SWE - Spring 2009 - (Page 20)

both full political partners with their husbands, took the lead on health-care policy and advised on legislative and diplomatic matters. Hillary Clinton broke new ground by maintaining an office in the West Wing, and Rosalynn Carter sat in on cabinet meetings. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt were also full political partners, privately allowing each other freedoms most Americans and the press were not ready to accept. Publicly, FDR dealt with attacks on his wife humorously, by saying, “I just can’t control my wife.” Pat Nixon, on the other hand, confined herself to the traditional role of hostess and helpmeet explicitly required by her husband, Richard Nixon. The political climate and other circumstances beyond her control also define how each first lady fulfills her role. Betty Ford was thrust abruptly into the national spotlight when her husband was chosen to fill Vice President Spiro Agnew’s seat, and then into the White House, in the wake of Richard Nixon’s resignation. Landing on her feet, Betty Ford countered what many saw as the Nixon culture of secrecy with a new openness. She was famously candid about difficult personal issues and worked hard for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment of 1972. By contrast, although she was deeply frustrated by it, Eleanor Roosevelt was forced to accept the limitations of her role, when FDR refused to push for anti-lynching laws and to integrate the troops during World War II because he could not alienate his base of support in the Deep South. Lou Hoover actively supported suffrage and physical education for women. Nobody could have predicted that in the face of a deepening economic depression, with a desperate public turning against her husband’s administration, she would retreat into the role of perfect White The National First Ladies’ Library — A Unique Resource http://www.firstladies.org Teacher, champion of women’s issues, and education advocate Mary Regula gave a lot of speeches in her capacity as wife of U.S. Congressman Ralph Regula (R-Ohio, 1973-2009). When she made public appearances, Mary Regula liked to talk about the first ladies, whom she considered important historical figures. And although she was an experienced researcher, she found information about first ladies to be scattered, difficult to access, and skimpy. So in 1995, Mary Regula founded the National First Ladies’ Library (NFLL), the only historical research center of its kind in the United States. She first raised funds to create a 40,000-entry, online bibliography of materials on all the first ladies. Initially, there was no physical location, but in short order, and with the full support of first lady Hillary Clinton, the NFLL acquired and restored two buildings in downtown Canton, Ohio; hired a professional staff, including an archivist, a librarian, and a historian; and was designated a National Historic Site. In February of 1998, Hillary Clinton unveiled the NFLL Web site in the East Room of the White House, and in June of the same year, Rosalynn Carter presided over the dedication of the NFLL Saxton-McKinley house, the family home of first lady Ida McKinley. One block away is the NFLL Education and Research Center, which houses a 91seat, Victorian-era theater, a rare book collection, and a re-creation of the first White House library, assembled by first lady Abigail Fillmore. Here, special exhibits are mounted, and programs for school children are presented. Laura Bush dedicated the building in 2003. The current exhibit, “Caring Hearts: The Health of a Nation,” documents the health-related causes first ladies have supported. Books, films, photos, e-documents, and magazine and journal articles about first ladies have proliferated recently; the general public is hungry for information about first ladies, and first ladies have become a legitimate subject for academic historians to study. The NFLL keeps up with these changes, by continually adding to its collection of both current and historic materials. In addition, the facility holds seminars, workshops, lectures, and conferences about first ladies and other notable women. Last June, as excitement about the U.S. presidential THE NFLL Gowns belonging to Lou Hoover and Eleanor Roosevelt are on display through the end of May at the NFLL. election was building, and as scrutiny of media coverage of the candidates intensified, the NFLL sponsored a conference about first ladies and would-be first ladies, titled, “From Front Porch to Webcast: The History and Impact of Spouses in Presidential Campaigns.” Panelists included veteran political journalists; a first lady press secretary; experts on gender politics; and Connie Schultz, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and author of the book, and His Lovely Wife, about campaigning in 2005 and 2006 with her husband, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). “The NFLL started out as a library, but it has become so much more,” said Pat Krider, executive director, who has been involved with the NFLL since its founding and director for 10 years. “Our mission is to educate the public — students, amateur history buffs, and scholars alike — to open people’s eyes to the accomplishments of all the first ladies. We want people to understand that advocacy didn’t start with Eleanor Roosevelt.” Krider points out that the NFLL fills a need not met by any other single library or research center, adding that the presidential libraries don’t necessarily include any information about first ladies. “I see a change in the awareness of the role of the first lady. People have greater expectations, now,” she said. “They are asking, ‘What will Michelle Obama do,’ not what will she wear. They want to know what causes she will support, how much she will be involved in policy.” 20 SWE SPRING 2009 http://www.firstladies.org http://www.firstladies.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SWE - Spring 2009

SWE - Spring 2009 Heritage Club Contents President's Note View from the Executive Suite Editor’s Page Honoring Women’s History Public Policy Update First Lady: The “Second-Hardest Job in America” Bringing Science and Engineering into Public Policy At the Intersection of Engineering and Public Policy From Research to Reality Coffee Table Dialogues Membership Information & Calendar A&B Winning Essays from the Lava Lounge Engineering World: Issues • Events • Technology • People Point of View: Your Role in Public Policy Career Toolbox: Communicating with Congress; Finding Your Voice Corporate Partnership Council Media Shelf: Women’s History Opportunity Index SWE Scrapbook: Dressed for Success

SWE - Spring 2009

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