October 2024
Tuesday
29
2024
October 29, 2024
7:00PM - 8:00PM EDT
Part 2 of First Ladies on the Campaign Trail--The Republican Women
Paulette Brinka and Tammy Vigil will present the program moderated by Valerie Palmer-Mehta.
Streaming on Facebook and YouTube
September 2024
Monday
30
2024
September 30, 2024
7:00PM - 8:00PM EDT
FLARE Program: Ceremony and Presentation of 2024 Lewis L. Gould Award
Tuesday
17
2024
September 17, 2024
6:00PM - 7:00PM EDT
Heath Hardage Lee Book Interview with Rebecca Roberts
Heath Hardage Lee’s just published (August 6, 2024, St. Martin’s Press) book The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: Washington’s Most Private First Lady is the first commercial biography of Pat Nixon in almost 40 years. Ms. Lee will reveal her take on “The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon” in conversation with two other recent First Lady biographers: Rebecca Roberts, author of Untold Power: The Fascinating Rise and Complex Legacy of First Lady Edith Wilson and Julia Sweig, author of Lady Bird Johnson Hiding in Plain Sight. Sweig will conduct a wide-ranging interview with Lee about her just published book. All three biographers will talk about First Ladies, their image in the media, and how the role of FLOTUS remains as Pat Nixon said, “the hardest unpaid job in the world.”
Thursday
5
2024
September 5, 2024
7:00PM - 8:00PM EDT
Demystifying the Mysterious Mrs Nixon: A First Lady Revealed
Please click the title for complete details.
View on Facebook or on YouTube.
Bob Bostock, who curated the Pat Nixon Centennial exhibit at the Nixon Library, interviews Heath Hardage Lee about her new book, The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington's Most Private First Lady.
August 2024
Wednesday
21
2024
August 21, 2024
7:00PM - 8:00PM EDT
FLARE August Virtual Program: First Ladies on the Campaign Trail
August 21, 2024 7:00PM - 8:00PM EDT
View on Facebook or on YouTube.
The name on the top of the presidential ticket is reserved for the candidate alone, but make no mistake--the nominee's spouse is also an important part of the process. Sometimes, their participation is minimal; an effort to present a picture of a united family front. Other potential first ladies are out campaigning on policy and positive reasons to vote their spouse into office. (Think "Vote for Betty's husband" or Clinton's famous, "You get two for the price of one.")
July 2024
Monday
29
2024
July 29, 2024
DOLLEY MADISON AND THE WAR OF 1812
With Libby McNamee and moderated by Dr. Christopher Leahy
FLARE Facebook/FLARE YouTube
Saturday
27
2024
July 27, 2024
9:30AM - 10:30AM EDT
Betty Ford & Rosalynn Carter 1984 First Ladies Conference
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum hosts a retrospective of her work during and after the White House years.
Online - click title for link
Monday
15
2024
July 15, 2024
Call for Nominations for FLARE’s 2024 Gould Award Deadline
The First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE) is now accepting nominations for the Lewis L. Gould Award
The Gould Award seeks to honor a FLARE member with a long and distinguished career that includes significant contributions to scholarship and education about first ladies. All members of FLARE are eligible for nomination except for those serving on the Gould Award Committee.
Thursday
4
2024
July 4, 2024
10:00AM - 11:00AM EDT
Grace Coolidge and the First Ladies
Diana Carlin and Jennifer Coolidge Harville
Coolidge Historic Site, Plymouth Notch, VT
June 2024
Thursday
20
2024
June 20, 2024
Martha Washington Lecture
Featuring FLARE Members Diana B. Carlin, Anita B. McBride, and Nancy Kegan Smith
May 2024
April 2024
Monday
29
2024
April 29, 2024
7:00PM - 8:00PM EDT
Elizabeth Dole: A Pioneering "Also Ran" for Second and First Lady.
Virtual Program
Friday
26
2024
April 26, 2024
2:15PM - 5:30PM EDT
FLARE’s First National Conference!
