Announcer American History tv was live on saturday from marion, ohio, for a modern symposium on first ladies, from Florence Harding to Michelle Obama. That was the theme of the annual warren g. Harding symposium at Ohio State University at mary and it is about four hours. Host and now entitled paving the way, we you please welcome the two rector of special events at the National First lady library, lucinda fraley. Lucinda thank you. And thank you, everyone, who was involved in the symposium. You have absolutely no how thrilled we are to be here. Anytime we get a chance to present first ladies, we always look forward to it. Our mission, really good, which is to educate the public about the lives and the activities of the first ladies of this country, and believe me, they were all wonderful, and as i was talking to somebody at the reception we think all of the president s were quite intelligent. Every one of them, because they were smart enough to marry the woman who became their life pa
Our coverage of president ial candidates of the iowa state fair continues all week. Former Texas Governor rick perry is running for the 2016 republican nomination and will take the traditional Des Moines Register soapbox stage. Later, a couple candidates visit the first of the nation primary state of new jersey. John kasich calls a town call meeting in se lalem. Chris christie also answers questions at a town hall meeting in salem, live at 7 p. 00 p. M. O wednesday. More history tv and the conference on modern first ladies. The Ohio State University at mare yo marion and the National First ladies cohosted the event. This is bridging the gap. Its my honor to present the executive director of the National First Ladies Library, patricia krider. [ applause ] thank you very much. Im very happy to be here today, and be here in marion this weekend. On behalf of the National First Ladies Library and the First Ladies National Historic site, were thrilled to be part of this symposium. My job her
They didnt know the holocaust was coming, but it was not done. Grace throws herself into helping get ready for world war ii. During world war ii, is a real volunteer, a spotter in North Hampton and that kind of thing. She did take a more active role in her post white house years. Then even though you have rationing, she doesnt get to plymouth much during the war, she seems the homestead going in plymouth, has an interest where her husband grew up and where he was sworn in. She decides to donate it to the state of vermont, if they will buy the birthplace. She was quite active as a preservationist, i like to see it that way. She lived until 1957. She did accomplish many of her goals after being first lady. She did, i would say, be brave, coming out with that stand. I know weve had a lot to talk about, and im afraid well have to ask gary if we can get to lou. She picked up where she left off prewhite house, which was to get engaged with a lot of the organizations that she had been involve
With a parent whose health was up and down. This was not something new in her life, and she took charge like she neieded to and carried on. I want to leave some time for the audience. Then come back to let the first ladies themselves have the last word. I know that, what did they do, quickly, after the post white house years . Can you address that a bit . I can start with that because mine is really short. Yeah. Florence just lived 15 months after warren died. She didnt have much of a life after that. She was adamant that she really did not want to come back to marion, to her house, and she never came back to her house. It was just not the same place for her without her husband. She wanted to stay in washington. She liked life there. She had spent five years there as a senate wife before the white house. She wanted to travel in europe. Shed been there three times. Wanted to write her memoirs. She didnt do any of that because her Health Failed rapidly after warrens death. Her doctor who
Tuberculosis. No cure. Second of all, we left track of how severe and prevalent that illness was in a lot of different parts of the country. Lou, in her typical take charge, i got this sort of frame of mind, collects information on all the different potential sanitariums where pete with cca. They have tons of letters from wellmeaning people telling them how this can be cured. She eventually settles on the sanitarium in ashville, north carolina. They arrange for pete to go there. They thought about having him at the camp that lou and bert had built in the mountains, but they decided that pete really it was very inaccessible do they decided he needed to be where there was more attentive care and somewhere it was easily accessible. Petes wife and two children moved into the white house for the duration. Lou, her typical strong management style, take charge style. Her mother was a semiinvalid. She was accustomed to dealing with a parent whose health was up and down. This was not something