Franklin D. Roosevelt's

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Floating White House” Oakland, California 2008 Volume 5 Number 3

Connecting with FDR’s History A trip to the East Coast - A report by Marti Burchell

The Board of Governors of the Presidential Yacht Potomac Association graciously agreed to send me on a trip to the East Coast to make contact with our counterparts in Washington DC, Warm Springs, and Hyde Park. The trip was fourteen days of site visits, meeting other devotees of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and learning as much as I could about these amazing leaders of American History. DC was my first stop and thus starts my travelogue. Washington DC in the spring can be truly glorious, and the city was showing off its best on my trip East in April. The famous cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and all the spring flowers were at their peak. As I walked along the Tidal Basin and visited the memorials, the trees and flowers added a marvelous counterpoint to these solemn granite and marble monuments to America’s leaders. The Roosevelt Memorial is one of the most beautiful and inspiring memorials of the many I visited in DC. The layout and thoughtfulness that went into the design and construction was evident in all regards. Each aspect of the memorial gave me cause to stop and reflect on the accomplishments of this extraordinary man and his wife Eleanor. Everywhere I looked the monument was complemented by the profusion of cherry blossoms and other flowering trees, making this stop one of the highlights of my trip. A visit to the Presidential Yacht Sequoia and the United States Navy Museum was next. I met with Kim Nielsen, Director of the museum, for a tour of the Sequoia just prior to her departure on a private charter. The boat is docked on the Anacosta River and recently returned from winter dry dock- ing and storage. Touring the ship, one is acutely aware of the extreme limitations and difficulties that President Roosevelt had to deal with because of his wheelchair. The ladder to the lower deck is very narrow, as is the passage way to the presidential bedroom. There was an elevator installed on the Sequoia to accom- modate FDR, but even so maneuverability would have been difficult at best. Owner, Gary Silversmith, was a cordial and knowledgeable host and very passionate about the Se- quoia and her place in presidential life. The history of the boat is very well documented in photos and scrapbooks and she is a charming and well kept vessel. The Navy Museum, next stop on my agenda, is located in the Washington Navy Yard, and is a true gem. The building itself is extremely long and was once a working repair shop. The curator of the mu- seum has done an extraordinary job of developing and placing exhibits so, as one walks the length of the building, US Naval history unfolds along a timeline. It is filled with wonderful models and artifacts from America’s proud naval history. The next day April 9, I was privileged to be invited to attend two spectacular events. The first was an all day event called Toward a New, New Deal, FDR’s Liberalism and the Future of American Democracy. This symposium, held at DC’s historic Willard Hotel, was presented by The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute and The Roosevelt Institution in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the First Hundred Days and the beginning of the New Deal. The symposium met its goals. Discussion was lively and broad in scope. I was very privileged to be allowed to participate and I was extremely encouraged by the intelligence and commitment of the young representatives of the Roosevelt Institution. The second event was the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Distinguished Public Service Award. This very elegant dinner event was held in the rotunda at the Old Post Office Pavilion on Pennsylvania Avenue. The award served two purposes: 1) to honor individuals whose careers exemplify President Roosevelt’s extraordinary dedication to public service and 2) to inspire renewed national commitment to the principles for which FDR stood, and to call attention to the crucial role that Congress plays in shaping and moving America’s agenda forward. California’s own Nancy Pelosi was one of the recipi- ents. continued on page 2 Page 2

Marti’s Musings……………. Be a friend

The Presidential Yacht Potomac is approaching its 75th birthday, please consider making this special year the one you choose to become a Friend of the Potomac. Why, you may ask, is this small gesture of sup- port so important, and why do I keep harping on “becoming a Friend”?

Let me give you an overview of why organization memberships mean so much to non-profits. Aside from the obvious financial support of programs and projects your memberships represent the following:

• A very real and tangible statement of your support, as a member of the community, for the organization, what it represents and who it serves. • A commitment to the mission statement of the organization. • A visible measure for Foundations and Corporations to evaluate the programs, mission, and viability of an organization. This is vital when a grant is under consideration. • The greater the percentage of association members in relationship to the number of actual Board Members and Volunteers the more obvious the “buy-in support” of the organization. • All of the funds represented by your memberships support our Educational Cruise Programs for Bay Area fifth through eighth grade school children. A visual reminder of this important reason to join the Friends of the Potomac can be seen below. n

Connecting with FDR.

