grandmere CSPAN June 17, 2017 12:01pm-12:19pm EDT
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it is here where he lived in his family's springwood estate. here where he does his presidential library. the first of its kind in the national archive system. here you will find first lady eleanor roosevelt val killen national historic site. with the help of our cable partners, for the next two hours we will talk with local authors as we explore the history of the area and the roosevelt connection to it. the home of franklin d roosevelt historic site features his springwood estate. his presidential library next door and also the final resting places of fdr and first lady eleanor roosevelt. we visited the grounds and went to the home of david roosevelt, a grandson of president and mrs. roosevelt to talk with him about his memories of hyde park
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and his time spent there with his grandmother. >> it really was not until my grandmother 's funeral that i realized it really kind of hit me. that she was really a special person. and something of a elebrity. and seeing you know the president to ex-president, one future president and all sorts of ambassadors and other diplomatic people there. very important people. that had really dawned on me, my gosh! she really was important! we never thought of her in that way. we never viewed my grandmother. she was only a grandmother to us. and that is all she ever wanted to be to us. i was born in january 3 1942. my father was elliott.
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and elliott was the second oldest of the sons, the third oldest of the children. so my dad was, he kind of fell right in the middle and i think he always felt that he was the middle child. but you know, my uncles used to claim that he was my grandmother's favorite. not sure that was true but that is what they claimed anyway. my mother and father were divorced when i was only two years old. my time with my father was really quite limited. and as a consequence, the only thing i can remember really him talking about was how he almost
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felt somewhat estranged from my grandmother. because i mean he loved her dearly. but she was so busy that it was almost he felt that she did not have time for him. my grandmother by her own admission was not a particularly good mother. she - her own experience i'm not having a mother to grow up with, she never learned how to be a mother. good or bad. and as a consequence i think she paid special attention to
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her grandchildren. to make up for not being a good mother. now i can remember going quite lengthy walks in the woods with my grandmother and she would always want to know what my interests were in you know, as a child at seven, eight and nine years old, gosh here is my grandmother paying attention to me and wanting to know you know how my life is going. she very, very seldom talked about until we were much older, she very seldom talked about her work and the things that she did. as i said, until we were considerably older.she was a typical grandmother but my grandmother was a horrible cook! she did not cook. [laughter]
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but she always made time for the grandchildren. that were there. and they had a very special place and we had the run of the place. we were very very busy but no, she was you know i just remember the times that i had with her and just being with her. really, basking in her love. >> how was she as a grandmother? was she any type of disciplinary inquiry was she an indulgent grandmother? >> she was very indulgent. she was absolutely no disciplinary iron whatsoever!
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yes, she was very very indulgent. of all of us. we you know, there were a lot of times when she would have someone who was quite famous visiting her and you know the grandchildren would disturb her or disturb them and she would never scold us. that is my grandchild or whatever. and that was it. no problem. >> do you remember any particular dignitary or person of importance that came to visit and when you guys are particularly maybe obnoxious? >> well, there is this story. a little seven-year-old it was out in the pool with his cousins and of course we were
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not allowed to go into the stone cottage which is where the pool is. for the rest room and of course, you as a child always waited until the absolute last moment and so the story goes, this little boy ran right through the office with water flying off of him and whatnot. and right past my grandmother. and she said well that was my grandson david. and i will introduce him on his way back. so just, there was no scalding whatsoever. but that is the way it was. [laughter] >> did you ever at any point, you mentioned that you didn't really get how famous or important new grandmother was
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until her funeral. but at any point was there any indication of her fame or her public service growing up? >> sure! there were times when i would accompany my grandmother to various activities that she was doing.i remember one down in texas when she came and she was going to speak at a black church. down in i believe it was houston. i believe. and i went with her and to see the adoration that these people. and people were lined up in the streets! waiting for her. and you know, it was so touching.
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of course i was older at that time. i can remember times when she did not receive such warm welcomes as well. i did not have the opportunity to travel with her internationally. my older brother and sister did and some of my other cousins. but i did not. unfortunately. >> what were some of the things that the negative reception that your grandmother received and what was your reaction to that? >> well, you know i can remember a few cases where there would be within the crowd, there would be signs you know that were derogatory toward my grandmother. and you know, it didn't bother me so much because i knew that she you know at this time, i
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knew that she was controversial. now i do not know if you realize that during her lifetime there were 19 attempts to assassinate her. and so you know, she was not universally loved by any stretch of the imagination. >> i mean, what do you sit there and what is the talk at the dinner table when you know, everyone is talking and they say someone tried to kill grandma. what does the family do? >> well, for the most part it was not talked about. it was certainly not discussed. in a lot of cases - it was just well, you know it happened! or you know the kkk put the
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largest bounty on her head that they have ever done for anyone. and there was one occasion when some of the kkk had an opportunity to assassinate her and a very good opportunity. but so the story goes, they could not bring themselves to kill this woman. so you know, it was very real! very real. >> did your grandmother ever speak about it? >> never! never! and certainly not to her grandchildren. she never had personal protection whatsoever. and i think that she just accepted that her work was too
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important to allow any kinds of threats to disturb her. and she just went right on doing her thing.>> the remember at all any of your relationships with fdr? and did elinor talk about him as y'all were growing up? >> it is interesting, first i was too long to really remember my grandfather. but i do not recall my grandmother ever specifically discussing fdr with us. you know, they had an interesting if you will, relationship.certainly it was not the kind of marriage that
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one would think of as a normal marriage. and yet, they had such a strong partnership.and they had such respect for each other. and each other's work really. that it really made it quite a special relationship i think. if i would ask my grandmother about fdr, she would answer and it was always very positive. very loving if you will. but she did not dwell on that. at all. you know i don't think my grandmother really enjoyed being first lady, being married to the president. although, i think she realized
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after fdr became president that it placed her in a position where she could have impact in areas that she was really interested in herself. civil rights, human rights obviously. things like that. education. so you know, it really was quite striking. between the two, the partnership. >> when did your grandmother pass away? >> 1962. >> do you remember the day that you were told she had passed? >> oh yes! yes. and i was in texas. i immediately left to come back
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appear and i didn't believe that she would ever pass away. it was left quite a whole in my heart. >> why did you decide to write a book about your grandmother. that is interesting because because i really had no interesting in writing yet another biography of my grandmother. and yet, no one had ever written anything from a personal standpoint i thought it would kind of be fun for people to know about my grandmother and from the perspective of a grandchild who knew her.
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i think there is a lack of misconceptions about my grandmother and what she wanted to try to accomplish. the thing that impresses me most about my grandmother is she really didn't care what other people thought. she would do what she felt hopeful was in the best interest for helping people, helping mankind actually. so that was always the thing that impressed me the most. the only thing that i recall, and i think that she told every one of her grandchildren, was you know - be proud of your heritage. be proud of the traditions of your family. but never feel that you have to live up to that legacy.
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you must be your own person. and that is something that all of us carried with us our entire lives. >> now from booktv's recent visit to hyde park, new york. with the help of our local cable partner. we take a tour of the fdr presidential library and museum with director paul sparrow. >> paul sparrow, director of the fdr library. what is this room and what kind
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