Some time ago, in one of his Fourth of July speeches from the Derby-Hall Bandstand, then-Theodore Roosevelt Association Executive Director Dr. John Gable challenged Oyster Bay residents saying that there were very few TRA members from Oyster Bay. He appeared very annoyed about that fact.

In retrospect, he was right.

We have been taking TR and Sagamore Hill for granted - for the most part. For many years we had Francis Webb Roosevelt, Quentin Roosevelt's widow; and P. James Roosevelt who represented the family to us locals. They were an integral part of the community and were included in many events, as our cherished Roosevelt representatives. Today we have Elizabeth Roosevelt, a TR cousin in residence in town.

But Dr. Gable was right. We took TR and Sagamore Hill for granted. We do show Sagamore Hill off to out-of-state visitors and we love to brag about being from Oyster Bay, and mentioning that it is Theodore Roosevelt's hometown, but Oyster Bay has not taken TR on as an icon to the hamlet.

But on the positive side, things are changing. We just love the new TR banners in town. And there are two new TR sites on the Internet that firmly tie TR to OB. They are: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt_in_Oyster_Bay which tells of all the local sites tied to TR; and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt_Monument_Assemblage about the "rock garden" in TR Park that documents each place TR lived.

They are great ways to let the public know about TR and that the hamlet of Oyster Bay is a living TR museum.

Well, with the new street banners, we have begun to brag. It's about time and to us, it will be the turnaround we have been looking for.

In this issue we have a letter from former Roosevelt School fourth-grade teacher Richard Siegelman adding to TR's honors, as an inspiration to others.

Now there appears to be a new one: salesman for Oyster Bay. We bet there's a good quote from TR on the Internet site that will be perfect for that. If you find one, let us know... - DFK