Presidential visits relived at history center

Teddy Roosevelt is coming to Geneva.

That's kind of a neat trick, as our 26th president (the youngest ever to become president, while John F. Kennedy is the youngest elected president), served from 1901, when he became president upon the assassination of William McKinley, to 1909. He died at the age of 60 in 1919.

Terry Lynch will portray Roosevelt in a special presentation for kids and adults alike at 10 a.m. Jan. 21 (kids are off school for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday). Admission is $5. The presentation will be at the Geneva History Center, 113 S. Third St.

Roosevelt's appearance ties in nicely with the center's upcoming exhibit, "The President is Coming," which opens to the public Jan. 26.

"There are five presidents who have come through Geneva," said educator Margaret Selakovich of the history center. "Teddy Roosevelt was the first one, coming for a whistle-stop tour in 1905."

Roosevelt's stay was not a long one, Selakovich said. "He arrives in Geneva and gives a speech to a crowd of about 3,000 people at the train depot on May 10, 1905. The train arrives at 10:55 a.m. -- and departs at 11:01 a.m."

Selakovich has a copy of the speech, which will be presented to those attending the visit.

Before that, she'll be imparting context, describing the origins and meaning of a "whistle-stop tour," and -- as Roosevelt addressed the Grand Army of the Republic -- explaining what the GAR is.

"It's a great connection to Geneva history," Selakovich said of Roosevelt's visit. And it's a great tie-in to the upcoming exhibit on Geneva's presidential visits and, of course, the Illinois primary on Feb. 5. "The timing is just right."

Executive Director Dave Oberg agreed. "The primary is heating up. This seems like a fun topic," he said. "We have had our share of presidents and candidates to come through. People can find out who visited and what they did while they were here. We have some great images and we have a wealth of campaign material, a vast array of political objects."

The exhibit includes a political songbook "full of all kinds of rah-rah songs" from the McKinley-Roosevelt campaign; a red, white and blue smock worn by a Genevan at the 1964 Democratic convention; and even an anti-Roosevelt pin, referring to FDR's wife, that says, "We don't want Eleanor, either." "That's kind of a snarky thing," Oberg said.

There's even Calvin Coolidge's high chair, which got to Geneva courtesy of Forrest Crissey (think of Crissey Avenue), a writer for the Saturday Evening Post who wrote a piece about Coolidge's family members. Dad Coolidge mentioned that he still had Silent Cal's baby furniture, which was promptly set up for photographs. Crissey "got pretty friendly" with Cal's father, who ended up giving him the high chair, Oberg said.

"We have some fun and curious pieces in the exhibit," he said. "Some of the political stuff is just priceless.

"It's guaranteed to evoke memories of long-ago elections."

And not coincidentally, it might promote voting in the February primary election to come.

For information on either the exhibit or the program, contact the Geneva History Center, (630) 232-4951.