Hey, everyone. Welcome to then again, podcast. I'm Libba Beacham, interim executive director at the Northeast Georgia History center. And we've got a quick little extra for y'all this week because we have a really exciting event coming up this Saturday, April 20, at 02:00 p.m. That is a free documentary screening of an excellent new documentary called a President in our Midst, Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Georgia. And that's going to be held this Saturday, April 20, at 02:00 p.m. At the John S. Bird center for Performing Arts, that is right across the street from the Northeast Georgia History center. And we're going to have some really special guests, including Dan White, who's the executive producer of the documentary. And so I want to share a little bit about the story and background of this documentary with y'all. So, Dan, thank you so much for joining us for this little interview, and thanks so much for the opportunity to have us share this excellent documentary as part of our educational offering to the community.

Well, it's my pleasure. And we on the warm Springs advisory committee are so impressed with the work you all are doing in Gainesville, and we appreciate the opportunity to share this film with your region.

Yeah. And it's a great opportunity because right here in Gainesville, there are a lot of connections to Franklin Delano Road. Now, a lot of people might be familiar with Roosevelt Square here in Gainesville. And a lot of the times people are connecting FDR to Georgia through the little White house, of course. But here in Gainesville, he played a significant role because of the disastrous 1936 tornado, two tornadoes, actually, you know, technically three all combined, swept through Gainesville in 1936. And during this time, of course, this is also in the middle of the Great Depression. And at the same time, it's when a lot of these policies of development and economic fortitude are coming to play through the policies of the new deal. And FDR and Gainesville rebuilt after the devastation of this tornado in just two years. And a lot of that was through the support of the Works Progress Administration and these new deal programs, the civilian Conservation Corps, et cetera. And so there really is a direct connection right here in Gainesville. And I'd love to invite all of our listeners to come and learn about that connection and more broadly, FDR's connection to Georgia, because it really is a fascinating story. But, Dan, tell me what got you interested in this topic. How did this story compel you and where did it all begin for you?

Well, I was raised in west central Georgia in the, not in the immediate Warm Springs area, actually 40 miles east of Warm Springs, but still in west central Georgia. And so growing up, I was aware of FDR's presence in our region, but I really didn't know the full story. It was little scattered hit or miss tidbits of information, of course, aware of the little White House, but never really had a. A sense of the whole story. And a few years ago, I read a book that was written by Kay Minshew entitled a president in our midst, Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Georgia. And this book really brought all of the elements together in a coherent whole, dating from FDR's first visit to Georgia in 1924, I think. Yes, 24, because we're coming up on the hundredth anniversary of that in October through his death in 1945. And it was just a revelation to see the various connections that FDR had throughout the state during that period of time and then all the other elements that kind of wove into this, into this narrative, this historical narrative, one of which, of course, was Gainesville and the tragedy that occurred in Gainesville and FDR's response to it. I wasn't really even aware of what happened in Gainesville. Maybe, you know, just one of those sort of background things. But, of course, in reading the book, I, you know, became more aware of it. And then as we were making the film, we came to Gainesville to film Abbott, Abbott Massey there in Roosevelt Square. And so I always remember driving up and meeting Abbott on the square downtown and saying, well, you know, I haven't seen anything commemorating this. No plaque, no nothing. He's. He said, well, you. You're not in Roosevelt Square. And then we walked a block or two blocks from, you know, the downtown square to Roosevelt Square. And I've got to say, I was so amazed and impressed with. With this. Well, I guess this, this new deal legacy, you know, and. And, well, just the beauty of it and. And just this. It was almost like a. Like a. Like a Georgia treasure had just revealed itself, because I was completely unaware that this even existed.

Yeah. And folks in Gainesville, or anyone visiting Gainesville, it's really worth going to Roosevelt Square. Not only do you get to see, like, this really beautiful commemoration to him through a monument, but if you check out the architecture of what was once the courthouse, now, it's a really beautiful event space and a cultural center. It is this just excellent example of art Deco architecture, and we see that in a few other buildings as well. And you can even see little things in the sidewalk that say WPA. So there's all these little really neat clues.

