The Roosevelts And The Lebanon Valley

Jennifer Allard will present an illustrated talk on the Roosevelts and the Lebanon Valley to the Stephentown Historical Society on Monday, January 9, at 7:30 pm. The meeting will be at the Stephentown Heritage Center on Garfield Road in Stephentown. It is free and open to the public. The building is handicapped accessible. For directions or information, phone 518-733-5675.
Allard, New Lebanon Central School middle school social studies teacher, took leads from Valley lore and researched the history of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in the Lebanon Valley more fully. She conducted original research, using sources as varied as the New Lebanon school’s vault, the FDR papers at Hyde Park, oral histories and The Echo and Berkshire Eagle newspaper archives.
Allard, a native of nearby Nassau, obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Russell Sage College in Troy. Her Roosevelt research resulted from membership in the social studies committee of New York State United Teachers. She is also social studies curriculum coordinator for grades 7-12 at New Lebanon Central School.
Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt were two of many illustrious visitors to the Lebanon Valley. They came in 1930, when FDR was governor of New York, to dedicate the present high school, and Eleanor returned in 1948 to give the commencement address. They were also friends and relatives of Charles and Margaret Fayerweather, who resided in New Lebanon.