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presidential library next door and the final resting places of fdr and first lady, eleanor roosevelt. we visited the grounds and went to the home of david roosevelt, grandson of president and mrs. roosevelt to talk with him about his memories of hyde park and his time spent there with his grandmother. >> it really was not until my grandmother's funeral that i realized that it really hit me l that she was really a special person. and something of a celebrity and see the president, to ex- presidents, one futurend other president, and all sorts of ambassadors another diplomatic people there, very important people.e my gosh that it really dawned on me, my gosh, she really was important.l >> we never thought of her in that way. we never viewed my grandmother, she was only a grandmother to

us. and that's all she ever wantedot to be to us. i was born in january 3, 1942. f my father was elliott and elliott was the second oldest of the sons, the third oldest of the children. so my dad fell right in the middle. i think he always felt that he was the middle child. but, but my uncles used to claim that he was my grandmother's favorite. i'm not sure that was true, but that's what they claimed anyway. my mother and father were divorced when i was only two. my time with my father was quite limited. as a consequence, the only thing

that i can remember really himig talking about was how he almost felt somewhat estranged from my grandmother because i mean, he loved her dealer but she was sos busy that it was almost that he felt that she didn't have time for him. my grandmother by her own admission was not a particularly good mother. her own experience of not having a mother to grow up with, she never learned how to be a

mother, good or bad. as a consequence, i think she paid special attention to her grandchildren to make up for not being a good mother. i can remember going for lengthy walks in the woods with my grandmother and she would always want to know what my interests were in as a child at seven, eight or nine years old, gosh, here's my grandmother paying attention to me and wanted to know how my life is going and she very seldom talked about, until we are much older she very seldom talked about her work in the things that she did until we

were considerably older. she was a typical grandmother, but my grandmother was a horrible cook. she did not good. so, she always made time for the grandchildren. that were there. they had a very special place. we had the run of the place. so we are very busy, but i just remember the times that i had with her and just being with her and really, basking in her love really.

>> how was she is a grandmother? was she any type of disciplinary and? was she an indulgent grandmother? >> she was very indulgent. she was absolutely no disciplinarianan whatsoever. sh she is very indulgent of all of us. there were a lot of times when she would have somebody who wasu quite famous visiting her in thh grandchildren would disturb her or disturb them and she would never scold us. she would just say, that's my grandchild or whatever. and that was it. it was no problem. >> to remember any particular dignitary or person of importance i came to visit that you are particularly obnoxious? >> well, there is the story of o

7-year-old who is in the pool with his cousins and of course we're not allowed to go into the stone cottage which is where the pool is. for the restaurant. of course, as a child uis waited until the absolute last moment. so the story goes this little boy ran right through grandmother's office going to the restroom and water flying off of him and whatnot. right past my grandmother. when he said, well that was my grandson david and i will it introduce him on his way back. so there was just no scolding whatsoever.

didn but this weight was. >> to true ever at any point, i know you mentioned you didn't really get how famous are important your grandmother was until her funeral. at any point is 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 in she was going to speak at a black church down and come i believe it was houston 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 it was so touching. of course, i was older at thatcn time i can remember times when s 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. >> over some of the things that the negative perception that your grandmother perceived and what was your reaction to that? >> i can remember a few cases where within the crowd there would be signs that were derogatory toward my grandmoth

grandmother. it didn't bother me so much because i knew that this time i knew that she was controversy oh. now, i don't know if you realize that during her lifetime, there were 19 attempts to assassinatei her. so, she was not universally loved by any stretch of the imagination. >> what is the talk of the dinner table one everybody's talking in just like somebody trying to kill grandma? what does the family do. >> for the most part it was not talked about. you certainly not discussed, in a lot of cases it was just well,

you know it happen. the kkk put the 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 in a very good opportunity, but so the story goes they couldn't bring themselves to kill this woman. >> it was very real, very real. >> did your grandmother ever speak about it? >> never. and certainly not to her. grandchildren. she never had had personal

protection whatsoever and i think that she just accepted that her work was too important to allow any kinds of threats to disturb her. she just went right on doing her thing. >> to remember at all any of your relationship with fdr? did eleanor talk about him as you were growing up? >> it's interesting, first, i was too young to really remember my grandfather. but, i don't recall myndmother e grandmother ever specifically discussing fdr with us. you know, they had an

interesting if you willing if y relationship, certainly it was not the kind of marriage that one would think of as a normal marriage. yet, they had such a strong partnership they had such respect for each other and each other's work really, that it really made it a special relationship i think. if i would asked 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. m i don't think my grandmother really enjoyed enjoyed being

first lady, enjoyed being married to the president.lt although i think she realized after fdr became president that it placed her in a position where she could have impact in the areas that she was really interested in herself. civil rights, human rights obviously, things like that, education. so it really was quite striking partnership between the two.ande >> wind is your grandmother passed away? >> 1962.ou remembe >> to remember the day that you were told she had passed. >> yes. and, i was in texas and i

immediately left to come back up here. it was a terrible shock, it's funny, i don't think i ever really believed that she would ever pass away. but it left quite a whole in my heart. >> why did you decide to write a book about your grandmother? >> that's interesting, because i really had no interest in writing yet another biography of my grandmother, yet no one had ever written anything that from a personal standpoint if youu wl will. i thought it would be kind of fun for people to know about my

grandmother and from the perspective of a grandchild who knew her. i think there's a lot of misconception about my grandmother and what she wanted to try to accomplish. the thing that impresses me most about my grandmother is that she really didn't care what other people thought. she would do what she felt was in the best interest for helping people and helping mankind. 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, be

proud of your heritage. be proud of the traditions of your family. but, never feel that you have to live up to that, to that legacy. you must be your own person and that is something that all of us carried with us our entire liv lives. >> we are here on the riverwalk and historic wilmington north carolina. as we continue or look into the cities nonfiction literary culture, will hear an author story about the 1898 political coup sparked by racial tensions. >> standing right here in front ofgh the 290 memorial which was put up on the hundredth anniversary of the events that occurred so long time coming, it was controversial because there many citizens, b