Hoover Headlines

This program highlights the role Lou Henry Hoover played in the early stages of the Girls Scouts and it continuing mission. 

About the Speaker: Ann Robertson is the volunteer historian for the Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital and founder of the Girl Scout History Project blog and digital museum. She earned a PhD in political science from George Washington University and edited the journal 'Problems of Post-Communism' for nearly two decades. She is a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts and earned the Gold Award and the Thanks Badge.

When Lou Henry Hoover moved into the White House on March 4, 1929, she looked forward to using her influence to strengthen the areas that were near and dear to her heart: women’s opportunities; the arts; and private philanthropy. Lou was the first president’s wife to address the nation by radio. She continued the work of updating the White House to accurately reflect its history and documented that work. Lou’s private philanthropy led to the building of a school for children in a remote area of rural Virginia, and she sought out and supported local artisans for a number of special projects. Annette Dunlap, author of the soon-to-be-released biography of Lou Henry Hoover, will share stories from Lou’s White House years in a Third Thursday presentation on May 19, 2022.

Herbert Hoover's last 50 years was spent largely on humanitarian efforts. This program will detail the programs and people Hoover set up to feed millions.
About the Speaker: Branden Little is a professor of history at Weber State University in Utah. And he has recently finished a big biography of Herbert Hoover and his humanitarian deputies that traces their influential roles in shaping American foreign policy in the twentieth century and beyond. 

Herbert Hoover spent the first decade of his long and eventful life in the prairie village of West Branch, Iowa, a market, and railroad town that was just coming into its own during the years of his boyhood. Join us for a presentation about Hoover’s hometown filled with historic images of the people and places that Hoover knew. The presentation will place West Branch into the larger context of midwestern communities in the late 19th century and will touch on the social and economic life of West Branch during Hoover’s childhood.

Presented by NPS Park Ranger Peter Hoehnle 

Today’s National Park system consists of 423 different sites, covers more than 85 million acres, and welcomes more than 300 million annual visitors. Join us as we take a look at some of the most significant milestones in the history of the National Park Service, and how a handful of individuals (including Herbert Hoover) have impacted the development of what many consider to be “America’s Best Idea.” 
About the Speaker: Park Ranger Jenny Cripe Davis has worked for the National Park Service since 2016. She joined the staff at the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in September 2021. 

This program will discuss how the Brussels Lace Committee, the Hoovers, and the two major relief organizations came together to support the lacemakers of Belgium during WWI. 

About the Speaker: Evelyn McMillan’s lifelong interest in the textile arts led to her research and writing about Belgian war lace. She does volunteer work for The Lace Museum of Sunnyvale, California and recently retired from Stanford University.

Hoover Presidential Library archivist Matthew Schaefer shares “A Few of My Favorite Things” he has discovered in his career as a Hoover archivist.
“Some are treasures and others are just fascinating pieces of history most people never knew existed,” Schaefer said. Be sure to join us online for this special ‘behind the scenes’ look at the Hoover archives!

“A Tale of two Famines” explores the role Herbert Hoover played during the Russian famines of 1921 to 23 and 1932 to 33 from the perspective of the speaker’s grandparents who experienced it and were fed by Hoover. Presented by Robert Zapesochny

Hoover archivist Lynn Smith takes us through Herbert Hoover's funeral and burial in West Branch, 57 years ago, Oct. 25, 1964. Audio and video clips and photos from the day enhance the presentation.

Have you ever found yourself wondering what Laura Ingalls Wilder actually wore during her time on the prairie? If you imagine a parade of calico dresses capped with a pink sunbonnet over braided pigtails cascading down her back, you might want to rethink that. Don’t fret, though – this program is here to help! This illustrated lecture dives into the historic terms of clothing, how Mrs. Wilder used them (correctly or incorrectly) when writing books in the 1930s and 1940s, and some detailed photos of original items. Presented by Laura Keyes.