First Lady Betty Ford 50th Anniversary Celebration
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan
The conference is being held in partnership with the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum and American University’s School of Public Affairs.
Wednesday
3
2024
April 3, 2024
8:30AM - 12:30PM
First Ladies Then and Now: Communicating Their Message
FLARE presents the Central States Communication Association Pre-Conference
Grand Amway Hotel, Grand Rapids, MI
The field of First Ladies Studies has grown dramatically since the first course was offered in 1982 at the University of Texas-Austin and Betty Ford and Rosalynn Carter hosted the first conference on first ladies in Grand Rapids in 1984. Communication scholars have been at the heart of the growth in scholarship, publications, conference programs, and interviews in various media. With the creation of the interdisciplinary association, founded by seven scholars--including four from communication--and new publications, including the first-ever college textbook, this is an area of study with tremendous potential for communication scholarship, especially for graduate students and early career faculty. To trace the history of this interdisciplinary field of inquiry, Central States is partnering with FLARE--First Ladies Association for Research and Education--to mark the 40th anniversary of the conference at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids.
March 2024
Thursday
28
2024
March 28, 2024
7:30PM - 8:30PM
In Sickness and in the White House: First Ladies' Illnesses from the 1840s to the 1980s s
with Katie Sibley, Michelle Gullion, and Elizabeth Thacker-Estrada
Virtual Program ... please see links below.
Thursday
21
2024
March 21, 2024
7:00PM - 8:00PM
Debra Scala Giokas book talk on Ladies First-Common Threads
Bay Shore Historical Society
Wednesday
6
2024
March 6, 2024
7:00PM - 8:00PM
FLARE Social Hour
FLARE Members will receive a registration invitation.
Monday
4
2024
March 4, 2024
Remember the First Ladies
Presented by the National Archives
In Person and online
In celebration of Women's History Month, please join Archivist of the United States Dr. Colleen Shogan, who will moderate a program featuring Diana Carlin, Anita McBride, and Nancy Kegan Smith, co-authors of a new book, Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America's History-Making Women. The book illustrates First Ladies’ unique position to influence American society, policy, diplomacy, and life in the White House and illuminates how many of them broke barriers to make a mark on our country and, at times, the world. A book signing will follow the program.
Women’s History programming is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of Denise Gwyn Ferguson.
January 2024
Wednesday
31
2024
January 31, 2024
5:30PM - 6:30PM EST
FLOTUS, the Media and Challenging Old Narratives
Virtual Meeting - View on Facebook or YouTube
Join the First Ladies Association for Research and Education for a lively conversation with East Wing Magazine journalists Jennifer Taylor and Erin Donaghue about the challenges between first ladies and the media; about the changing landscape of the media and how presidential spouses have adapted; and about East Wing Magazine and its mission to flip the traditional narratives told about first ladies and the greater East Wing.
December 2023
Friday
15
2023
December 15, 2023
Melania Trump to Headline Naturalization Ceremony
National Archives Rotunda
Former First Lady Melania Trump is expected to speak before a National Archives’ naturalization ceremony on Dec. 15. The ceremony is part of its annual celebration of Bill of Rights Day. The ceremony will be held in the historic National Archives Rotunda, and will see 25 people from 25 nations sworn in as new U.S. citizens in front of the Constitution and the nation’s other founding documents. Trump, herself a naturalized citizen, and Archivist of the United States Dr. Colleen Shogan, will provide remarks, according to a statement from the National Archives and Records Administration.
Monday
11
2023
December 11, 2023
7:00PM - 8:00PM EST
FLARE Program ... Edith Wilson: Overnight Sensation
Heath Lee Interviews Author Rebecca Roberts
View on Facebook or on YouTube - link provided in the detailed information
Tuesday
5
2023
December 5, 2023
5:30PM - 6:30PM EST
WHHA White History Live:
The Washingtons, the Custises, and the Making of America
November 2023
Wednesday
29
2023
November 29, 2023
6:00PM - 7:00PM EST
Women on Wednesdays - US First Ladies
Featuring: Diana Carlin and Anita McBride
Wednesday
15
2023
November 15, 2023
7:00PM - 8:00PM EDT
A Tour of the National First Ladies Library
Virtual
Join FLARE for "A Tour of the National First Ladies Library." Director of Collections and Research Michelle Gullion from the National First Ladies Library & Museum will take viewers on a special behind-the-scenes tour of some of the more fascinating First Ladies items in the collection. She will discuss the items’ history, provenance, and significance to the legacies of these inspirational women.
October 2023
Thursday
26
2023
October 26, 2023
6:00PM - 7:00PM EDT
The White House Historical Association's History Happy Hour.
Betty Ford: Dancing on the Cabinet Room Table
Click Link Above to RegisterOutspoken. Trailblazing. Indomitable. When Betty Ford was thrust into the White House under extraordinary circumstances, she refused to be silenced by her critics as she publicly championed equal rights for women, and spoke out about issues that had previously been taboo—breast cancer, depression, abortion, and sexuality. After a painful intervention by her family, she admitted to an addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs, and her courageous decision to go public revolutionized treatment and the modern concept of recovery.
Thursday
19
2023
October 19, 2023
4:00PM - 5:00PM EDT
The Dole Institute Presents: 10 Defining Moments in the History of the American First Lady 1900-2023
Presenters: Diana Carlin, Professor Emerita of Communications at Saint Louis University and Myra Gutin, Professor Emerita of Communications at Rider University
Online Presentation
Monday
16
2023
October 16, 2023
FLARE 2023 Call for Nominations for Board Members Deadline
The 2023 FLARE Nominating Committee solicits from any member of the Association names of possible nominees for FLARE Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and two At-Large Board Members. The Nominating Committee will review and narrow the slate of nominees who will be listed on the general election ballot. The Nominating Committee will not be limited in its deliberations to the list of nominees. All nominees must be a member of FLARE at the time of nomination and must agree to maintain membership during the term of office.
September 2023
Monday
25
2023
September 25, 2023
12:00PM - 1:00PM EDT
Anita McBride Exclusive Interview with Andrea Mitchell
Starting today at approximately 12:45 pm ET, Anita McBride will be featured in an exclusive interview with Andrea Mitchell, journalist and commentator for NBC News, on her MSNBC show, Andrea Mitchell Reports. Anita will announce the publication of the new textbook. This is the nation's first textbook on first ladies designed for courses and course units exploring the history of the role, continuity and change over time, and the many impacts U.S. first ladies had on the presidency and society. We hope you'll watch!
Monday
25
2023
September 25 - 27, 2023
WHHA Presidential Sites Summit
Presentation by Diana Carlin, Anita McBride, Nancy Kegan Smith, and Barbara Perry
Washington, DC.
Thursday
21
2023
September 21, 2023
National First Ladies Library
Third Thursdays with the First Ladies Featuring Jackie Kennedy
August 2023
Thursday
24
2023
August 24, 2023
Presidential Sites Conference
First Ladies Textbook panel--Diana Carlin, Anita McBride, Nancy Smith
Washington, DC.
July 2023
Wednesday
26
2023
July 26, 2023
7:00PM - 8:00PM
FLARE Social Hour: It's Time to Celebrate: FLARE's Second Year Anniversary
On July 26th at 7:00 PM eastern time FLARE will hold a social hour to celebrate - just a little delayed - our organization's second year anniversary. FLARE President Myra Gutin will open by recapping some of FLARE's highlights in the last year and then open the floor to input from members as to how FLARE has helped them and suggestions for the upcoming year.
Pour some champagne and let's toast FLARE's busy and successful last year!
FLARE Members will receive a registration invitation.
May 2023
April 2023
Wednesday
26
2023
April 26, 2023
7:00PM - 8:00PM EDT
The Evolution of the First Lady from Lady Washington to Dr. Biden
March 2023
Thursday
23
2023
March 23, 2023
7:00PM - 8:15PM EDT
First Ladies, the ERA and Beyond
This program is presented in partnership with FLARE and and the Dole Institute of Politics..
