Roddy Web 

This site is maintained for the benefit of the Historic Triangle community in Virginia. 

"Thanks for sharing with me your new website. It is really, impressive! I hope a lot of people will access it."  –Frank Shatz, The Virginia Gazette columnist, Dec. 25, 2021

Announcements
This year marks the 70th anniversary of Albert Einstein's death. He was born in Ulm, Kingdom of Württemberg, German Empire on March 14, 1879, and passed on April 18, 1955 in Princeton, New Jersey. The theoretical physicist developed the theories of special and general relativity. He also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. Wikipedia states: "His mass–energy equivalence formula E=mc2, which arises from special relativity, has been called 'the world's most famous equation'. He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for 'his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect'. "

On May 5, "Public libraries are essential to society" was posted on the Community page. It contains information about the importance of public libraries that was provided by Library Director Sandra Towers and a statement by her. A copy of the fact sheet, "Public library programs and services strengthen communities” is embedded at the bottom of the page. The link to a fascinating PBS Independent Lens documentary, “Free for All: The Public Library" is provided. Also, there are details about a partnership between the Williamsburg Regional Library and the  Williamsburg Youth Orchestra to create 3D-printed violins for an after-school program at Waller Mill Elementary School, and link to a news report about the program. 

Essays

The Essays page has content on various topics, including: James City County’s Citizen Fire, Police and Leadership Development academies, the Williamsburg Hellenic Center, Sister Cities Yorktown, and a James City-Williamsburg Neighborhoods Conference. Making neighborhoods better places to live is about consideration, unity and working together. This essay gives details on how you can get involved and make a difference. My essay about the Citizen Fire Academy is quite detailed. The hands-on experiences involved were fun and made the program very interesting.

Historic Triangle Francophiles   

This site has been online since Oct. 1, 2021. It is based on the former Williamsburg French Club website, that was created in April 2011. It contains a wealth of information about French culture, plus links to the entire Louvre Collections, the Palace of Versailles paintings, French radio stations, France Info live news television, French newspapers, Paris Match magazine, French language courses and  a few Bastille Day videos.

The Accueil (Welcome) page has a link to the full video of the 2025 Bastille Day parade in Paris, which is the biggest annual military parade in the world. It featured more than 7,000 participants, of which 5,618 marched. Also involved were about 250 vehicles, 100 aircraft, and 200 horses of the 

Republican Guard.

Madame Carrie Moore, French language teacher at Lafayette High School, has praised the site as “a wonderful work of art.” Navigate to HT Franco to view it.

Sister Cities Yorktown 

"Fostering a Culture of Citizen Diplomacy"

Since 1990, there has been a sister-city relationship between Yorktown and Port-Vendres in France. This charming Mediterranean port was the location of the naval base from which French ships aided America during the War of Independence. The British surrendered after the Battle of Yorktown on October 19, 1781. Visit the Sister Cities Yorktown website at SCY. Their Facebook Page is at SCY Facebook.

"Sister Cities celebrated," on the Essays page, is about the 20th anniversary celebration of the sister-city alliance with Port-Vendres in 2010, and the cultural exchange and festivities that took place between the residents of York County and that beautiful French village. 

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt

The most influential and longest-serving First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt was a political figure, diplomat and activist. According to Wikipedia: "Roosevelt was a controversial first lady at the time for her outspokenness, particularly on civil rights for African-Americans. She was the first presidential spouse to hold regular press conferences, write a daily newspaper column, write a monthly magazine column, host a weekly radio show, and speak at a national party convention." 

In addition, "She served as the first chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights and oversaw the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Later, she chaired the John F. Kennedy administration's Presidential Commission on the Status of Women. By the time of her death, Roosevelt was regarded as 'one of the most esteemed women in the world'; The New York Times called her 'the object of almost universal respect' in an obituary.  In 1999, she was ranked ninth in the top ten of Gallup's List of Most Widely Admired People of the 20th Century, and was listed thirteen times as the most admired woman between 1948 and 1961."

An image of Roosevelt  and one quote is on the Commentaries page. To see more of her quotes, navigate to goodreads.com.

Helen Keller

Helen Keller was a blind and deaf American author, disability rights advocate, political activist, humanitarian and lecturer. According to Wikipedia: "After an education at both specialist and mainstream schools, she attended Radcliffe College of Harvard University and became the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. She worked for the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) from 1924 until 1968, during which time she toured the United States and traveled to 35 countries around the globe advocating for those with vision loss."

Moreover, "Keller was a prolific author, writing 14 books and hundreds of speeches and essays on topics ranging from animals to Mahatma Gandhi.  Keller campaigned for those with disabilities, for women’s suffrage, labor rights, and world peace. She joined the Socialist Party of America in 1909. She was a supporter of the NAACP and an original member of the American Civil Liberties Union."

An image of Keller and one quote is on the Essays page. To see more of her quotes, navigate to goodreads.com. 

Please note that her most famous sentence is incorrect on Goodreads' website. She did not write: “Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all.” Unfortunately, this is a common misquoting of Keller that started in Canada. Actually, she wrote: “Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” 

This site was created by site owner Rick Rodington on April 30, 2021 and published the next day.