January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945
He was the first President that I remember. I remember listening to him on the old Philco Radio, often with commentary by my Father, who was not a fan of his.
His, in a way, was a reassuring voice during WWII. I remember his Fireside Chats.
At my young age, I could not envision or comprehend what or who he was, I did not understand what he did. I realized he was our leader, but, not to what extent. I did not understand ..... President of the United States.
I remember his address in 1941, "A day that will live in infamy," or something to that effect. He declared WAR.
I did not look upon him as a man then, only as the President, a position I did not fully understand.
I have visited his home at Hyde Park in New York, on the Hudson River. I saw the bed he slept in, the elevator he took to the second floor, the bedroom that Winston Churchill stayed in when visiting Hyde Park, I saw the Ford convertible he loved to drive around in.
I have done some studying about the man, read some of his papers. The closest I came to him, and this will sound strange, but on the second floor of his home was a small room, a telephone room, void of many furnishings. As I walked in and looked around. something, distinctly, touched and moved across my arm, it startled me, at first. A Park Ranger was standing outside the room,, and I asked her if any "ghosts" had ever been detected. "Oh,, yes, many times, Franklin's Mother, Sara has been suspected of being in her old homestead. We recently had some workers here after a small fire. Two of them worked one day and refused to come back. They had "experiences" with Sara. A number of others have also had some, and .... you? Something brushed my arm in that room. Others have experienced that also."
Franklin and I have never met, but I did have a run in with his Mother, Sara.
