Eleanor Roosevelt, A Hero of Mine

When we had one of those high school assignments to pick a hero, I picked Eleanor Roosevelt, child of privilege, niece of President Teddy R. When she married the philandering Franklin, she had about half as much in income as he did, very rare in those days. She could have simply indulged herself with whatever other society matrons did back then, but she didn't. Off she went to fight for the rights of women and underprivileged. When I read about her support of the opera star Marian Anderson, it fascinated me. Imagine in 1939, those most racist Daughters of the American Revolution wouldn't let the Diva in Consitution Hall, Eleanor fixed it by helping to arrange for the concert to be held on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Then she appointed Mary McLeon Bethune as head of the Division of Negro Affairs. In WWII, the heads of the military would not let anybody "Negro" fly in combat. They weren't smart enough, were afraid of the dark, highly superstitutious and other reasons to keep them out of the air. ER wasn't having it. She fought for the Tuskegee Airman to be allowed, to well, fly. On a trip to Moton Air Field training facility, she asked Chief Anderson if blacks "Could actually fly a plane." When he said he'd show her, the Secret Service were apoplectic, but up she went and flew around for an hour. She went straight back to the White House and gave FDR an opinion. The Airmen went to war. FDR like men before him and men after him couldn't keep it zipped. When Eleanor found out about his first recorded affair, she threw him out of the marriage bed and never let him back in. But she was the model of devotion, taking care of him when he became paralyzed. Over time she became a towering figure--and always a champion for women's rights. She is one of only two First Ladies to be named honorary members of the Black Women's Sorority, the AKAs. Eleanor was first, Michelle Obama second. Tons have been written about Eleanor, seldom does her sense of humor get mentioned. Watch this: Eleanor had a rose name after her. She notes she was "flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: no good in a bed, but fine up against a wall." Smiling at the greatness of one of my oldest heroes, Eleanor R, I'm Ruth Adkins Robinson