Hoover Presidential Foundation

Third Thursday - A Few of my Favorite Things
2022-01-20 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Webinar Style Program
Jan. 20, 2021
6 to 7 p.m. Zoom Webinar
Speaker: Matthew Schaefer

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!
Advance registration is required. Sign up for FREE here.

Third Thursday - A Successful Humanitarian Story Hidden in Belgian War Lace of 1914-1918
2022-02-17 18:00 - 19:00
Feb. 17, 2022
6 to 7 p.m. Zoom Webinar
Speaker: Evelyn McMillan

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.
Advance registration is required. Sign up for FREE here.

Third Thursday - This land is your land; the history of America's National Parks
2022-03-17 18:00 - 19:00
March 17, 2022
6 to 7 p.m. Zoom Webinar
Speaker: Jenny Davis

Today’s National Park system consists of 423 different sites, covers more than 85 million acres, and welcomes more than 300 million annual visitors. At their best, the National Parks shine as an innovative example for the world, uniquely American, and grounded in democratic ideals. But the 158-year evolution of the National Parks is a story about the successes and failures of a country that has taken some time to develop a deeper sense of pride and obligation for these special places.
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 served in a “seasonal” capacity at six different park sites before becoming a year-round “permanent” ranger for the National Mall and Memorial Parks in 2019. She joined the staff at the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in September 2021. But long before she started a career with the NPS, Jenny was a supporter and fan, spending many family vacations visiting some of the country’s greatest national treasures.
Advance registration is required. Sign up for FREE here.

Third Thursday EXTRA - A Prairie Village: Herbert Hoover's West Branch 1874 to 1885
2022-04-05 18:00 - 19:00
April 5, 2022
6 to 7 p.m. Zoom Webinar
Speaker: Peter Hoehnle

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.
About the Speaker:
Park Ranger Peter Hoehnle is a National Park Service park guide at the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site and holds a doctorate in history. He enjoys doing historical research and has been widely published on American communal societies, including volumes on Amana and the Shakers. He has served as President of the Communal Studies Association, and is a past editor of the journal Communal Societies.
Advance registration is required. Sign up for FREE here.

Third Thursday - Hoover: A 50-Year Humanitarian Odyssey
2022-04-21 18:00 - 19:00
April 21, 2022
6 to 7 p.m. Zoom Webinar
Speaker: Branden Little

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.
Advance registration is required. Sign up for FREE here.

Third Thursday - Lou Henry Hoover's White House Years 2
2022-05-19 18:00 - 19:00
May 19, 2022
6 to 7 p.m. Zoom Webinar
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. The onset of what we now call the Great Depression challenged Lou’s plans, but she saw new opportunities for serving the nation and remained undaunted.
Lou continued to blaze a trail of achievements that have often been forgotten. She 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.
Advance registration is required for this FREE virtual event and is AVAILABLE HERE.
About the Speaker- Annette Dunlap:
Annette Dunlap has been a North Carolina-based freelance writer for over 30 years. She has written for a variety of publications, including op-eds for the Fayetteville Observer, the Charlotte Observer and The Pilot, in Moore County. She was a freelance reporter for the Asheboro Courier-Tribune, and has been a contributor to inspirational magazines, business publications, and White House History. Annette is the author of Frank: The Story of Frances Folsom Cleveland, America’s Youngest First Lady; The Gambler’s Daughter; and Charles Gates Dawes: A Life. Her biography of Lou Henry Hoover, A Woman of Adventure: The Life and Times of First Lady Lou Henry Hoover, will be released by the University of Nebraska Press on June 1.
Annette has appeared on C-SPAN’s first ladies’ series to discuss Frances Cleveland and Lou Henry Hoover, and was a panelist at the Harding Symposium’s “Modern First Ladies” program in 2015. Her research on Frances Folsom Cleveland inspired the development of the program, “First Ladies and the Politics of Fashion,” which has been broadcast on C-SPAN.
Annette holds a B.A. from the University of Arizona and an M.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis. She and her husband of 41 years live in North Carolina. They have four children and six grandchildren. She enjoys sewing, knitting, embroidery, and travel.

