First Ladies, the ERA and Beyond

While the ERA did not pass, three first ladies—Pat Nixon, Betty Ford, and Rosalynn Carter all supported the amendment. These women also supported other women’s issues as did several of their successors. This program explores some of the little-known efforts of first ladies to move women’s rights forward.

Moderated by Dole Institute Director Audrey Coleman, featuring Myra Gutin and Bob Bostock.

Myra G. Gutin is Professor Emerita of Communication at Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ. For the past 40 years, her research has focused on American first ladies. She is the author of The President’s Partner: The First Lady in the Twentieth Century and Barbara Bush: Presidential Matriarch. She has authored book chapters, articles, and op. eds. about first ladies and is currently at work on a biography of Betty Ford. A frequent media commentator, she is the president of FLARE, the First Ladies Association for Research and Education.

Bob Bostock is a consultant to the Richard Nixon Presidential Library Foundation. He has curated and authored numerous special exhibits for the Nixon Library, including the Pat Nixon Centennial Exhibit: People Were Her Project. He has also written about Mrs. Nixon’s tenure as First Lady for the White House Historical Association.

The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics is dedicated to promoting political and civic participation as well as civil discourse in a bipartisan, philosophically balanced manner. It is located on KU’s West Campus and houses the Dole Archive and Special Collections. Through its robust public programming, congressional archive, and museum, the Dole Institute strives to celebrate public service and the legacies of US Senators Bob Dole and Elizabeth Dole.

The First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE) was founded on June 21, 2021, through a collaboration with American University’s School of Public Affairs and its First Ladies Institute. Its mission to create and sustain a network of promote and publicize research and education relevant to the contributions, lives, impacts, and lasting legacies of U.S. first ladies.

A booksale and signing will follow the program.

This program is presented in partnership with FLARE and KU’s Honors program.