The following day I was off to the lovely state of Georgia to explore and learn about Warm Springs and the part it played in President Roosevelt’s life. I was fortunate to have a guide for this portion of the trip. Dr. Chris Breiseth, President of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute drove me to Warm Springs, and spent the next couple of days with me exploring the riches of this historic landmark. Dr. Breiseth has an extraordinary breadth of knowledge about President Roosevelt and his life and times. We were the guests of the Advisory Board of the Little White House at their annual dinner and the following day at the 63rd Commemoration Ceremony of the death of FDR, held at the Little White House. This was a lovely event, and special guests that day were several of the famous Tuskegee Air- men. Later that day I had the opportunity to visit inside the Little White House and Dowdell’s Knob, famous for the Roosevelt Barbeques, and to spend several hours with Greg Schimeg, Executive Di- rector of the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation. The Institute is in a state of transition, and Mr. Schimeg is working to develop new programs to bring an infusion of much needed support for the continued operation and maintenance of the facility. The warm water therapy pools and museum at Warm Springs were the next stops. The pools were empty, as there are some leakage issues, but one could easily imagine them filled with therapists and patients working to strengthen their bodies in the warm water. I could also imagine the dynamic and smiling President Roosevelt encouraging his fellow patients to try a bit harder. The museum, while small, was filled with grim reminders of the terrible damage that Polio inflicted on the youth of that time. n

Next issue, Hyde Park and New York. • Words from the Crew Page 3 The Road To Becoming An Able Seaman – Part 2

n the last issue of Potomac Currents, I related my experience at San Diego’s Lifeboatman School as part of the road to becoming an Able Seaman (AB). Four other Potomac Crewmen have recently com- I pleted equivalent Lifeboatman training. Garth Lenz and Taylor McClung received their training as Merchant Marine Cadets at the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo. John Kaehms and Tom Howard acquired their knowledge by virtue of holding 100 Ton Merchant Mariner Captains Licenses, and only needed to do some brush up work before setting for the Coast Guard AB tests. My experience is six and a half years of Naval Service and working as an Ordinary Seaman aboard the Potomac. I opted to attend the Able Seaman Course at Training Resources, Ltd. in San Diego. There were eight of us in class. Our first learning session was an introduction to the Code of Federal Regulations, that governs the US Maritime Industry, followed by Nautical Terminology. The student guide took us from A to Z in nautical terms. AB training is geared to prepare the student for work on the Merchant Fleet of Cargo Ships, so it was only natural that our next topic was cargo handling. We learned about cranes and the rigging used to load and unload cargo. After lunch, we had our first session of “Knots of the Day.” Each day we were introduced to a couple new knots and practiced those we had learned in previous sessions. We finished this day with two hours of Anchoring and Ground Tackle study. Tuesday morning’s subject was Deck Department and Bridge Team Organization geared to the big ships, but very apropos to the Potomac. We spent several hours on Marlinspike Sea- manship, basically working with lines (ropes, for you land lubbers). We learned to splice lines, which was a review for me. I have been splicing lines growing up on a farm in Minnesota since I was about twelve years old. A new subject for me was learning to identify and work with vari- ous types of wire lines. Next came Blocks and Tackle: how to rig lines in multiple blocks and tackle for the best mechanical advantage, allowing a person to lift a heavy load with minimal effort. Wednesday brought an overview of ship types that we would encounter in our AB careers. This led into the subject of manning the various types of ships to accomplish the ships mission. Manning requirements are vastly different for tankers, cargo vessels or passenger ships. We sat for the first of our two 50 question Coast Guard examinations covering General Deck and Safety. Later, we studied Com- pass Familiarization and Navigational Rules, which we took up again on Thursday morning, for a total of about seven hours. Thursday afternoon, we studied the duties of Helmsman and Conning Officer, for another seven hours. On Friday, the day of reckoning had arrived. After a review of the subjects from the past several days we began our examinations. We demonstrated our practical skill of knot tying (we were required to do seven out of ten knots) and showed that we could make an eye splice in a manila line. Then we sat for the last of the 50 question Coast Guard exam covering General Navigation and Rules of the Road. I was pleased that I came close to acing the Exams. During the week, the evening hours were devoted to reviewing each days material including tying and re-tying every knot that we learned. I’m glad the weather was atypical for San Diego or I would probably have been tempted to venture into Old Town San Diego cutting short the nightly reviews. I was exhausted at the end of the school and on my short flight home I fell asleep before we took off and awoke just in time to land in the beautiful City of San Francisco (certificate in hand). n —Les Marks