Third Thursday - Lou Henry Hoover: The Foundation of Girl Scouting
2022-06-16 18:00 - 19:00
June 16, 2022
6 to 7 p.m. Zoom Webinar
This program will highlight the role Lou Henry Hoover played in the early stages of the Girls Scouts and it continuing mission.
Advance registration is required for this FREE virtual event and is AVAILABLE HERE.
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.

Third Thursday - A Behind the Scenes Look at the Hoover Library Renovation
2022-07-21 18:00 - 19:00
July 21, 2022
6 to 7 p.m. Zoom Webinar
Hoover Presidential Foundation president & CEO Jerry Fleagle and Matt Solari, VP & creative director for BRC Imagination Arts, a premiere builder of exhibit spaces, look at the possibilities that lie ahead for the new exhibit renovation.
Advance registration is required for this FREE virtual event and is AVAILABLE HERE.
About the Speaker: AMatt Solari is the vice president and creative director for BRC Imaginatins Arts of Burbank, California. For 40 years, BRC has stood on the front lines, helping their clients build more meaningful, enduring relationships with audiences around the globe. Their unique body of work has earned over 400 awards for some of the most respected and acclaimed brand and cultural destinations in the world.

Third Thursday - Unraveling Yarns About the First Ladies
2022-08-18 18:00 - 19:00
Aug. 18, 2022
6 to 7 p.m. Zoom Webinar
Lou Henry Hoover and 17 other first ladies who, at one point in their lives knitted, crocheted, embroidered, quilted, cross-stitched, or sewed, are the focus of a new book, “Ladies, First: Common Threads,” by Debra Scala Giokas.
Debra will discuss the research and stories that went into that work.
Register for free HERE.
About the Speaker: Debra Scala Giokas is a professional member of the Crochet Guild of America. She earned her B.A. in English from Stony Brook University and began a career in marketing communications where she writes every day. She has been working in that field ever since.
Debra enjoys learning and writing about women in American History. She taught a marketing course at a local college as an Adjunct Assistant Professor for 6 years, and still mentors students at her alma mater.
Originally from Astoria, Queens, New York, Debra lives on Long Island with her husband George and their dog, Zoe Ana, a Maltese.

Third Thursday - The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
2022-09-15 18:00 - 19:00
Sept. 15, 2022
6 to 7 p.m. Zoom Webinar
How the Hard Winter of 1880-81 Became The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
This illustrated talk begins with an overview of the Hard Winter of 1880-81 as found in the newspaper record, followed by an exploration of some of Wilder’s struggles to convert her family’s experiences into her nearly perfect novel, “The Long Winter.”
About the Speaker: Cindy Wilson is passionate about history and enchanted by the prairie landscape. Her award-winning book, “The Beautiful Snow: The Ingalls Family, the Railroads, and the Hard Winter of 1880-81” can be purchased through her website TheBeautifulSnow.com or at various online and museum retailers.

Third Thursday - A Hoover Homecoming Photo Album, Aug. 1928
2022-10-20 18:00 - 19:00
October 20, 2022
6 to 7 p.m. Zoom Webinar
“A Hoover Homecoming Photo Album, August 1928.”

This presentation highlights the “homecoming” visit that Mr. and Mrs. Hoover and their two sons made to Iowa during the summer of 1928 after his nomination as the Republican nominee for the presidency. Although there was no official album, Juhl has arranged these seldom seen photographs to represent what could have been a family album.
About the Speaker: Paul Juhl, of Iowa City, has been writing about Iowa history for the past twenty years. Originally from Webster City, Juhl holds degrees from the University of Iowa in history, and the University of Northern Iowa in College Student Personnel Services. He is also an expert on photography in the late nineteenth century and often includes many images from all times periods in his books.
Prior to retirement, Juhl served several Iowa high schools, and also a school in Switzerland, as the school counselor and teacher.
The topics for his spiral bound books are diverse and include Grant Wood, Pulitzer Prize recipient, MacKinlay Kantor, Herbert Hoover and Abraham Lincoln’s grandchildren.

Third Thursday - Herbert Hoover and Christmas
2022-11-17 18:00 - 19:00
Nov. 17, 2022
6 to 7 p.m. Zoom Webinar
“Herbert Hoover and Christmas.”

