Laura O'Connell's Colleagues at FDR Memorial Legacy Committee
Laura O'Connell's Contact Details
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Atlanta Metropolitan Area
FDR Memorial Legacy Committee
Laura O'Connell's Company Details
Every year, nearly 2.5 million people visit the FDR Memorial in Washington, DC which was dedicated in 1997, to pay tribute to our longest-serving president. FDR led a battered country out of the Great Depression and rallied a reluctant nation during World War II. These accomplishments, among others, are dramatically highlighted at his Memorial designed by renowned landscape architect Lawrence Halprin. Lack of knowledge of U.S. history is a growing subject of concern. In a 2019 survey of Americans only 55% could identify FDR as the architect of the New Deal. The FDR Memorial was constructed to teach new generations of the historic impact of the Roosevelt years yet there are no educational materials to facilitate a live or online visit and help with the transfer of knowledge. As a result, the FDR Committee has prioritized the development of an educational program to fill this gap. In addition, the FDR Memorial has fallen into overall disrepair due to years of deferred maintenance. The water features at the Memorial – of which there are many and are essential to the overall experience are not functioning and have not been reliably functioning for many years. The special lighting features which make the FDR Memorial one of the most rewarding sites in DC to visit at night are not fully operational. And, the Memorial, like other areas along the historic Tidal Basin in DC, regularly floods causing further access and maintenance challenges. The FDR Committee will press for the National Park Service and its partners to fulfill their commitment to preserve this presidential memorial for generations to come. In 2019, the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee (FDR Committee) was established by individuals who helped lead the completion of the Memorial with the addition of the Prologue Room in 2001 which includes the statue of FDR in a wheelchair by famed sculptor Robert Graham and a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt.