FLARE Members in the Newsview all news

Opinion: What We Lost When We Lost the East Wing
10/26/2026

Opinion: What We Lost When We Lost the East Wing

NYT guest contributor and FLARE member Azadeh Moaveni


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Heath Hardage Lee Contributes Pat Nixon 'In Pursuit' Essay
10/22/2026

Heath Hardage Lee Contributes Pat Nixon 'In Pursuit' Essay

The keys to successful international diplomacy in a democracy are personal authenticity, empathy, and compassion for others.


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Before Melania Trump, the Chinese Women Who Wore Pants to the State Dinner
10/05/2026

Before Melania Trump, the Chinese Women Who Wore Pants to the State Dinner

Annette Dunlap article in East Wing Magazine


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FLARE Announcements all announcements

FLARE Online Auction
10/16/2026

FLARE Online Auction

Bid November 19 through December 10


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Upcoming FLARE Program: The East Wing: First Ladies & the Power Behind the Presidency
10/15/2026

Upcoming FLARE Program: The East Wing: First Ladies & the Power Behind the Presidency

Join us October 27 at 7 pm ET


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Proposed By-Law Changes
09/17/2026

Proposed By-Law Changes

Review the proposed changes prior to the October ballot


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American FLOTUS Podcasts View All Podcasts

Flare Podcasts

New podcast episode released October 8th

Presidentess: The Life of Julia Gardiner Tyler, featuring Sharon and Christopher Leahy

On this episode of American FLOTUS, Christopher and Sharon Leahy discuss their new book Presidentess: The Life of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler.  From her early days as the “Rose of Long Island” and an impactful term as First Lady, to her controversial Civil War years and post-war reclamation, Julia was a brilliant but flawed woman who lived an extraordinary life.  Join host Alan Lowe and the Leahys to hear the remarkable story of an often overlooked First Lady.

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First Lady Melania Trump and Madame Peng Liyuan Visit Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art Highlighting Sino-American Artwork, Culture, and the Next Generation
Then Again: Armed with a spirit of discovery and a gun, the first lady road-trips through Vermont
First Lady Gown Added to The Hall of Presidents at Magic Kingdom
A fresh take on a controversial First Lady
View All First Ladies in the News
Our Mission

The mission of FLARE is to create and sustain a network to promote and publicize research and education relevant to the contributions, lives, impacts, and lasting legacies of U.S. First Ladies.

Our Vision

FLARE will be the primary association to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and outreach among scholars, teachers, institutions, first ladies' staff, biographers, archivists, journalists, historians, and the general public interested in research and education about the lasting legacy of U.S. First Ladies. 

 

FLARE Focus more information

FLARE Focus on Betty Ford’s Dance with Vulnerability and Leadership

Jamey Grisham

Mrs. Ford in the Cabinet Room of the White House

“Betty Bloomer Ford’s vivid performance as our most candid first lady has made her memorable,” observes first daughter Margaret Truman.[1] Although much scholarship centers on Ford’s advocacy for breast cancer awareness and substance abuse, comparatively little has probed the influence of her early years as a professional dancer. Before her White House tenure, Ford trained rigorously in modern dance—a discipline that deeply informed her lifelong commitment to authenticity and empathy.
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Upcoming Events view all events

 November 2026 
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Mon
16
2026
November 16, 2026

In Pursuit Barbara Bush Essay Released

Thu
19
2026
November 19 - December 10, 2026

FLARE Online Auction Fundraiser

Thu
19
2026
November 19, 2026

New American FLOTUS Podcast released

First Ladies Birthdays view all events

Wed
4
2026
November 4, 2026

Laura Welch Bush

November 4, 1946

Thu
12
2026
November 12, 2026

Letitia Christian Tyler

November 12, 1790

Sat
14
2026
November 14, 2026

Mamie Geneva Doud Eisenhower

November 14, 1896

Sun
22
2026
November 22, 2026

Abigail Smith Adams

November 22, 1744

* indicates Inaugural Lifetime Individual Member

*Kristin Ahlberg

*Catherine Allgor

Sara W. Armstrong

*Thomas J. Balcerski

*Maurine Beasley

Jacqueline Berger

*Allida Black

*Pamela G. Bourland-Davis

*Mary C. Brennan

*Christopher Brick

*Paulette Brinka

*Mary Balfour Calvert

*Diana B. Carlin

Kathie Cesa

*Stacy Cordery

*Erika N. Cornelius Smith

*Susan Donius

*East Wing Magazine

Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Museum

*Sharon Fawcett

Andra Gillespie

*Lewis L. Gould

James R. Grisham, III 

*Nichola Gutgold

*Laura Gutin

*Myra G. Gutin

*Linda B. Hobgood

*Edwina and Tom Johnson (Atlanta)

*Kay Sebring-Roberts Kuhlmann

Michael LaRosa

*Christopher J. Leahy

*Heath Hardage Lee

Alan Lowe

*Anne F. Mattina

*Anita B. McBride

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*Elizabeth J. Natalle

*Nick Natalle

Andrew Och

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*Rebecca Boggs Roberts

*Katherine A. S. Sibley

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Holley Snaith

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*Larry and Louann Temple

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*Courtney C. Travers

*Tammy R. Vigil

*Molly Wertheimer

 

*Sharon Williams Leahy

 

 

*Jeanne Ryan Wolfson

*Nancy Beck Young

*Kay Zerwick