Christmas was very important to Herbert Hoover, and he celebrated the holiday many ways during his long life. Join us for a ranger talk about Hoover and Christmas, from the simple holiday celebrations of his Quaker youth to his globetrotting years as a mining engineer in many lands, to his years in the White House and a memorable Christmas Eve fire in 1929. In the last 20 years of his life, Hoover celebrated Christmas with elaborate decorations, gatherings, and gift giving from his suite in the Waldorf Towers. Based on the recollections of family and friends, and Hoover’s own writings, this talk will open a window into the private life of a president and his family, as they celebrated a favorite holiday.
About the Speaker: Park Ranger Peter Hoehnle is a National Park Service guide at the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site and holds a doctorate in history. He enjoys doing historical research and has been widely published on American communal societies, including volumes on Amana and the Shakers.

Third Thursday - Spotlight on the Famous Flour Sacks 2
2022-12-15 12:00 - 13:00
Dec. 15, 2022
Noon to 1 p.m. LIVE
6 to 7 p.m. Replay
“Spotlight on the Famous Flour Sacks”

Please note the new program time. As this program will include a live presentation from The Netherlands, we’ve adjusted the program to Noon, Central Time. We will replay the recorded program at 6 p.m. that evening for our regular evening audience.
Use the same registration link for either presentation.
The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum’s entire collection of decorated Belgian Relief flour sacks from World War I was subjected to a close examination in June 2022. Annelien van Kempen, visiting researcher from The Netherlands, and Marcus Eckhardt, Hoover Presidential Museum curator, studied every detail and counted 360 items in this unique survey of war-time American and Canadian flour sacks, decorated by Belgian schoolgirls, women and artists, mainly in 1915.
They will present what they discovered in their fascinating two-week search in this episode. They share their insights in both the great variety and similarity in sacks, school-projects, flour residues in dresses, patriotic patterns in the embroidery and needlework and delicate lace edges.
They’ll reveal the identity of Belgian schoolgirls who painted and embroidered the sacks. Special attention will be given to paintings of emerging -now famous- Belgian artists and exquisite embroideries, including the “Rooster on the Oak Branch” flour sack from Antwerp that was presented in a manifestation of gratitude to Mr. Herbert Hoover in August 1916. Since June, new WWI decorated flour sacks have come into the museum’s collection, showing there are many more waiting to be discovered!

Third Thursday - Iowa and the Great Depression
2023-01-19 18:00 - 19:00
Jan 19, 2023
6 p.m.

“Iowa and the Great Depression”

Sometimes called “the worst hard time,” the Great Depression touched every American community and citizen. This talk focuses on how Iowans experienced the 1930s. The presentation will discuss the ways that Iowans survived hard times, and how some residents turned to radical action in response to the ordeal.
The role of government programs, such as the Works Progress Administration the Civilian Conservation Corps, Rural Electric Association, and the Agricultural Adjustment Act, in combatting the Depression in Iowa will also be evaluated. Other aspects of Iowa’s cultural life during this period, such as the flowering of the regionalist school of art, will also be highlighted.
About the Speaker: Park Ranger Peter Hoehnle is a National Park Service guide at the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site and holds a doctorate in history. He enjoys doing historical research and has been widely published on American communal societies, including volumes on Amana and the Shakers.

Third Thursday - Lincoln and Hoover
2023-02-16 18:00 - 19:00
Feb. 16, 2023
6 p.m.

“Lincoln and Hoover: Comparisons and Contrasts”

In celebration of both Abraham Lincoln’s birthday and Presidents Day, this talk will examine the lives of Abraham Lincoln and Herbert Hoover highlighting the profound influence that the Sixteenth President had upon the thinking of the Thirty-First President. Both suffered loss in their childhood, were voracious readers, and self-made individuals. Lincoln articulated the political philosophy of Herbert Hoover with the “open field” and “fair chance” in life or more generally known as the “right to rise.”
This philosophy argued that government should not pose barriers for individual achievement. Every American should be allowed to reach the level of attainment that their individual talents and initiative might realize. Lincoln was also a firm believer in party building and the importance of party in achieving viable public policy. He also knew that harnessing public opinion was necessary for the success of any policy initiative. Hoover, having not been elected to public office other than the Presidency, was less adept at the importance of political organization in driving successful public policies. Hoover’s admiration of Lincoln was life-long and expressed itself in some unusual ways.
About the Speaker: Dr. Thomas Schwartz is the director of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum. Prior to coming to the Hoover Presidential Library, Schwartz was director of the Lincoln Library and will share his vast knowledge of both presidents.

