PROGRAM

Curtis Roosevelt, author of Too Close to the Sun: Growing Up in the Shadow of My Grandparents, Franklin and Eleanor, discussed Eleanor Roosevelt’s timeless leadership during her tenure as First Lady and beyond.

About the Speaker:

Curtis Roosevelt is the oldest grandson of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt. As the first Chairman of the Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill, Curtis Roosevelt was instrumental in having his grandmother’s home designated a national historic site. He obtained his masters degree from the School of Government and Public Law at Columbia University. Between 1956 and 1964, he worked for a number of schools and committees, including the National Citizens Commission for the Public Schools, the New School for Social Research, Columbia University, and the United States Committee for the United Nations. In 1964, he joined the Secretariat of the United Nations, where for eighteen years he held various positions in the international civil service sector. Roosevelt served as principal at the Dartington College of Arts in Devon, England, where he received an honorary bachelors degree in theatre, music, and fine art. He is now retired and lives in France with his wife, Marina.