Thursday
9
2023
March 9, 2023
7:00PM - 8:15PM EDT
First Ladies, Women’s Rights and Suffrage
This program is presented in partnership with FLARE as well as KU’s History and American Studies departments.
February 2023
Tuesday
28
2023
February 28, 2023
7:00PM - 8:00PM EDT
First Ladies and Slavery
This presentation done in conjunction with FLARE’s institutional member the White House Historical Association, WHHA
Please join FLARE for our February 28 program in honor of Black History month at 7:00 pm eastern time. "First Ladies and Slavery” is a presentation done in conjunction with FLARE’s institutional member the White House Historical Association, WHHA. The program is introduced by Stewart McLaurin, President of the WHHA, with an explanation of their project “Slavery in the President’s Neighborhood”. WHHA Historian Sarah Fling will then do a presentation describing the relationship between first ladies and slavery, part of one-third of the first ladies' identities and lifestyles.
Thursday
9
2023
February 9, 2023
7:00PM - 8:15PM EDT
First Ladies and Power – Influential First Ladies You Might Not Know Much About
This program is presented in partnership with FLARE as well as KU’s department of Communications and School of Journalism.
Wednesday
1
2023
February 1, 2023
7:00PM - 8:15PM EDT
Evolution of the Modern First Lady – How We Got from Lady Washington to Dr. Biden
This program is presented in partnership with FLARE as well as KU’s Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Political Science departments.
January 2023
Tuesday
24
2023
January 24, 2023
7:00PM - 8:00PM
“The First Rose of Texas Was the ‘Rose of Long Island’”
Join FLARE on January 24 for our program at 7 pm ET
To view, please click on the YouTube or Facebook links in the bottom left of the FLARE website https://flare-net.org or go directly to FLARE's YouTube Channel or Facebook page.
Julia Gardiner Tyler became the first of America’s first ladies to marry a sitting president when she “eloped” with John Tyler on June 26, 1844. She quickly became politicized as newspaper articles and wickedly satirical caricatures shamelessly linked their marriage to Tyler’s pursuit of the annexation of Texas—his chief policy goal as a president without a party. Annexation became the signature issue of the 1844 presidential election campaign, a campaign that metaphorically gave the administration’s attempt to add Texas to the union a feminine face—Julia’s—and one that dramatically increased sectional tensions over the expansion of slavery.
Wednesday
11
2023
January 11, 2023
7:00PM - 8:00PM
FLARE Social Hour
Happy New Year to all of our FLARE members. Please join us for our first social hour of the year on January 11, 2023, at 7 pm Eastern time. We will update you on new board members, and upcoming programs as well as other announcements and website features. This is your time to share what you are currently working on and let us know what you want to see FLARE do in the new year.
November 2022
Monday
7
2022
November 7, 2022
7:00PM - 8:00PM EST
Rosalynn Carter: Jimmy's Secret Weapon
Virtual Presentation - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXkvgITIbbdhVOVlVHoXpTg/streams
October 2022
Sunday
16
2022
October 16, 2022
6:00PM - 9:00PM EDT
The Edith Bolling Wilson 150th Birthday Celebration “Dinner Wythe Edith”
Bolling Wilson Hotel in Wytheville, VA.
Saturday
15
2022
October 15, 2022
The Edith Bolling Wilson 150th Birthday Celebration “Dinner Wythe Edith”
Bolling Wilson Hotel in Wytheville, VA.