Third Thursday - Herbert and Lou Hoover: the Geologists and Miners in the White House
2023-03-16 18:00 - 19:00
March 16, 2023
6 p.m.

“Herbert and Lou Hoover: the Geologists and Miners in the White House”

Herbert and Lou Hoover were prolific mining engineers with a global impact. This program will explore the early lives of the Hoovers that led them to mining, their careers as miners, and an explanation of what made Hoover a remarkable mining engineer. Join us to learn about the National Mining Hall of Fame’s 11th and 60th inductees- Herbert and Lou Hoover.
About the Speaker: Elizabeth Dinschel is the director of the National Mining Hall of Fame in Colorado. She was previously the education archivist at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum and has vast knowledge on both subjects.

Third Thursday - An Audio-Visual Potpourri
2023-04-20 18:00 - 19:00
April 20, 2023
6 p.m.

“An Audio-Visual Potpourri”

“An Audio-Visual Potpourri” will showcase a variety of favorite still images in our collection and share some Hoover home movies, newsreel films, and point out a few unusual items in the Hoover archives.
About the speaker: Lynn Smith is the audio-visual archivist at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum.

Third Thursday - Hoover and Criminal Justice Reform
2023-05-18 18:00 - 19:00
May 18, 2023
6 p.m.

“Hoover and Criminal Justice Reform” Professor James Calder, University of Texas at Austin, presents “Hoover and Criminal Justice Reform”
About the Speaker: Dr. Calder has been a faculty member at UTSA since 1979, teaching and publishing first as a member of the Department of Criminal Justice until 2006, then to present in the Department of Political Science and Geography.
In recent years, his teaching in Political Science has included topics in global affairs, homeland security, the intelligence community and world affairs, federal justice policymaking, and politics in film. His articles and books have focused mainly on security matters, political leaders, and crime control policies, including studies of American presidents and their roles in directing federal actions against organized crime.

Third Thursday - Lou Henry Hoover's White House Years
2023-06-15 18:00 - 19:00
June 15, 2023
6 to 7 p.m. Zoom Webinar
This is the first of a 3-month ‘Encore Presentation’ series of 3rd Thursday programs. This program originally aired in May of 2022.
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. The onset of what we now call the Great Depression challenged Lou’s plans, but she saw new opportunities for serving the nation and remained undaunted.
Lou continued to blaze a trail of achievements that have often been forgotten. She 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 a recently released biography of Lou Henry Hoover, will share stories from Lou’s White House years in a Third Thursday presentation on June 15, 2023.
Advance registration is required for this FREE virtual event.
About the Speaker- Annette Dunlap:
Annette Dunlap has been a North Carolina-based freelance writer for over 30 years. She has written for a variety of publications, including op-eds for the Fayetteville Observer, the Charlotte Observer and The Pilot, in Moore County. She was a freelance reporter for the Asheboro Courier-Tribune, and has been a contributor to inspirational magazines, business publications, and White House History. Annette is the author of Frank: The Story of Frances Folsom Cleveland, America’s Youngest First Lady; The Gambler’s Daughter; and Charles Gates Dawes: A Life. Her biography of Lou Henry Hoover, A Woman of Adventure: The Life and Times of First Lady Lou Henry Hoover, was released by the University of Nebraska Press on June 1 last year.
Annette has appeared on C-SPAN’s first ladies’ series to discuss Frances Cleveland and Lou Henry Hoover, and was a panelist at the Harding Symposium’s “Modern First Ladies” program in 2015. Her research on Frances Folsom Cleveland inspired the development of the program, “First Ladies and the Politics of Fashion,” which has been broadcast on C-SPAN.
Annette holds a B.A. from the University of Arizona and an M.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis. She and her husband of 41 years live in North Carolina. They have four children and six grandchildren. She enjoys sewing, knitting, embroidery, and travel.

