Roosevelt, David B. 1942-

PERSONAL:

Born 1942, in Fort Worth, TX; son of Elliot and Ruth Roosevelt; grandson of Franklin D. Roosevelt (former president) and Eleanor Roosevelt. Education: Texas Christian University, B.A.

CAREER:

Philanthropist, consultant, lecturer. Chemical Bank, New York, NY, former executive; Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, Cedar Rapids, IA, chief executive officer, 1996-2003; Netherland-America Foundation, executive director, 2003—. Founding executive director, Arkansas Community Foundation; served on the boards and as a fund-raiser for various charities, including AmeriCorps and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial fundraising committee.

WRITINGS:

(With Manuela Dunn-Mascetti) Grandmère: A Personal History of Eleanor Roosevelt (memoir), introduction by Mike Wallace, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2002.

SIDELIGHTS:

David B. Roosevelt is the grandson of former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor. A philanthropist and frequent lecturer on the history of the Roosevelt family, he is also the author of Grandmère: A Personal History of Eleanor Roosevelt. The book includes Roosevelt's own personal memories of his grandmother from his childhood up until her death when he was twenty years old. He was close to his grandmother and spent most of his summers at Val-Kill, her cottage in Hyde Park, New York, with his siblings and cousins. In addition to his own experiences, Roosevelt provides a history of his grandmother's own childhood and upbringing, as well as her fifty-plus-year marriage and life as the wife of a career politician. He provides access to information garnered from family papers, letters, and interviews. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews called the book "a loving tribute distinguished more by the many hitherto unseen family photographs than by the familiar memories." In Publishers Weekly a writer labeled Roosevelt's effort "a touching, human-size account of a woman who seemed larger than life." Brenda Hyde, in a review for Seeds of Knowledge, found the book to be "an inspiring tale of a woman who doesn't come into her own until she sees her inner beauty and talents and acts upon them."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Roosevelt, David B., and Manuela Dunn-Mascetti, Grandmère: A Personal History of Eleanor Roosevelt, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2002.

PERIODICALS

Chronicle of Philanthropy, March 20, 2003, Jeffrey Klineman, "New Director's Lineage Is a Bonus," interview with David B. Roosevelt.

Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2002, review of Grandmère, p. 1108.

M2 Best Books, April 8, 2003, Ian Sanderson, review of Grandmère.

Publishers Weekly, August 5, 2002, review of Grandmère, p. 61.

ONLINE

BookLoons,http://www.bookloons.com/ (May 1, 2007), Hilary Williamsom, review of Grandmère.

BookPage,http://www.bookpage.com/ (May 1, 2007), Edward Morris, review of Grandmère.

Feminenza Community Web site,http://community.feminenza.org/ (February 10, 2007), R. Weber, review of Grandmère.

Seeds of Knowledge,http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/ (May 1, 2007), Brenda Hyde, review of Grandmère.

OTHER

CNN Larry King Live, Cable News Network, aired November 28, 2002, interview with David B. Roosevelt and Mike Wallace.