Yes. Classic, classic federal architecture from the period. And then again, of course, just the tribute to FDR there. I guess in profile, it's the biggest dime in the world because it sure looks like a dime. It really should be every Georgians must see list because it's really very, very overpowering and impressive. But anyway, so we got there and we did the filming and just look forward to getting back to Roosevelt Square and being a part of this commemoration of this event. Although it happened a little earlier in the month, it's still in the month of April. And, yeah. So we're observing something that happened how many years to the day or thereabouts? 80 years on, 90 years on. And, yeah, it deserves to be remembered.

Yes. That would be 88 years. I was just doing the math.

88.

Very good. I knew it was somewhere in there. Yeah. Which is amazing because, I mean, even we can even think about it, like right now. During that time, they would have been rebuilding immediately. I mean, the folks that came together and the resources that were made available through the new deal and FDR's administration would have been happening right now. And so, and you mentioned Abbott. That's Abbott Massey, for any of our listeners that aren't familiar, and he's the chairman of the Little White House Advisory committee. And Abbott was actually the one to introduce me to you, Dan, and to the whole project. And I was so excited because this documentary has, it's received several awards. It's been on PBs and GPB as well. And so you got fascinated in the topic.

Yeah.

This book, it became a documentary. And tell me about what that process was like for, for you as an executive producer.

Well, let me just say, I like to say it was a great pandemic project because I, it was filmed in 2020 and premiered at the Little White House April of 2021. I have no background in film, but with the help of Abbott and others on the advisory committee, we were able to approach Georgia public Broadcasting and say, if we made this film, will you, will you air it? Because you need a platform, obviously. And they said, well, the president time t Orion said, you know, if it meets our broadcasting standards, we will air it. So with that in mind, realizing we had a platform to show it, we set about to creating it. And one of the key elements in creating the film? Well, I guess there are two key elements in creating a film, or at least that's been my experience. One, you have to have a script or, you know, screenplay and you have to have a director. You have to have someone who can actually put this all together. And so we all, we had the screenwriter and Kay Minshew, and then we became aware of the possibility of actually creating the film itself, you know, with the camera crews and all that sort of stuff through Georgia State University's was GSU TV. And at the time, they were looking for content. And we ended up working with the director of GSU TV, a fellow named Bob Judson, who directed and, you know, created the cinematic element of the film. And my job as executive producer was to kind of scout locations and arrange for filming at various places and also to raise the money to film, to create the film. And, you know, we were able, through private support, all of which is acknowledged at the end of the film, to create this 58 minutes documentary, which, as you said, has aired on Georgia public Broadcasting every year since its creation and just aired last week on the 15 April as well. So that's kind of the story in a nutshell.

Yeah. And it's great that this was created, and I love that it was a real collaboration, you know, bringing people together that really could make this shine. And I love that there's not only, like, experts that are featured in the film, so we can really get the historian's perspective, but we also get to see a portrayal of FDR in instances, which is nice, too, bring it to life.

Right. It's kind of a. It's a documentary, but it has a, you know, a current cinematic component with actors portraying both Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, who, both of whom, James Fowler and Carole Cain, were just tremendous, I thought, in their, in their, you know, portrayal of those two people. And I. I've told James on many occasions, you know, when I think of FDR's voice, I always think of the opening scene in this documentary, which is of FDR at Dowdle's knob in the car and James doing a kind of a voiceover of FDR in the car looking out over Dowdle's knob and kind of just drawing the inspiration that he drew from that place. And he drew a lot of inspiration from that place. So it's a great opening, I think, and a high compliment to James in terms of his ability to kind of convey the quality of FDR's voice, you.

