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

[Original version of the column. Text in red are tagged with <sic> (needs correction); text in purple are tagged with <orig> (needs regularization); and text in blue are tagged names of persons or organizations. View emended version]

      

LOUISA, Ky., Monday—Yesterday afternoon, Mrs. Oldham, wife of the Bishop of Albany came in to see me bringing her youngest daughter and the son of a friend. We had tea in the West Hall and the youngsters confided in me that the great ambition of their lives at the moment was to shake hands with the President. Fortunately he had just returned from his over night trip on the Potomac River, so this could be arranged and they left happily.

Mrs. Oldham was driving herself to Rollins College in Florida for her eldest daughter's graduation, and she remined us that when my husband had received a degree there, that child had braved the secret service and jumped on the running board of his car to remind him of Albany days. They were having a pleasant conversation when the secret service gently but firmly removed her!

By six o'clock, Mrs. Scheider and I were on the train and on our way to Mt. Sterling, Kentucky. My little car had started out with a chauffeur as soon as I had returned Saturday evening, so as to meet me in Mt. Sterling this morning, for I would far rather drive these mountain roads in my own small car than in a large limousine. Senator Barkley was also on the train and I was only sorry we could not have with us the complete Kentucky delegation interested in these projects. Both Senator Logan and Congressman Vinson have shown great interest in the W.P.A. work especially the schools which I am here today to dedicate. We left the train at seven o'clock and went to the home of Dr. and Mrs. Henry. First I had an interview with the press which consisted of two very young reporters, a girl and a boy, both most anxious to do a good job and in this case, the young man was readier with his questions than the young lady! Then we had what they told us was a typical Kentucky breakfast. If so, everyone living in Kentucky should be plump at twenty-five and fat at thirty-five! Everything was much too good not to eat and I who rarely have more than orange juice, coffee and toast, found myself eating a sumptuous meal.

Then a short drive to Carmargo where I laid the corner stone for a new high school building which is to be built with the aid of W.P.A. Senator Barkley drove this far with me and made a speech. Then he was taken off in another car to speed as rapidly as possible to West Liberty for he was on the morning program there. I had trouble all the way with my car, something having gone wrong with the gas pedal. I couldn't climb any hill at over thirty miles an hour because I couldn't feed the car any more gas, and the long stream of cars behind us must have thought me the most conservative driver they had ever had to follow.

However, we are safelt in West Liberty now and the car has gone to the garage and I hope when we start for Morgantown this afternoon all will be well.

E.R.


Names and Terms Mentioned or Referenced

Geographic
  • Louisa (Lawrence County, Ky., United States) [ index ]


About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, May 25, 1937

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

  • Brick, Christopher (Editor)
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Digital edition published 2008, 2017 by
The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project

Available under licence from the Estate of Anna Eleanor Roosevelt.

Published with permission from the Estate of Anna Eleanor Roosevelt.

MEP edition publlished on June 30, 2008.

TEI-P5 edition published on April 28, 2017.

XML master last modified on: June 9, 2017.

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Transcription created from a photocopy of a draft version of a My Day column instance archived at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library. My Day column draft dated May 24, 1937, FDR Library, Hyde Park, NY
TMsd, 24 May 1937, AERP, FDRL