Herbert Hoover Archives » Lynda Waddington

06Aug 2017 by Lynda Waddington

National monuments under fire

Gazette Column

Maybe, if the review of national monuments ordered by President Donald Trump directly targeted Effigy Mounds or the Herbert Hoover Historic Site, Iowans would be more interested. But a lack of Iowa sites isn’t reason to be complacent. If the Trump administration chooses to shrink or abolish a national monument, and earns court approval for doing so, precedent will be set, placing the fate of all national monuments in jeopardy. The reviews, being conducted primarily by the U.S. Department of the Interior and its new secretary, Ryan Zinke, are the result of an April executive order that questions the legitimacy of recent designations under the Antiquities Act of 1906. That’s the law that established the nation’s first historic preservation policy, intended to protect artifacts from would-be looters or vandals. It gives the…

01Feb 2016 by Lynda Waddington

Wendell Willkie is a 2016 cautionary tale

Gazette Column

This is what happened in 1940 when Republicans opted for a political outsider National pundits pondering what a Donald Trump nomination means for the Republican Party and the nation have been reading the tea leaves. They’d be better off reading history books. This isn’t the first time party activists have engaged in friendly fire or looked beyond political loyalists for a savior. Seventy-five years ago Repubicans decided a businessman was their best presidential bet. Like Trump, Wendell Willkie, the GOP’s 1940 presidential nominee, once considered himself more left than right. Less than a year before he was named the GOP nominee, Willkie was registered as a Democrat. And he too bucked the establishment. Willkie didn’t run for the nomination, instead taking a stand at the party’s national convention in Philadelphia.…

18Aug 2014 by Lynda Waddington

Developing War of 1812 battlefield shortsighted

Gazette Column

Fort Madison battlefield only Iowa location where U.S. troops died defending country City leaders in Fort Madison have agreed to split a plot of land they know to be historic. While dividing the parcel does not immediately endanger further investigation or preservation of the site, it does clear the way for a section of the property to be developed by Minnesota-based RSBR Investments L.L.C. as a Dollar General Store. If this retail development is allowed to move forward, Iowa and the nation will likely lose a significant segment of history forever. The land in question is currently a dilapidated parking lot, owned by Holy Trinity Catholic Schools, that previously served Sheaffer Pen Co. It is situated just blocks from the Mississippi River and bordered by U.S. Hwy 61 (Avenue H…

27Jul 2014 by Lynda Waddington

Time for ICCSD to get to work

Gazette Column

The Iowa City Community School District should be feeling revitalized this week and, I hope, ready to tackle some persistent challenges. A former board member, Orville Townsend Sr., was selected from a field of nine highly interested and qualified candidates to serve a 15-month appointment to the school board. For the record, President Herbert Hoover, who supposedly applied but is not included among the nine finalists, would have received my nod except for his lack of residency in the district. Also, I doubt he’d be available for meetings. Townsend’s appointment was unanimous, a well-deserved vote of confidence for the Iowa City resident with a unique life experience that can and should serve the board well. For instance, Townsend served on the ICCSD Equity Committee and will hold firsthand insights from a…