Thursday
13
2022
October 13, 2022
5:30PM - 6:30PM EDT
Pat and Dick Nixon: WWII Love Letters Revealed
Join us for History Happy Hour this Thursday at 5:30 pm to hear author Heath Hardage Lee share insights about the letters between Richard and Pat Nixon that chronicle the early years of their marriage
Tuesday
11
2022
October 11, 2022
7:00PM - 8:00PM EDT
Becoming Bess, Mamie, and Hillary: Actress Kay Kuhlmann discusses her writing and performances of one-woman shows
Virtual Presentation - https://youtu.be/BUpe9Uybo9Y
September 2022
Monday
19
2022
September 19, 2022
7:00PM - 8:00PM EDT
Members only social hour - 7 pm, Eastern Time
Virtual Presentation - check your email for details!
Wednesday
7
2022
September 7, 2022
1:35PM EDT
President and Mrs. Obama's portraits unveiled at the White House
August 2022
Wednesday
24
2022
August 24, 2022
7:00PM - 8:00PM EDT
Members only social hour - 7 pm, Eastern Time
Virtual Presentation - Watch for additional details!
Monday
22
2022
August 22, 2022
11:00AM - 12:00PM EDT
Gould Award Announcement - 11 am Eastern Time
Virtual Presentation: https://youtu.be/Ugem8ZqUtg4
Tuesday
16
2022
August 16, 2022
7:00PM - 8:00PM EDT
First Ladies and War. - 7 pm Eastern Time
https://youtu.be/4yz7-tySLgk
Saturday
13
2022
August 13, 2022
2:00PM - 3:00PM
Pat Nixon Reconsidered - on The Presidency
https://youtu.be/OvcVr5vqP3Q
How does Pat Nixon compare to other first ladies? The First Ladies Association for Research & Education convened scholars to address that question. Among their topics: the former first lady's media image, her "person-to-person" diplomacy and her work to get more women into government roles and onto the Supreme Court.
June 2022
Monday
20
2022
June 20, 2022
7:00PM - 8:00PM
FLARE Social Hour: It's Time to Celebrate: FLARE's One Year Anniversary
On June 20th at 7:00 PM eastern time FLARE will hold a social hour to celebrate our organization's one year anniversary. FLARE President Myra Gutin will open by recapping some of FLARE's highlights in the last year and then open the floor to input from members as to how FLARE has helped them and suggestions for the next year. Pour some champagne and let's toast a successful inaugural year!
Thursday
2
2022
June 2, 2022
NATIONAL FIRST LADIES DAY
National First Ladies Day on June 2nd commemorates the very first First Lady of the United States and all those who followed in her footsteps.
May 2022
Tuesday
31
2022
May 31, 2022
Gould Award 2022 Nomination Deadline
FLARE members are invited to nominate a member of the organization for the 2022 Lewis L. Gould Award.
Thursday
26
2022
May 26, 2022
7:00PM - 8:00PM
FLARE Program on Pat Nixon
Virtual Event ... https://youtu.be/CRnC9ijaEoE
Pat Nixon: Unheralded First Lady The far-reaching achievements of Pat Nixon, First Lady from 1969-1974 are too often overshadowed by the drama of her husband’s White House.
Tuesday
10
2022
May 10, 2022
4:00PM - 5:00PM
White House Historical Association's "White House History Live" ... Women and the Nixon White House.
Virtual Event
Join FLARE members Anita McBride and Heath Lee on May 10 at 4:00 pm ET On the White House Historical Association's "White House History Live" to hear about Women and the Nixon White House.
April 2022
Sunday
24
2022
April 24, 2022
2:45PM - 3:45PM
First Ladies' Speeches
On C-SPAN 2
What's the impact of a first lady's words? Scholars consider the speeches of Barbara Bush, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama.
Saturday
23
2022
April 23, 2022
2:45PM - 3:45PM
First Ladies' Speeches
On C-SPAN 2
What's the impact of a first lady's words? Scholars consider the speeches of Barbara Bush, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama.
Friday
22
2022
April 22, 2022
SHE DID ALL THAT - Betty Ford: Speaking Out, Saving Lives
Live performance of the play ... contact Clare Shubert: cshubert@38foundation.org.
