Guarding the Roosevelts

National Park Service security guard Gilbert Calhoun began his employment at the FDR Historic Site in February of 1946 less than a year after FDR's death in April, 1945. Thirty-three years later in 1978, Calhoun was interviewed by FDR Library oral historian Emily Williams about his experiences keeping vigil over FDR's grave at a time when grieving citizens from around the nation were making pilgrimages to FDR's Hyde Park home. During the 14 years Calhoun served with the National Park Service in Hyde Park, he also frequently protected Eleanor Roosevelt during her visits to the FDR Home and Library. Thanks to the recording of oral histories, the unusual perspectives and surprising insights of people like Calhoun are no longer lost to history.

Gilbert Calhoun: When I first reported for duty it was early February of 1946...Our biggest problem was trying to keep the general public from coming into the home grounds and around the gravesite which was closed to the public in those days. There were no barriers at the gravesite to keep the public out. During nights we were instructed to turn people back that would be walking all the way from Route 9 after the FDR Library entrance gates were closed. Many infiltrated the grounds, and were asked to leave...

We did have some problems with people by their sheer numbers trying to push their way over the guards on duty to get to the gravesite. There was an opening in the hemlock hedge between the library and the home at the northeasterly portion of the grave. Many persons would push their way to the gravesite at that point, and we would have to turn them around. People would trample the rose beds that we were trying to get in shape for the opening date [of FDR's home as a historic site]...

April the 12th, 1946, President Harry Truman was here for the official dedication.. .One thing very amusing, that kind of distracted from the dedication ceremony, was the appearance of Frank Sinatra. The women and all the young people screaming and shouting veered away from the ceremonies to see Frank Sinatra. We had some difficulty getting him out of the scene off to one side so the dedication ceremony could continue.

Eleanor Roosevelt with the March of Dimes Poster Child laying a wreath on FDR's grave, January 30, 1956. FDR Library and Archives. (This ceremony was part of the annual observance of FDRs birthday. In her January 30, 1954 "My Day" newspaper column, Mrs. Roosevelt noted: "Saturday morning 1 go to Hyde Parkfor the usual ceremonies at my husbands grave at 11:30 a. or The March of Dimes Poster Child always comes up to lay a wreath on my husbands grave and the President also sends a wreath which is laid by the Commandant from West Point, Major General Irving. The group usually comes to my cottage afterwards.")

Emily Williams: Most of the people who were trying to get in before the site was open to the public, were they mostly curiosity seekers, or were they Roosevelt worshippers?

GC: Well, I would say a combination of both. You know, right after the president's death and knowing he was buried here in Hyde Park, there were very, very many highly emotional people who were Roosevelt fans trying to enter the grounds. It was not unusual when turning these people back at the entrance gate along Route 9 they would be crying and very emotionally upset. We did the best we could to explain the circumstances and apologize to them that it couldn't be open for various reasons. When we found that the site would be open to the public April 12th, very shortly, it did help to console some of the people but not those who had travelled clear across the United States and some from foreign countries that happened to be in this area.

EW: You had spoken to me earlier that you had one very important visitor before the site was open to the public.

GC: Yes. I was quite surprised. It was the later part of February, and I happened to be on day-duty at the gravesite and in the general vicinity. The gravesite could not be left unattended in those days. We had a small, temporary shelter that we occupied during inclement weather on the west end of the path at the gravesite. Someone had to be near the gravesite at all times so the stone wouldn't be damaged by souvenir seekers if they infiltrated and got near the grave.

When I was on duty at the grave we received word that Winston Churchill was going to visit to pay his respects at the gravesite, and a little later that day a special contingent was let in through the home site gate, not through the FDR Library entrance gate.. .1 was quite surprised to see prime minister Churchill coming to the grave. All I can recall about the prime minister at that time—he appeared to be feeble, had to be assisted and used a cane, and he had in his mouth a large black cigar that used to be identified with him in those days. It was a very quiet time at the grave. He stood with his head bowed for a short period of time, and then the party went to the home and of course let him go into the home perhaps to reminisce on previous visits to the area when the president had him at Hyde Park as his guest...

