Grandfather and your mother. Your mother while your grandfather was in the whitehouse, would occasionally perform publically and on one particular occasion she is an incredible vocalist to clarify. I am sorry. Right. Thank you, margaret. He was in key west. She was saying a review was written that your grandfather didnt like. That is right. She was singing at constitutional hall in the 1950s and the review was written by paul hume of the washington post. He said unkind things about my mothers singing ability. Quite a few things. My grandfather read that the next morning. The korean war i dont know if it had started and that would be dramatic his press secretary, charlie ross died the morning of the concert of a massive heart attack. Grandpa wasnt in a good review. He comes this review and he sat down and wrote out a review of a page and half and wrote out unkind things. The end of the letter said i would like to meet you in person and when i do you will need steak for black eyes and yo
Family. Nine members of the family have worked at the white house. I talked to one of the butlers who works every week at the white house. His uncle was the head butler. He told me my uncle ram the white house. They brought him in when he was 17 years old in 1959 during the eisenhower administration. He is still working there. He described how he used to work in the kitchen and they kept on giving him ice scream ice cream because he was skinny. It is incredible he remembers how the eisenhowers word. They are a dying breed. Tonight at 8 00 eastern and pacific on cspans q a. Over the next four hours, we are giving you a special mothers day presentation with the children and grandchildren of former first ladies, sharing tales of life in the white house. We begin with the grand daughter of lou hoover, the grandson of breast truman, and a daughter betty ford. Good evening everyone and thank you for being here. It is always a pleasure to be here. If what happened in the last few minutes back
I am thankful they chose the History Department as the vehicle for remembering their be loved alan. Im especially grateful to his wife to whom im truly indebted. In less than a decade, the larkin symposium has become a signature program. We are proud to have distinguished speakers over the years who contributed to our understanding of the american presidency. Last year we targeted the presidencies of nixon to obama and had a dynamic duo of woodward and bernstein. What a treat it was to have them along with ken neftali on our stage. Todays guests have also made great history. David mccullough is americas preeminent historian meaning he has devoted his life to making the past, live. Come alive. We are more informed because of his labors. Let me explain precisely what that means to all of you who might have trouble discerning what historians do for a living. In fact, i can tell you my neighbor still wonder how i managed to mow my lawn in the middle of the week. So here is what we do. We r
What he hoped to achieve. I was recently asked to come to mit to give a talk on failure. The professor called me and said he was going to introduce a new course on failure. Because the students there at mit are so fixated on success they dont seem to realize that failure is part of life. And he thought it was time they have a course to remind them that failure happens. And it can happen to you. If you are working in science and technology, it can have adverse effects on many people in serious ways. And we wonder if i would give a talk about why the french failed in their attempt to build the panama canal. I said i would love to, because it is a great story, with quite a lesson to learn. And then i never heard from him. About four months later, i ran into them i said, what happened . He said the course was a failure. [laughter] nobody wanted to take it. But we should take it. And i think the lessons in the story of harry truman are very very valuable and to the point for just that reaso
Book. I think youll enjoy Jeffrey Frank. Is a former Senior Editor at the new yorker and jeopardy editor of the Washington Posts outlook section. Currently contributed to the new yorker and has written for a Washington Post the wall street journal of guardian book forum vogue and other publications. Is the author of i can dig portrait of strange political marriage . And has written for novels among them the washington trilogy. And his coauthor with diana krone frank of a translation of Hans Christian andersen stories that won the 2014 hand Christian Andersen cries. I was latest book. Trials of harry truman showing you here the extraordinary presidency of an ordinary man 1945 to 1953 simon issues to publication 528 pages illustrated and is 32 dollars and fifty cents. You will get a book plate until authors start coming around again into our studio. You will get a bookplate thats signed if you order a book from us, and youll get one of these special booklets that are are ourselves alone.