Third Thursday - The Lafayette Escadrille
2023-07-20 18:00 - 19:00
July 20, 2023
6 to 7 p.m. Zoom Webinar
Speaker: Darroch Greer

This month, our summer ‘Best Of’ series continues with a popular episode from August of 2021, ‘The Lafayette Escadrille,’ with Darroch Greer.
A century ago 38 Americans from every walk of life volunteered to fly in the First World War. It was their own idea—to fight in the skies to aid our oldest ally, France, long before the United States entered the war. They were willing to pay the ultimate price. They helped move their reluctant nation to ultimately join the Allies and enter the fight. They were the Lafayette Escadrille. We’ll hear from the film’s director, Darroch Greer along with Paul Glenshaw.
Please watch this 20-minute version of ‘The Lafayette Escadrille’ in preparation for the Third Thursday program. WATCH THE PREVIEW
Our presenters also invite you to join them in a toast to the escadrille pilots as they prepare a ‘Lafayette Cocktail’ (half champagne/half cognac) at the open of their program.
Advance registration is required for this FREE virtual event.
About the Speaker: Darroch Greer is a documentary filmmaker and historical researcher. He’s written and produced documentaries on the Civil War, Native America, and popular culture for Discovery, the History Channel, PBS and VH1.

Third Thursday - Spotlight on the Famous Flour Sacks
2023-08-17 18:00 - 19:00
August 17, 2023
6 to 7 p.m.

“Spotlight on the Famous Flour Sacks”

This is the 3rd of 3 summertime ‘Best Of ‘ programs. It originally aired in December of 2022 and had one of the highest registrations of all 3rd Thursday programs.
The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum’s entire collection of decorated Belgian Relief flour sacks from World War I was subjected to a close examination in June 2022. Annelien van Kempen, visiting researcher from The Netherlands, and Marcus Eckhardt, Hoover Presidential Museum curator, studied every detail and counted 360 items in this unique survey of war-time American and Canadian flour sacks, decorated by Belgian schoolgirls, women and artists, mainly in 1915.
They will present what they discovered in their fascinating two-week search in this episode. They share their insights in both the great variety and similarity in sacks, school-projects, flour residues in dresses, patriotic patterns in the embroidery and needlework and delicate lace edges.
They’ll reveal the identity of Belgian schoolgirls who painted and embroidered the sacks. Special attention will be given to paintings of emerging -now famous- Belgian artists and exquisite embroideries, including the “Rooster on the Oak Branch” flour sack from Antwerp that was presented in a manifestation of gratitude to Mr. Herbert Hoover in August 1916. Since June, new WWI decorated flour sacks have come into the museum’s collection, showing there are many more waiting to be discovered!

Third Thursday - From Belgian Babies to UNICEF...
2023-09-21 18:00 - 19:00
Sept. 21, 2023
6 to 7 p.m.

From Belgian Babies to UNICEF: The First World War, Children, and the Right to Food
The Belgian feeding programs developed under Herbert Hoover’s leadership during World War I made an indelible impression not only in postwar Belgium, but in the United States and in international aid organizations in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The Commission for Relief in Belgium and its successor programs created an argument both for the right to food and for the importance of children’s health and welfare that has persevered. This short talk will examine the innovations of the CRB and its impact even in our contemporary world.

Register HERE for this free program!
About the Speaker: Tammy M. Proctor is Distinguished Professor of History at Utah State University. Proctor earned her PhD in history from Rutgers University in 1995 and is a specialist in modern European and gender history with a special emphasis on the history of youth, gender, and conflict. Best known for her books, Female Intelligence: Women and Espionage in the First World War (2003) and Civilians in a World at War, 1914-1918 (2010), she is also an expert in the history of international Girl Scouting as well as Boy Scout and Girl Guide history in Britain. More recently, she has published World War I: A Short History (2017) as well as Gender and the Great War (with Susan Grayzel) and An English Governess in the Great War: The Secret Brussels Diary of Mary Thorp (with Sophie de Schaepdriver). Her book, Saving Europe, on the history of US relief in Europe during and after the First World War is forthcoming in 2024 from Oxford University Press.
