By Audrey Anderson
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
Needham pulled out all the stops to welcome Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times best-selling author Doris Kearns Goodwin to the Great Hall on Wednesday, April 26. In front of the sold-out crowd, Goodwin and GBH Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen discussed stories of past presidents, and how they handled our country in turbulent times.
As the crowd made its way into the hall, the Beantown Brass Quintet played patriotic, regal, and celebratory music that marked the importance of the occasion. Their full-bodied marches and ragtime compositions underscored the civic occasion and matched the excitement that audience members were undoubtedly feeling.
After an introduction by Bruce Barnett, President, Friends of the Needham Public Library, the well-known musician Livingston Taylor played and sang “America the Beautiful.” This song choice was especially meaningful, since Katharine Lee Bates, a Needham High School graduate of the class of 1872, wrote the lyrics. Taylor sang the first verse, and then encouraged the crowd to join in. There was a palpable sense of unity of purpose as the crowd sang together.
Next, a screen lowered on the stage, and a personal video greeting from Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress, started to play. It stopped almost immediately, and the buffering circle spun on the screen for several minutes. Michael Niden stepped on stage to announce that there were technical difficulties with the video. He tossed out a few words about how it really was a great video.
Several minutes later, the circle was still spinning. Livingston Taylor suddenly strode to the front of the audience, guitar in hand. His mic was already gone, and he was in the dark, but he began to play and sing “This Land Is Your Land,” inviting the audience to join. It was a magical moment as everyone sat in the dark singing together.
Since the video couldn’t be shown, the lights switched on, and Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jared Bowen were introduced to start their featured discussion. An enormously gifted storyteller, Goodwin enthralled the audience with interesting vignettes and historical details from the presidencies of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson. Lincoln went to the theater 100 times during the Civil War, as a way of escaping the constant pressure. Theodore Roosevelt dealt with the almost simultaneous deaths of his mother and his wife by heading out west to learn about cattle and cowboys. Franklin Delano Roosevelt held a cocktail party at the White House every night during World War II. People moved into the White House so they could attend the civilized respite regularly. Lyndon Johnson worked and made calls while standing in a swimming pool.
The four presidents Goodwin discussed had some common attributes, even though they came from diverse backgrounds. They had the humility to see that they needed to work with and learn from people with opposing viewpoints, and they were committed to achieving fame for courageous political action and principles, rather than becoming famous for themselves alone. Even though they couldn’t see in advance how the Civil War, World War II, or the sixties would work out, they had the courage to chart a course and work through each situation.
Goodwin said she felt they even though our country is divided today and is facing difficult challenges, she is optimistic that it will work out when the time is right. She said that most societal change comes from a turning point in popular opinion that rises to the leadership level. People come to agree on what is right. This happened with civil rights in the sixties. The nation saw on the nightly news how harshly civil rights marchers were treated and just knew that it wasn’t right to turn fire hoses and dogs on them.
The evening ended with Needham High School students asking Goodwin questions. Goodwin took the time to explore the nuances around each student’s question and put her answer in full context.
As Goodwin wrapped up answers to the students’ questions, she was presented with a commemorative Red Sox baseball bat and a plaque proclaiming April 26, 2023 to be “Doris Kearns Goodwin Day” in Needham.
The program was organized to celebrate 50 years that the Friends of the Needham Public Library have supported the library and the community and 20 years that the Library Foundation of Needham has supported the Needham Free Public Library.
