Joanna Sturm
Encyclopedia
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
is a great-granddaughter of 26th U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
and the granddaughter of Alice Roosevelt Longworth
Alice Roosevelt Longworth
Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth was the oldest child of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. She was the only child of Roosevelt and his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee....
. Sturm is the daughter of Alexander McCormick Sturm
Alexander McCormick Sturm
Alexander McCormick "Sandy" Sturm was an American artist and writer who was a co-founder of Sturm, Ruger, a firearms manufacturer...
and his wife, Paulina Longworth
Paulina Longworth
Paulina Longworth Sturm was the only child of Alice Roosevelt, and the granddaughter of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt....
.
Family background
Joanna Mercedes Alessandra Sturm is the daughter of Alexander McCormick SturmAlexander McCormick Sturm
Alexander McCormick "Sandy" Sturm was an American artist and writer who was a co-founder of Sturm, Ruger, a firearms manufacturer...
and his wife Paulina Longworth
Paulina Longworth
Paulina Longworth Sturm was the only child of Alice Roosevelt, and the granddaughter of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt....
. She is the great-granddaughter of Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, the 26th President of the United States and the granddaughter of Alice Roosevelt Longworth
Alice Roosevelt Longworth
Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth was the oldest child of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. She was the only child of Roosevelt and his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee....
. While Nicholas Longworth
Nicholas Longworth
Nicholas Longworth IV was a prominent American politician in the Republican Party during the first few decades of the 20th century...
was legally Sturm's grandfather, Alice Longworth's diaries reveal that Senator William Borah was actually Sturm's grandfather.
Childhood
Joanna was born in July 1946. In 1951, her father, Sandy Sturm, died of hepatitis. Widowhood plunged Joanna's mother, Paulina, deeper into depression and drug dependency. When Paulina converted to Roman Catholicism in 1953, Joanna also converted. Early in 1957, Paulina died of an accidental overdose of sleeping pills, leaving Joanna an orphan at a very young age.Following Paulina's death, custody of Joanna was granted to her grandmother, Alice Longworth. In contrast to Alice's relationship with Paulina, Alice doted on her granddaughter and the two were very close.
In an article in American Heritage in 1969, Joanna was described as a "highly attractive and intellectual twenty-two-year-old" and was called "a notable contributor to Mrs. Longworth’s youthfulness." Whether discussing the famous Roman Catholic medieval theologian, St. Augustine
St. Augustine
-People:* Augustine of Hippo or Augustine of Hippo , father of the Latin church* Augustine of Canterbury , first Archbishop of Canterbury* Augustine Webster, an English Catholic martyr.-Places:*St. Augustine, Florida, United States...
or what the article described as the fine points of horsemanship, "... it is often the older woman who is the less inhibited and the more opinionated. The bonds between them are twin cables of devotion and a healthy respect for each other’s tongue. 'Mrs. L.,' says a friend, 'has been a wonderful father and mother to Joanna: mostly father.'"
In accordance with her mother's wishes, Joanna received a Catholic education, attending Stone Ridge, the Sacred Heart day school in Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
where she graduated in 1963. After graduation, Joanna attended Newton College of the Sacred Heart
Newton College of the Sacred Heart
Newton College of the Sacred Heart was a small women's liberal arts college in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. It opened in 1946 and merged with Boston College in June 1974....
in Newton, Massachusetts
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
and later did graduate work at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
.
Contributions to the Roosevelts of Oyster Bay history
In the past thirty years, at least twenty major books have been written about Theodore Roosevelt and his children. No fewer than six of them have been written about Alice Roosevelt. In virtually every major work on either of these Roosevelts, Sturm has been a significant cited resource.Currently, Sturm remains one of the most valuable living historic resources on Alice Roosevelt Longworth
Alice Roosevelt Longworth
Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth was the oldest child of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. She was the only child of Roosevelt and his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee....
. She was an eyewitness of the famous "Mrs. L" parties in Washington that included all the leading members of Washington, DC society as well as a succession of American presidents including Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and key political and business figures such as Henry Kissinger and others. Sturm assisted her grandmother with these social events.
