First half year of chairman Hugo de Jonge
Hugo de Jonge has been serving as King's Commissioner in Zeeland and chairman of the Roosevelt Foundation since mid-September. He succeeded Han Polman, who took up a new role as a State Council Advisor at the Council of State after serving more than 11.5 years as King’s Commissioner and Chairman of the Roosevelt Foundation.
What have Hugo de Jonge's first months as chairman of the Roosevelt Foundation looked like?
One of my first activities as chairman of the Roosevelt Foundation was welcoming a group of teacher training college students. The meeting took place on a special location, the ‘Kapittelzaal’ in Middelburg’s abbey. The laureates of the Four Freedoms Awards are honored in this hall. It was the perfect setting to talk to these students about the four freedoms, which are perhaps more relevant today than ever.
Freedom is not something to be taken for granted. It is essential to continue discussing about democracy and its value. Presenter and children's book writer Iven Cudogham and former Member of Parliament Peter Kwint toured primary schools in Zeeland between 11 and 21 November with the Stichting Vrijheidscolleges to discuss this topic with youngsters. You can watch the aftermovie here.
The board of the Roosevelt Foundation, visited the exhibition 'WW2 in colour' in the Grote Kerk in Veere. A special photo exhibition featured 275 large-format photos, coloured by 'colourist' Jakob Lagerweij. Lagerweij is expert in clothing and military equipment from that period. He coloured the original black-and-white photos so expertly that they look as if they were taken only recently. Very impressive. 62 panels full of photos and a concise explanation of what can be seen in the photos.
Following the visit of the Grote Kerk, the board visited the Zeeuws Museum. During the board meeting, we said goodbye to Han Polman and Hans Rijkse, who had decitated themselves to the Roosevelt Foundation for many years.
The fact that we enjoy freedom in the Netherlands owes much to those young men and women who fought for our freedom or made their contribution by joining the resistance, often with great sacrifices as a result. This is beautifully showcased at the Liberation Museum Zeeland that features all kinds of vehicles, attributes, sound fragments and images. More than a hundred committed volunteers are committed to the museum and provide guided tours for the more than 40,000 annual visitors. A special thanks to Kees and Stef Traas of the Liberation Museum, for the impressive tour through this special and for Zeeland vital museum.
In 2026 we will once again honor individuals and/or organizations that are committed to the four freedoms. Young people also have a say in the nominations. Vice-chairman Barbara Oomen and I recently met with Tobias Rothenberger.
Tobias is a student of the University College Roosevelt and has been nominated as a youth advisor for the 2026 Four Freedoms Awards. Tobias will work with a team of fellow students to nominate a number of potential young laureates to the board of the Roosevelt Foundation. It is important for young people to have a say in who will receive this special recognition.
In 2025 the Four Freedoms Meet-up will take place again and the awards will be presented in New York.
But we are not there yet. For now, I wish you happy holidays and a healthy and prosperous 2025.
Hugo de Jonge
Chairman Roosevelt Foundation
