Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute to host Social Security birthday celebration

Hyde Park, NY, June 29, 2005 - On August 13, 2005, the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute will host a celebration marking the 70th anniversary of the passage of one of the most important pieces of legislation to come out of the New Deal - the Social Security Act. The event will open at 10:00 a.m. in the Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum and the Home of FDR National Historic Site in Hyde Park, New York with an examination of the history of Social Security, featuring a talk on Frances Perkins's contribution to the development of Social Security by Kirstin Downey, a Washington Post reporter who is writing a biography of Miss Perkins. This will be followed at 10:45 a.m. by a debate on the future of Social Security between Paul Krugman of the New York Times and Michael Tanner of the Cato Institute, moderated by James Roosevelt, Jr., grandson of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, and a former Associate Commissioner of Social Security in the Clinton Administration.

After a picnic lunch of hot dogs and beverages served on the grounds of the estate between 12:30 and 1:30, we will celebrate the 70th birthday of Social Security with a formal program of music, reminiscences, and remarks, led by James Roosevelt, Jr.; former Social Security Commissioner Robert Ball; the well-known Hudson Valley musician, Randall Wallace; a representative of the Social Security Administration; and others. Actors portraying FDR and ER will then help serve birthday cake to the attendees.

Between 3:00 and 5:00, following the formal program, we will designate the main stage "Hyde Park Corner," in honor of the first of FDR's Four Freedoms, Freedom of Speech and Expression, where members of the public will be given the opportunity to express their views on the day's events.

Simultaneously, further reminiscences from some of the early recipients of Social Security, including individuals who lived through the Great Depression, will be held inside the Wallace Center, filmed and open to the public as part of the Institute's on-going efforts to catalogue the legacy of the New Deal.

This event is free and open to the public. There will be a small charge for hot dogs and beverages. Due to space and parking limitations, we ask that all groups of six or more register in advance using the attached registration form.