THE BOTTOM LINE . . . . . events, and an exciting picture gallery. • COOKIE LADY CELEBRATES • THE USS POTOMAC WEBSITE IS When long time Docent Mary Whitehead UPDATED. Along with regularly main- appears at the door of the Potomac Visitor’s taining our beloved ship for every new sea- Center you can be assured she carries with son, the Office Staff annually reviews and her a canister of her famous homemade updates the Potomac Association’s internet chocolate chip cookies to share with fel- website. The website presents to the gen- low docents, Potomac crew and staff. Oh, eral public and our passengers a convenient there was that one time recently when the way of adding the Potomac into their lei- our office personnel and prospective client canister was mysteriously empty (Cookie sure plans. are simultaneously reviewing the website Monster in the car maybe?). Recently, Last year the website’s Potomac Gal- information. Mary celebrated a significant birthday. lery was significantly enlarged making it a Check out www.usspotomac.org when Congratulations to a marvelous person and breeze to talk with our internet savvy cli- you have a moment and you’ll find an im- thanks for those wonderful treats. ents about the Potomac while they are look- pressive refresher on the history of the Po- • FDR, one of the finest speakers to be ing at the site’s offerings. Truly, a picture tomac (including several photographs) dur- president, had this advice about the art of is worth a thousand words. Promoting our ing the Roosevelt era, a current calendar public speaking: “Be sincere; be brief; be charter services is greatly enhanced while of history cruises, a listing of our special seated.” n RHK

Page 4 Please make What did the Potomac and the Titanic 2008 have in common? your year to become a FRIEND OF THE They both had false POTOMAC smokestacks and they both sank. The Potomac is open for guided dockside tours Sundays, 1:00 to 4:00 PM Veteran’s Day Cruise Wednesdays & Fridays, 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM Two hour HISTORY CRUISES available by reservation. Join us November 11, 2008 to honor our Veterans Jack London Square and Active Duty Military Personnel. Two cruises: 540 Water Street 10 AM to 12 Noon and 1PM to 3PM. Oakland, CA 94607 Go to www.ticketweb.com or call the Potomac at (510) 627-1215 510-627-1215 for reservations. www.usspotomac.org

Board of Governors and Staff Michael Roosevelt, Chairman Carla Betts, President JOIN US ONBOARD THE POTOMAC Tom Morehouse, 1st Vice President 2008 SPECIAL EVENTS Curtis Davies, 2nd Vice President Art Haskell, CFO • Angel Island Cruise / Tours Jean Gaskill, Secretary July 23 • August 27 • September 24 • October 29 Rick Anderson, Mary Bergan, • Independence Day July 4 Joe Brennan, David Connolly, • Fleet Week October 11 and 12 (Sold Out) Virginia Furth, Judy Goff, Al Groh • Veteran’s Day (2 Cruises) November 11 Doug Higgins, Hal Marsh, James McCloud Call or check our web site: www.usspotomac.org for Special Event Cruises Denny McLeod, Ron Paredes, added throughout the year. Kirk Rowlands, Richard Zampa DOCKSIDE TOURS Join us onboard the Potomac for docent-led dockside tours. Tours last approximately 45 minutes Marti Burchell, Executive Director and include a 15 minute video shown in the Potomac’s Visitor Center which provides a glimpse of Craig Newton, Shipkeeper Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s use of the Potomac. Wednesday and Friday: 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM Sunday: December ~ March 12 Noon to 3:30 PM The Potomac Association April ~ November 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM 540 Water Street Dockside Ticket Pricing: P.O. Box 2064 Oakland, CA 94604 $7/Adult ~ $5/Seniors ~ 12 and under/Free Telephone: 510-627-1215 www.usspotomac.org (Schedule available in Visitors Center) The Potomac Currents is published 2008 HISTORY CRUISES Enjoy a two-hour narrated History Cruise around San Francisco Bay onboard the Potomac with our by the Association for the Preservation knowledgeable docents and crew. Hear of the impact FDR’s administration had upon the Bay Area of the Presidential Yacht, Potomac, Inc. and surrounding landmarks. Complimentary soda, coffee, tea and water are available. While on Printed courtesy of the Port of Oakland’s board, guests are invited to take a docent led tour or self guided tour. REPROGRAPHIC DEPARTMENT Editor: Rich Knowles Purchase tickets by contacting TicketWeb at www.ticketweb.com or by calling 866-468-3399. You Layout and Design: David McGraw may also call the Potomac at 510-627-1215. Reservations are highly recommended. Groups of 20 Editorial Board: Marti Burchell, Ed Bloom, or more must call the Potomac Association for reservations. Les Marks and David McGraw. No part of this publication may be reproduced History Cruises Depart Jack London Square at 11:00 AM without written permission by the publisher. History Cruise Ticket Pricing: $40/Adults ~ $35/Seniors (over 60) ~ $30/Youth 6-12 ~ Under 6 Free Groups of 20 or more $30

