Gov. Parson, Archivist Ferriero and Clifton Truman Daniel Break Ground on Library

The Truman Library’s transformative renovation officially kicked off on September 5 with a groundbreaking ceremony featuring Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Archivist of the U.S. David Ferriero, Missouri State Senator John Rizzo, the president’s grandson Clifton Truman Daniel as well as many other local officials and friends of the Truman Library.

Highlights of the special remarks made from a few of our distinguished speakers include the following:

The Truman Library is currently closed for a massive renovation. Learn more about the exciting future of the Truman Library here.

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History Happy Hour: In the Kitchen with Bess

Friday, August 16, 2019 from 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Truman Library Institute
5151 Troost Ave., Ste. 300
Kansas City, MO 64110

On Friday, August 16, the Truman Library is hosting a History Happy Hour event featuring one of the Truman Library’s archivists, Tammy K. Williams. This event takes place at the Truman Library Institute in Kansas City and will feature Williams exploring Bess Truman’s recipe box, including recipes that she gave out and received, food trends in the 1940s and 1950s, and some of the Truman family favorite foods and meals.

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History Happy Hour: Women at War with Natalie Walker

Friday, July 12, 2019 from 4:00-5:00 p.m.

3 Trails Brewing
111 N. Main St.
Independence, MO 64050

On Friday, July 12, the Truman Library is hosting a History Happy Hour event featuring Truman Library Institute Museum / Archives Technician Natalie Walker. This event takes place at 3 Trails Brewing in on the Independence Square and will feature Walker examining what followed President Truman’s landmark decision to sign the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act (June 12, 1948). Walker will discuss the impact of the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act through the fascinating story of Ernie Wagner, who served in the Air Force in the Korean War. Enjoy a behind-the-scenes look of the Truman Library’s extensive collection as Walker uses artifacts and photos from Wagner to tell her story.

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History Happy Hour: World War I and its Aftermath with Garrett Peck

Thursday, June 6, 2019
4:00-5:00 p.m.
Tom’s Town Distilling Company

On Thursday, June 6, the Truman Library is partnering with the National World War I Museum and Memorial for a History Happy Hour event featuring author and historian Garrett Peck. This special event takes place at Tom’s Town Distilling Company and will feature Peck discussing his latest book, The Great War in America: World War I and Its Aftermath, which examines the American experience during World War I and the unexpected changes that rocked the country in its immediate aftermath — the Red Scare, race riots, women’s suffrage and Prohibition, particularly timely on the centennial of the Armistice. Read More

The Age of Eisenhower

Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower may not have always seen eye to eye, but one thing they had in common was that their experience in war shaped the presidents they would become. On Wednesday, June 6, the 74th anniversary of D-Day, author Dr. William I. Hitchcock will speak at a free public program focusing on how Eisenhower’s accomplished military career prepared him for serving as Commander in Chief through the Cold War. Read More

Speaker Spotlight | David McCullough

The following is an excerpt from David McCullough’s speech on December 9, 2001, at the rededication of the Truman Library. McCullough is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Truman, the definitive biography of Harry S. Truman. He will be honored with the Harry S. Truman Legacy of Leadership Award at Wild About Harry, on Thursday, April 19.

Harry Truman, as we all know, is the frst and only president who ever came from Missouri. He was also the only president in the 20th and 21st centuries who never went to college. But very few presidents … have been so conscious of their predecessors as was Harry Truman… He was never without a sense of history. Read More

Hundreds of Truman fans celebrated Presidents’ Day with a full day of activities at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. Not only that, but Harry Truman made headlines across the country on what turned out to be a very exciting day for Truman! And, according to the Kansas City Star, 2018 is “the year of Truman.” Read More

“One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes … and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility,” Eleanor Roosevelt once wrote. Throughout her monumental life, Roosevelt made choices that shaped the person she is remembered as today. She was a beloved first lady and a tireless social activist, but she was also a woman of great faith. Her beliefs and convictions fueled her passion to work for reform and advocate for civil rights, women’s rights and the rights of marginalized people around the world.

In Eleanor: A Spiritual Biography, local author Dr. Harold Ivan Smith provides a portrait of the legendary Eleanor Roosevelt and the spirituality that shaped her decisions as first lady and eventually as Harry S. Truman’s delegate to the United Nations General Assembly. Roosevelt survived a traumatic childhood that included the deaths of both of her parents, became first lady in a time of turmoil and helped the nation through a world war. Even after her husband’s death, she continued in public service and as a lifelong friend of Truman. Dr. Smith’s latest book provides an inspirational look into Roosevelt’s life offers a new angle on her life and legacy.

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Are we living in unprecedented times, or has America weathered similar situations in the past? David Von Drehle of The Washington Post kicked off the Howard and Virginia Bennett Forum on the Presidency this weekend by posing that question to presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Nearly 1,200 attendees were enthralled by the insightful conversation on American democracy and presidency, both past and current. The panelists discussed what makes a president great, what qualities to look for in a leader and the importance of studying history to help better interpret the events of our times.

“What does it mean to learn from history?” Goodwin asked. “It means you’re learning from the people who lived before you.”

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On April 12, 1945, Harry S. Truman received an urgent summons from the White House. When he arrived, Eleanor Roosevelt told him, “The President is dead.” Truman asked, “Is there anything I can do for you?” Mrs. Roosevelt responded, “Is there anything we can do for you? For you are the one in trouble now.”

The next four months included the fall of Berlin, victory at Okinawa, the controversial decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the eventual end of World War II, the famine in Europe and the beginning of the Cold War. Harry Truman—a Midwesterner with no college degree, little money, and the prototypical ordinary man, who was not briefed by his predecessor—was thrust into the presidency in the midst of this tumultuous time. Read More