Thursday
14
2022
April 14, 2022
7:00PM - 8:00PM
SHE DID ALL THAT - Betty Ford: Speaking Out, Saving Lives
A conversation with playwright, director, and producer Lisa Rafferty
Virtual Presentation - https://youtu.be/H06s0RwikoM
March 2022
Wednesday
30
2022
March 30, 2022
7:00PM - 8:00PM
Edith Wilson Program ... 7:00 PM (Eastern Time)
Click for details!
Live Stream: https://youtu.be/Q2QbWsAYtYc
Thursday
24
2022
March 24, 2022
7:00PM - 8:00PM
Designing Camelot
With Authors James Archer Abbott and Elaine Rice Bachmann
Virtual Presentation
Thursday
17
2022
March 17, 2022
5:30PM - 6:30PM
White House Historical Association History Happy Hour
Featuring Four FLARE members.
Zoom Meeting
February 2022
Tuesday
1
2022
February 1, 2022
5:00PM - 6:00PM
Jacqueline Kennedy at Home and Abroad
https://youtu.be/zJL16j-23hw
January 2022
December 2021
Thursday
9
2021
December 9, 2021
5:30PM - 6:30PM
Eleanor Roosevelt: Transformational First Lady and Lead
YouTube Livestream Event https://youtu.be/VMxko7jwAG0
November 2021
Monday
22
2021
November 22, 2021
5:30PM - 6:30PM
Abigail Adams and the “Reigns of Government”
Link: https://youtu.be/gT9GdlK1zSo
Friday
5
2021
November 5, 2021
1:30PM - 2:30PM
Virtual Author Visit with Gigi McBride
Who: K-4 students, teachers, parents, and book lovers!
Virtual Presentation on Friday, November 5th, 2021 @ 1:30 pm EST
October 2021
Tuesday
26
2021
October 26, 2021
7:00PM - 8:00PM
Past, Present, Future: The Twists and Turns of the Equal Rights Amendment and the Quest to Put Equality in the Constitution
Presented by the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation
Virtual Presentation
Tuesday
26
2021
October 26, 2021
1:00PM - 2:00PM
Past, Present, Future: The Twists and Turns of the Equal Rights Amendment and the Quest to Put Equality in the Constitution
Presented by the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation
Virtual Presentation (timed for students)
Wednesday
20
2021
October 20, 2021
5:30PM - 6:30PM
Accidental Leaders: Betty Ford and Nancy Reagan Speak Out on Breast Cancer
Join us on Wednesday, October 20 at 5:30pm EDT
FLARE YouTube: https://youtu.be/iZdBtSjQrg0
September 2021
Monday
27
2021
September 27, 2021
5:30PM - 6:30PM
FLARE - Special Event ... In Her Own Words
YouTube Livestream Event at 5:30 pm EDT
https://youtu.be/qI1dM5olp3g
Friday
24
2021
September 24, 2021
4:00PM - 5:00PM
Live Conversation with Julia Sweig and Karen Tumulty
Library of Congress National Book Festival
Julia Sweig, author of “Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight External” (Random House), and Karen Tumulty, author of “The Triumph of Nancy Reagan External” (Simon & Schuster), discuss their new books with Colleen Shogan, a senior vice president and the director of the David Rubenstein Center for White House History at the White House Historical Association.
July 2021
Thursday
29
2021
July 29, 2021
4:00PM - 5:00PM
Tom Johnson and Nancy Kegan Smith In A Conversation About Lady Bird Johnson
Zoom Meeting
FLARE Announces Tom Johnson former CNN President and former chair of the LBJ Foundation Board will present FLARE's first public program on July 29, 2021, at 4:00 p.m. EDT. Mr. Johnson will be interviewed by FLARE Vice President Nancy Kegan Smith about his years working with Lady Bird Johnson. The event is open to the public; registration required.
Tuesday
6
2021
July 6, 2021
Inaugural Gould Award Announcement
Lewis L. Gould, the Eugene Barker Centennial Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Texas-Austin, has been named the inaugural recipient of an award that recognizes distinguished contributions to research and education about America’s first ladies.