EW: When Mrs. Roosevelt came into the grave that time with Churchill, was that the first time you had ever seen her?

GC: That is, I believe the first time I did see Mrs. Roosevelt in person— and then many, many times later. She was just a wonderful woman. We used to have minor parking problems with Johnny and Franklin [sons of Eleanor Roosevelt and FDR]. When a special person would visit here, such as Trygve Lie (head of the United Nations), or some ambassador or diplomat, I would be with Mrs. Roosevelt, waiting for the official party to arrive. We had space for several sedans and limousines to park, and Johnny and one of the other boys would arrive also with guests in their cars. The guard on duty in the parking lot would tell them where to park, but they would come on up and park pretty much where they'd like to park. Mrs. Roosevelt could detect something was out of line by the expression on our faces and some of the conversation going on. She would ask me, "Is there something wrong, Mr. Calhoun?" I said, "Well, we're going to have a little problem because that area has been reserved

for the official party, and I think Johnny's parked in the wrong place." She said, "I'll handle Johnny." And then Johnny'd come over, "Mother?" And she would say, "The first thing you do, John, is move your car right now, and you park where you're told to park." The usual reply was, "Yes, Mother." We learned to handle the boys through Mrs. Roosevelt. It made it much easier for us...

EW: She [Eleanor Roosevelt] didn't like, when she was in the White House, having secret service protection. How did she react to the kind of protection that was being furnished here?

GC: I don't think we provided that same degree of protection. Our instructions were from the beginning that Mrs. Roosevelt is NEVER to be left unattended at any time on the grounds. We did work out an arrangement with the staff, later with Mr. Linada, who was the first chauffeur working for Mrs. Roosevelt over there in the Val-Kill area, and later with Tubby Curnan and the staff over at Val-Kill that any time Mrs. Roosevelt left to come to the home we wanted them to call us and let us know so we could be prepared. We'd pass the word around. And it was our position to be with her at all times.

Many times she did come unannounced. The first person who spotted her would call, and ANYONE would stop what they were doing and stay with her for her protection because people, in trying to meet and greet her, would probably rush and push and mob her. ...I spent many a time with her on these occasions, and she didn't like any roughhousing or grabbing people or pushing them aside. We made that a practice that we would try to convince the people, maybe thrust an arm up, but not push them, just to let them know they couldn't get any closer. I think she accepted that. In fact, I would say in the later years, when Mrs. Roosevelt found it a little more difficult to get around, she objected less at our actions to control the crowds around her...

EW: Did you ever get the feeling maybe she was a little wistful or unhappy in any way at coming for a public occasion to what had been her home?

GC: No, I didn't get that impression at all.

EW: You'd think it might be a natural reaction.

CC: Personally I had heard Mrs. Roosevelt say to some visitor, "You must remember this was Sara's home," and she has said more than once to different people, "This was Mama's home." I think that she impressed upon all of us that up until the death of Sara Roosevelt, this had been her mother-in-law's home, and of course, the family lived with her. No, I don't think Mrs. Roosevelt ever was wistful about visiting the home at all...

Mrs. Roosevelt used to bring Fala with her over to the home, of course on a leash. I remember one day she forgot the leash in the car, and she was carrying Fala in her arms for some reason. As she came up the front door to go into the house, she wanted to know if she could put Fala down. As she set him down, Fala just scurried up the steps and ran all the way down to FDR's bedroom. That's where we found him. He had jumped up on the foot of the president's bed up there, and evidently the dog had run under the gates in the hallway near Mrs. E. Roosevelt's

Eleanor Roosevelt with her two Scotties, Fala and Fala s grandson Tamas in 1951. FDR Library and Archives. (Mrs. Roosevelt wrote ofher Scotties, "Tamas can make his grandfather dash around the house and upset all the rugs better than half a dozen children. They remind me very much of people—they have so many traits that we find in ourselves. When I'm up in the country, I take them walking three times a day—once before breakfast, once in the morning, and again in the afternoon." "My Day" column: March 5, 1948)

bedroom and come around and jumped right up on the bed. I believe it was after I left Hyde Park that Fala died—no, it was before. Fala's gravesite is right behind the president's stone. I do remember when Mrs. Roosevelt came over for that quiet little ceremony.

