Growing Up Truman
Harry S. Truman is generally considered one of the United States' greatest presidents, a plain-spoken, largely self-educated man who rose from modest farmer to become leader of the most powerful nation in the world. He was the first and only president to authorize the use of nuclear weapons in war time, was the force behind the Marshall Plan to rebuild war-torn Europe, and the architect of the Truman Doctrine to contain the spread of Communism. He overcame ingrained racism to integrate the Unites States military and pulled of the greatest presidential election upset in history.
He also avoided household chores religiously, often did the opposite of what his wife and daughter asked him to do, and could correct his grandchildren's bad behavior instantly just by glaring at them.
Clifton Truman Daniel, Truman's oldest grandson, will give you a look at the private side of Harry Truman, his wife, Bess, and their daughter, Margaret. In a humorous talk, based on historic fact, he'll show you a father who didn't think twice about writing a vitriolic and politically damaging letter in defense of his child, a grandfather who thought four wasn't too young to begin learning Greek history, and a world leader who could berate a duplicitous Russian foreign minister then turn around and forgive a couple of reporters for letting a Florida burro use his waterfront cabana as an outhouse.
Growing up around the former president, Daniel was privy to family stories illustrating Truman's character and great sense of himself, whether he was dealing with Gen. Douglas MacArthur or an errant Republican with a flat tire. Daniel also knew the Truman character firsthand, having been the focus of his grandfather's ideas on education and the grit needed to survive being upended by a hobby horse.
What emerges is a portrait of self-assured, intelligent, but accessible human being, a man who loved his family and did his best for his friends and neighbors, who had a lasting, positive effect on his country and the world ... and who could be grossly affronted when cannonballed in a swimming pool.
Clifton Truman Daniel is Director of Public Relations at Truman College in Chicago, a former newspaper reporter and editor, and author of the 1995 book, Growing Up With My Grandfather: Memories of Harry S. Truman.