LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Frank-
lin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize that the
quality and character of life in the communities across the great State
of New York is reflective of certain exemplary institutions whose
purpose is dedicated to serving the community and the needs of its citi-
zenry; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commem-
orate the 75th Anniversary of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential
Library; and
WHEREAS, At a press conference held on December 10, 1938, President
Franklin D. Roosevelt explained the need for a place to keep his own
papers after his presidency, saying, "For the last two years I have been
considering more and more the final disposal of what amounts to probably
the largest collection of original source material of almost anybody
over the last quarter of a century"; and
WHEREAS, The first President to make the White House material avail-
able to the public, President Roosevelt dedicated the nation's first
Presidential Library and Museum on June 30, 1941 in Hyde Park, New York-
-his home--with a small ceremony attended by close friends and community
members that drew approximately 2,000 local residents; and
WHEREAS, His closing remarks were, "The dedication of a library is in
itself an act of faith. To bring together the records of the past and to
house them in buildings where they will be preserved for the use of men
and women in the future, a Nation must believe in three things. It must
believe in the past. It must believe in the future. It must, above all,
believe in the capacity of its own people so to learn from the past that
they can gain in judgment in creating their own future"; and
WHEREAS, The Library became the first Presidential Library, a reposi-
tory for papers of associates and contemporaries and was maintained by
the National Archives and Records Administration, which President Roose-
velt established through legislation he signed into law to preserve the
nation's history and records of not only his own administration, but a
significant period in American and international history; and
WHEREAS, The Library includes collections donated by President
Roosevelt's colleagues and advisors: U.S. Secretary of Labor Frances
Perkins, the first woman appointed to the U.S. Cabinet; New Deal archi-
tect Harry L. Hopkins; New York Herald reporter and advisor Louis M.
Howe; U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, Jr.; presidential
speechwriter Samuel I. Rosenman, and others who were actively involved
in shaping Roosevelt's presidency; and
WHEREAS, After President Roosevelt's death on April 12, 1945, First
Lady Eleanor Roosevelt returned home to Val-Kill in Hyde Park and main-
tained an interest in the Library's oversight, including ceremonies and
events surrounding the site, throughout the rest of her life; and
WHEREAS, When Eleanor Roosevelt died on November 7, 1962, she donated
massive collections of papers to the Library -- nearly two million
pages; Eleanor's papers contained correspondence from her years in and
after the White House, copies of her newspaper column "My Day", tran-
scripts from her many radio broadcasts and much more; and
WHEREAS, By 1970, the Library began constructing the Eleanor Roosevelt
Wings to accommodate Eleanor's materials and the ever-increasing visi-
torship; by 1972 the Wings were dedicated and included a new exhibition
gallery and increased storage and workspace for the Library; and

WHEREAS, The Library has made a mission of encouraging local youth to
visit the Library to pique and increase interest in world history that
happened in the Hudson Valley: In 1989 a unique program was launched to
invite students to view Top Secret government records and more recently
interactive and touch screen displays were introduced throughout the
installations; and
WHEREAS, In May 2010, the Library underwent renovations to bring the
Library up to the National Archive's standards for the preservation of
historic collections while carefully preserving the building's historic
appearance; and
WHEREAS, The Library was rededicated to the American people on June
30, 2013, after completion of its $41 million renovations which added
permanent museum exhibits to tell the story of the Roosevelt's and their
relationship with the people; and
WHEREAS, President Roosevelt identified himself as a farmer and the
large hay field between the Library and Albany Post Road--which he
allotted for farm use--continues to be actively farmed till this day;
and
WHEREAS, On June 12, 2014, acclaimed filmmaker Kenneth Burns visited
the Library to preview his fourteen-hour documentary series, "The Roose-
velts: An Intimate History," and to thank the Library staff for their
support since 2009 while his production team researched the project; and
WHEREAS, Upon the public airing of Kenneth Burn's PBS documentary "The
Roosevelts: An Intimate History," in September of 2014, the Library's
attendance doubled to 173,000 visitors in that year, the highest since
1989; and
WHEREAS, Seventy-five years after it was first dedicated in 1941, the
Library has flourished, becoming a nationally-treasured and internation-
ally-recognized tourist destination and a robust economic engine for our
state and region; and
WHEREAS, Steeped in a proud and distinguished past, Franklin D.
Roosevelt Presidential Library may take just pride in its unique histor-
ical contributions as it looks forward to continuing to serve President
Roosevelt's dream; now therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presiden-
tial Library; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library.