EW: One of the sons reports of that ceremony, he said, "Mother didn't cry at father's funeral, but she cried when they buried Fala.

GC: Yes. I really think Fala was a great comfort to her. She'd come over, and Fala would always be with her.. .Once in a while, when she wanted to do something, one of us would be dog-tender for her. We didn't mind that a bit. We'd take Fala out into the kitchen of the home, which was closed to the public at that time, and keep him out there with us while she went on through the home. Later she'd come and reclaim Fala again and take off for Val-Kill...

I still look back over that fourteen years I spent here in Hyde Park in what I call the peak years of the area. It was an experience I'll never forget—all our associations with the. State Department so we'd be better able to serve the national groups and State Department guests, VIPs and dignitaries. I believe one thing the National Park Service may be proud of [was] we handled many of these incidents with NO great problems at all. We did it with the staff here on site, augmented by the state police and other local law enforcement entities to meet our overall responsibilities. We didn't have to bring in droves of federal police to help with all these security problems. That's quite an accomplishment. I think Mrs. Roosevelt knew that.

She didn't like the security thing, shoulder to shoulder, back to back, nightsticks and all that. That just wasn't the style that would please her, but she knew that if anything happened somebody'd be right at her side whom she could rely on at all times. I think she gave us a different perspective into what security can be. She would make known many times, "I'd rather not see this," or not that. I think we profited by our association with her, too. Even today, I look back and see that we did things then through her help and her points of view that we still practice today in different areas of the service, so the association at Hyde Park has been all good. I've seen a lot of days when I wished the crowds would go home; we were outnumbered ten to one. But just to be around Mrs. Roosevelt and work with her was very pleasant. I've seen some days when I wished she hadn't come over (on a busy day). We were having other problems,

but nevertheless when she was here it seemed like everything went fine. [There were] two small occasions when we did have some really fresh, pushy people where we had to take direct action. I don't think these type people really intended her any harm; [they were] just very emotionally charged. They just practically worshipped her and in trying to approach

Security guards and dignitaries follow Mrs. Roosevelt and Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev during his visit to the FDR Library and Home in September of 1959. FDR Library and Archives. (Mrs. Roosevelt described the visit matter of factly: "Mr Khrushchev explained to me that he had not come here to Hyde Parkfor pleasure, but had felt it was his duty to pay his respects to my husband's memory. As he had told me before, he felt that my husband understood the needs and aspirations of the Soviet Union. There were a good many people who wanted a glimpse of this man who to most Americans symbolizes something which is certainly not very good. But, nevertheless, they are curious about hitn and about his country and even about the economic and ideological beliefs that he holds." "My Day" column: September 19, 1959)

her they could really cause some problems. They are the ones we had to tone down. I call it, the step up plan, where one must take a little more drastic action, nothing violent, but be more forceful for her protection.

EW: I really appreciate your relating this for us.

History in the Papers

Newspaper publishers have long understood that oral history and first hand news accounts have a valuable place in local journalism. Interviewing community legends as they look back on "days gone by" or drawing "pen pictures" of venerable community institutions has traditionally been the province of the local newspaper's "feature writer."

Both journalists and oral historians must develop the highest levels of skill in the art of interviewing. And though their purposes, techniques and standards differ, journalists and oral historians search for truth with a similar set of tools. Articles like the following from Poughkeepsie New Yorker reporter Helen Myers demonstrate the considerable contributions journalists can make to the recording of local history.

Four samples of Myers' work from the 1940s and 1950s are included here in honor of the Poughkeepsie Journal's 225th anniversary in 2010.