Friends of the Potomac

The USS Potomac Association acknowledges the following individuals and organizations for their generous donations between January 1, 2008 and March 27, 2008

SUSTAINING PATRON Rich Knowles and Merlyn Uhlenberg Cynthia Weiss Port of Oakland David and Myrna McGraw John and Marilyn Welland Stuart and Vallyn Proffitt Ruth Ann Yager CORPORATE/PATRON Gordon Seligson Waterfront Plaza Hotel Beverly Voelker FALA Richard Black COMMANDER IN CHIEF FIRST MATE Donald Bonney CA Field Iron Workers Admin Trust Bruce and Gail Adair David Brossard and Sally Beck Dale Hansen Ruth Adar Ted Brown Arthur Haskell Gene Bell Steven Coleman Denny and Ruth McLeod Marti Burchell Angelique and Yann Cucaro-Renault Dan Strohl Windy and Jerry Butler Gus Dorough Fred Cunningham Georgia Edlund ADMIRAL Al Dessayer Elizabeth Hannon Lee Ditlefsen Leroy and Marlene Hintzman James McCloud Art and Ardeth Dreshfeld Esther Jennings Tom and Carol Morehouse Robert Eakin and Avis Hendley Colleen Kelly-Prola Kirk Rowlands Joseph Echelberry Jack Lapidos Judy Goff Roveda Dorothy and Julie Filice Lucy John Richard Zampa – District Council of Ironworkers Mavourneen Harshman Ronald Louis Pieter Hazewindus Dawn Muller ELEANOR Capt Walter Jaffee Herbert Ploch Mary Bergan John Klip Mary Rudser John and Clem Underhill Neal and Nancy Lambly Mary Lou Williams David Lee Woods and Phyllis D. Chambers Daniel Lamey Robert Woodruff Robert Matz CAPTAIN Thomas Murray STUDENT TEACHER Don and Cathy DeCoss Jim O’Connor •••• Les and Elaine Dropkin Mitch Salzman ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS Olaf Elander Jerry and Lovene Silsdorf (Educational Fund) Norman and Edna Eltringham – in memory of Elaine Stanley City National Bank Bob McMillan John and Darleen Upmeier William and Marsha Dillon George Fraser Wanda Viviano Mt Diablo Detachment – Marine Corps League Note: Questions or comments about the above listing may be referred to Gordon Seligson, email: [email protected] or write to Friends of the Potomac, P.O. Box 2064, Oakland, CA 94604.

Special Thanks To the following Sustaining and Patron Corporations and Organizations

The Port of Oakland For their continued support and contributions to the Potomac Association throughout the years.

Water Front Plaza Hotel For their generous in-kind contributions to the Potomac Association Board of Governors throughout the year.

The Soda Foundation For a special 2008 grant to restore the glass in the Potomac Fantail.

Honda Marine, USA For a brand new outboard engine for the Potomac’s new Rescue Boat, 2008.

The Potomac Association sincerely appreciates the commitment and assistance of these fine organizations. Join Us As a Friend of the Potomac

Your membership supports:

• Educational Cruises for 1,600 East Bay public school children; 16 cruises each year. These cruises are free of charge for classroom groups. • Special cruises and programs for seniors and veterans. • A new program designed for high school students in grade 11 to develop awareness of the FDR era and the impact of programs instituted during that critical period. • The ongoing maintenance, repair and operation of the Presidential Yacht USS Potomac, FDR’s “Floating White House.” • Dockside and on the ship educational programs for over 11,000 visitors annually. • The Potomac Visitor Center Museum exhibits and programs for Museum Studies interns from local colleges and universities. • The development and delivery of special cruises featuring the ecological, historical and economic importance of San Francisco Bay. Membership has its Privileges

Benefits of Corporate/ Cmdr. Admiral Eleanor Captain First Fala Student/ Membership Patron In Chief Mate Teacher $2,500+ $1000 $750 $500 $250 $100 $50 $35

Free Dockside Tours Ten Eight Six Four Two One Free History Cruises Ten Eight Six Four Two One Quarterly Newsletter X X X X X X X X 10% Merchandise Discount X X X X X X On board Charter discount X Recognition in Newsletter X X X X X X X X Passes to Opening Day on The Bay Four Two

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Mail to: POTOMAC ASSOCIATION, PO Box 2064, Oakland, CA 94604 ~ For Information call: 510-627-1215