In many ways, Sturm was the connecting link in Alice's life from the early 20th Century to American society of the last quarter of that same century. She made significant contributions to both the last 25 years of Alice's life and the recording of Alice's story. Joanna was the main facilitator of Alice's famous interviews with Michael Teague over a period of more than five years that formed the basis of his book,
Conversations with Mrs. L., a far more insightful autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
than Alice's earlier book, Crowded Hours, published in the 1930s. With a grandchild in her twenties by her side, Alice could say confidently, "I've always believed in the adage that the secret to eternal youth is arrested development."
Sturm was also the chief facilitator of Alice's ability to finish these important historic interviews. By her constant support of her grandmother, she literally prolonged Alice's life into her mid-90s. Without Joanna, it is highly unlikely, given Alice's cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
, and other health issues, that she would have lived nearly as long as she did. Joanna did all she could do to keep Alice mentally active, in order to complete the interviews, even pleading with friends to visit Alice when they were uncomfortable with her rapidly deteriorating condition.
Sturm has provided historical information and insights into the world of the Roosevelts of Hyde Park and Oyster Bay to virtually every Roosevelt biographer of the last thirty years, and she is credited by almost every professional TR biographer since 1970. In the interest of preserving Alice's recollections, Joanna, herself made two oral history recordings of her that are now in the Library of Congress. In recent years, Sturm provided access to the diaries of her grandmother to biographer Dr. Stacy A. Cordery, for her biography, Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker, which was published in 2007.
Joanna Sturm has a daughter, with Robert Hellman, a former CIA analyst and editor of the BMW Riders Association magazine On the Level, (died 2008). Alice Roosevelt Sturm (born June 26, 1987) attended Sidwell Friends School
Sidwell Friends School
Sidwell Friends School is a Quaker private school located in Bethesda, Maryland and Washington, D.C., offering pre-kindergarten through secondary school classes. Founded in 1883 by Thomas Sidwell, its motto is "Eluceat omnibus lux" , alluding to the Quaker concept of inner light...
and now attends Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in the City of New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Philanthropic activities
Joanna Sturm is a contributor to charitable organizations including conservation and other like-minded groups in keeping with her great-grandfather's devotion to the preservation of natural resources. Causes as diverse as the International Crane Foundation (WisconsinWisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
), endangered bats, the Dogwood Alliance
Dogwood Alliance
The Dogwood Alliance, based out of Asheville, North Carolina, is a network of over 70 groups around the southern United States working to achieve broad-based support to end unsustainable forestry practices in the region...
, the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
, the Washington Zoo and many other organizations have benefited from her largesse. Sturm also contributes generous sums of money to the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
of which she is an active member.
See also
- Paulina SturmPaulina LongworthPaulina Longworth Sturm was the only child of Alice Roosevelt, and the granddaughter of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt....
Joanna's mother - Alice LongworthAlice Roosevelt LongworthAlice Lee Roosevelt Longworth was the oldest child of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. She was the only child of Roosevelt and his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee....
Joanna's grandmother - Nicholas LongworthNicholas LongworthNicholas Longworth IV was a prominent American politician in the Republican Party during the first few decades of the 20th century...
Joanna's legal grandfather - William Borah Joanna's biological grandfather
- Sandy SturmAlexander McCormick SturmAlexander McCormick "Sandy" Sturm was an American artist and writer who was a co-founder of Sturm, Ruger, a firearms manufacturer...
Joanna's father - Theodore RooseveltTheodore RooseveltTheodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, great-grandfather - Eleanor RooseveltEleanor RooseveltAnna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
, cousin - Theodore Roosevelt, Sr.Theodore Roosevelt, Sr.Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. was the father of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and the paternal grandfather of American first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. He was the son of Cornelius Van Schaak Roosevelt and Margaret Barnhill...
, great-great-grandfather - Cornelius Van Schaack Roosevelt., Great-Great-Great Grandfather
External links
- http://www.booknotes.org/Transcript/?ProgramID=1514 CSPAN "Book Notes" May 9, 1999 Interview with "Roosevelt Women" author Betty Boyd Caroli in which Caroli discusses Alice Roosevelt LongworthAlice Roosevelt LongworthAlice Lee Roosevelt Longworth was the oldest child of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. She was the only child of Roosevelt and his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee....
and Joanna Sturm's recollections of her.