The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, Digital Edition > My Day
My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt

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WASHINGTON, Friday—A group of representative men and women met in the East Room today to hear the proposition made by the President of Thiel College, Dr. Rudisill, and the head of the Lutheran Synod, Dr. Bagger, under whose auspicies Thiel College is run, for a memorial to Amelia Earhart.

She was interested in this college because her family was connected with it for many years, her father and aunt graduated there. She received her first honorary degree from Thiel and wanted to help them, when her plans were cut short by her last flight.

These plans now include a dormitory and social center at the College, and scholarships granted in the field of social service and science to graduates of any accredited college in any part of the country. The trustees may also widen the scope of the memorial to include other things which will keep her memory alive.

In bringing together representative people who touch many sides of American life, the idea is to have this memorial be the expression of a great number of people who wish to honor Amelia Earhart's memory. I would far rather see 500,000 people give a dollar each, than have a few people raise a large sum of money. It is Amelia's spirit and life we want to keep as a living influence, and the more people who have a share in this memorial, the more successful we will be in reaching the objective.

We hope the sponsors' committee, the board of trustees and the active chairman will soon be named. If each one who was present today, makes some plan to interest others in the undertaking, the campaign will go forward successfully and rapidly.

Last night we held our last state reception. It was a large one, but because the Army, Navy and Marine Corps know how to move with precision and rapidity, the guests went by the President quite rapidly. After the President went upstairs, I talked with a number of friends and then a few of us gathered upstairs in the Oval Room for a chat, but by 11:00 o'clock all our guests were gone.

Our son, James, came in to say goodbye, for he started early this morning on the two week cruise which Reserve officers in the Marine Corps must take. I think the cruise should be very delightful. Even though it may be strenuous at times, he will not have as much responsibility as he has here.

Our small grandson seems to be recovering rapidly, but now Chandler is laid up! We hope the "bug" will treat her kindly.

It was a most curious experience to listen to speeches over the radio this afternoon from so many different countries and to hear women's voices as clearly as though they were in the same room. Modern methods of communication seem marvelous but at times are rather terrifying. Talking to people in far distant countries gave me a sense of great responsibility.

E.R.

(Copyright, 1938, by United Feature Syndicate, Inc.)


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About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, February 26, 1938

Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962
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Digital edition created by The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project The George Washington University 312 Academic Building 2100 Foxhall Road, NW Washington, DC 20007

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MEP edition publlished on June 30, 2008.

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Transcription created from a photocopy of a UFS wire copy of a My Day column instance archived at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library.
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