The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, Digital Edition > My Day
MARCH 16, 1953
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SARASOTA, Fla., Sunday—On Friday I spent a busy day in various activities to awaken interest in the Miami chapter of the American Association for the U.N. In Miami the main interest has been among the university professors and students.
The university has had a phenomenal growth in the course of the last few years, and I was interested to see the campus and to find that they had a great number of foreign students. My first appointment in the morning was a short discussion period with these foreign students. They told me an amusing story of how they happened to get their first student from Thailand. He thought he was sending in his application to Miami College in Oxford, Ohio, but he addressed it to Miami University, U.S.A. Quite naturally his application found its way to the University of Miami and in due time he was accepted. When he arrived he was enchanted with the university, but much disappointed not to find any of his friends. During Christmas vacation he invited them all down to stay, and little by little they all transferred. It certainly would be more like Thailand in Florida than in Ohio.
I spoke to the entire student body in a crowded auditorium. Then I made a hurried tour of their student government headquarters and the offices where they get out the student magazine and newspapers. Both activities have been very successful, and the publications are a part of the course in journalism. I lunched with some of the faculty and board of trustees, and then went back to my hostess' home for a couple of hours in the afternoon.
At five I attended a meeting of the officers of the chapter of the AAUN, when we went over in detail the new plan of organization and of work. I also consulted with them on finding a state chairman. No one seemed to come up with a candidate immediately, but I hope that one may be found before long. I think they have gained one good worker in Miami because my hostess, who has always been a very active business woman, told me she had agreed to do any job they asked her to undertake. She has always been a dynamo of energy and, if she gets interested, I am sure she will have more ideas and more ways of accomplishing them than anyone else they could find.
After the meeting, which lasted well over an hour, we had dinner together and then went to the auditorium to speak. It was a good meeting, and I hope it will serve as a spark for future activity.
Saturday Miss Thompson and I took a holiday. We did a little shopping and then went to a delightful house where there was a wonderful salt water swimming pool. I had a swim and afterward lunched out of doors with a very delightful and interesting group of people. Later we went to visit a friend and see the changes that had been made in an old house which had been done over. Finally, after an early supper, we took the plane to Sarasota.
E. R.
(WORLD COPYRIGHT, 1953, BY UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC.; REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART PROHIBITED.)
About this document
My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, March 16, 1953
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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