Know, in that opening scene. Yeah. And another thing I really appreciate is that we get to, you know, we get to know a personal side of FDR through the documentary as well. And so it really is this comprehensive view with a really beautiful through line of his connection to Georgia, to Gainesville, right to the little White House in Warm Springs. And so right. I really think that this is an excellent opportunity, especially given that this is a great public community resource as it's sponsored by Jackson EMC and is free to the public because of them. And so it's a great opportunity. And I think that this would be excellent for students as well, or younger folks, too. I think that with that cinematic flair to it, it's a very compelling and it isn't entertaining. Interesting.

Yeah.

Documentaries. So, you know, for, for younger folks. I don't know. I would say maybe twelve and up or so.

Yes.

I think it'd be a really great opportunity for parents and, and teachers to encourage students to engage with local history and get to know a side of history that they're certainly learning about. A big focus with great depression and into World War Two and whatnot.

Right.

And so it's really a great opportunity for, for everybody, not only here in Gainesville for, but from the surrounding area. This is gonna be Saturday afternoon, so great way to spend your Saturday. And it's also a great way to support the history center because we're going to offer a reception afterwards just across the street at the history center where you can meet our special guests. And I'd love to go into who our special guests will be because we actually just confirmed a very special guest.

We did.

Yeah. And so we'll have a reception afterwards. The reception is gonna be $10 for admission. You'll get to see our pop up exhibit with artifacts from our archive that are related to FDR. You can see a portrait with his actual signature from it, tickets from when he visited to give his speech, a program from that visit, artifacts from the Gainesville tornado, which are really fascinating. And so, and you'll also get to meet and greet with our special guests. And Abbott Massey, chairman of the little White House advisory committee, will be there. You yourself, Dan, will be there. And we also have Doctor Hal Toby Raper, who's going to be there to portray FDR in a short introduction for the documentary. But he's also very well versed in the history and whatnot. And the new special guest that we confirmed today is Haven Luke, who is also a member of the Little White House advisory committee, but a particularly special guest because he is the great grandson of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. And he does a lot of educational programs for audiences of all ages about his family's connection to FDR and the history behind it. And so we're really excited to have Haven Luke join us because after the documentary, documentary will be at that 58 minutes mark. So about an hour we'll have a q and A afterwards for our audience to really engage in a great discussion and get some awesome insights from our guests now, including an actual relative of FDR, which is really exciting.

It certainly is. And one other little surprise for you, Libba. There'll be five copies of the film available as I, whatever you want to call it, raffles or whatever, that guests might be eligible will be presented to five lucky guests.

Oh, excellent. Excellent. Yes. Do attend our reception so you can be entered into the raffle to copy of the documentary. Yeah.

The other thing I would say is that every library in the state of Georgia has two copies of this film in their DVD collection.

That's great. Yes. And so even if you can't make it, I hope that folks can make it this Saturday because it's a really awesome opportunity. But if you can't, then this is available at libraries. Like you said. It's also available through GPB, I do believe. Yes, yes.

You can stream it on GPB.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, Dan, thank you so much for joining us to give a little more context. And I really encourage everyone to visit us. That's this Saturday, April 20, beginning at 02:00 p.m. It's going to be held at the John S. Bird center for Performing Arts. Again, that is just right across the street from the Northeast Georgia History center. And then we'll have our q and A and our reception at the museum. And that reception will also include admission to our regular exhibits and galleries and our historic white path cabin. So it's just a great day to learn about local history. And I'm so excited and we're honored to be having this event and I'm very thankful for Jackson EMC to make it a great free screening for the public. So, Dan, I really look forward to this Saturday.

I do, too.

All right, folks, the event link is in the podcast description, so if you do want to go ahead and register online, we do appreciate your pre registering online. It is a free event. You can also get your tickets for the reception online, but walk ins will certainly be welcome. So please tell your friends and family about it and spread the word because this is going to be a really exciting time to learn and get connected to local history. All right then, I'll see you on Saturday.

You sure will.

Then again, is a production of the North East Georgia History center in Gainesville, Georgia. Our podcast is edited by Andrew Scalise. Our digital and on site programs are made possible by the Ada Mae Ioster Education center. Please join us next week for another episode of then again.