– Gordon State College welcomed back guest speaker Haven Roosevelt Luke, the great-grandson of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt, for its 12th annual FDR Lecture Series held April 10 on the Barnesville campus.

Following his well-received talk the previous year, Luke returned to the lecture series with a presentation titled “The Legacy of FDR and the New Deal in Contemporary America.” His lecture focused on the foreign relations legacy of President Roosevelt and the lasting influence of New Deal policies on modern governance and public policy.

“If I had to sum up the core legacy of the New Deal, it’s the idea that government can, and should, be a tool for solving problems and improving the lives of all Americans,” Luke said. “It’s a pretty simple concept, but a powerful one.”

Luke first began to understand the impact of his great-grandfather’s legacy at age 11 while growing up in rural Ohio. One day, while playing outside, he was approached by a man who shared that Franklin D. Roosevelt had changed his life. Thanks to FDR’s agricultural policies, the man said, his family farm was saved.

“At the end of the day, we all want the same things: a better life for our children, peace, security, and economic opportunity,” Luke said. “Let’s begin with our shared values and work together from there.”

While Luke understood the impact of his great-grandfather, it was Eleanor Roosevelt who truly instilled in him a sense of identity as a Roosevelt. His connection to her legacy began through her influence on his mother. Luke said that Eleanor was, in many ways, “just as influential” in shaping FDR's policies as “any of his other advisers.”

Prior to the start of the lecture, Luke presented the FDR Scholarship Award to Jayden Harvey, GSC education major from Henry County. The scholarship, donated by GSC Board of Trustees member Daniel White, honors the legacy and values of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and commemorates his speech at Gordon on Aug. 11, 1938. Following the event, Luke remained to answer questions from attendees and engage in discussion.