National Archives Celebrates Dr. Seuss and John Philip Sousa Birthdays During Special Family Weekend, Oct. 30-31
Press Release · Wednesday, September 22, 2004

Washington, DC

Press Release
September 22, 2004

National Archives Celebrates Dr. Seuss and John Philip Sousa Birthdays During Special Family Weekend, Oct. 30-31

Washington, D.C. . .To start its new series of weekend programs for the whole family, the National Archives is celebrating the birthdays of two famous Americans. This fall marks the 100th birthday of children’s author Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel) and the 150th birthday of American composer and DC native, John Philip Sousa. Generations of Americans have enjoyed their work but few know that both men worked for the federal government. As keepers of the federal records, the National Archives honors these two public servants.

All programs are free and open to the public, but reservations are required. Reservations can be made by email (preferred): reservation.nwe@nara.gov, or telephone: 202-501-5000. Programs will be held in the recently-opened William G. McGowan Theater unless otherwise noted. The McGowan Theater and the Jefferson Conference Room are located in the National Archives Building on Constitution Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets, NW, Washington, DC.

Saturday, October 30: Dr. Seuss

• 10:30 a.m., program of Seuss-related cartoons, including ones featuring Private Snafu, a character Theodore Geisel created for the U.S. military.
• Noon, Professor Richard Minear will discuss his book, Dr. Seuss Goes to War.
• 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., the musical "SeussCentennial" will be performed by the Kindred Spirit performing troupe.

Also on Saturday, a pre-election sneak peak for kids, as two authors will talk about their books: At noon, Chuck Fischer will talk about The White House: A Pop-Up Book, giving kids an insider's view, and at 1 p.m. Elissa Grodin will talk about D is for Democracy: A Citizen's Alphabet, showing children how the electoral process works. Both talks will take place in the Jefferson Conference Room.

• 12:00 p.m., a screening of the 1952 Hollywood biopic Stars and Stripes Forever, starring Clifton Webb as Sousa (89 minutes).
• Special program of speakers and musical performances celebrating Sousa's life and work.

For PRESS information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at (301) 837-1700 or (202) 501-5526.

To verify the date and times of the programs, the public should call the Public Programs Line at: (202) 501-5000, the hearing impaired should call TDD (202) 501-5404 for information, or view the Calendar of Events on the web at: www.archives.gov/about_us/calendar_of_events/index.html

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