The White House Easter Egg Roll is a much beloved tradition in Washington, D.C. Each year hundreds of happy families come to the White House South Lawn in order to participate in the Egg Roll Race. The President and his family along with White House staff work hard to make Easter Monday memorable and a wonderful occasion as they amiably open the South Lawn to the public.
When President and Mrs. Richard M. Nixon took residence at the White House in 1969, the wear and tear of thousands of earlier visitors and guests necessitated improvements. From the beginning Mrs. Nixon was keenly aware of the need to support a program for the acquisition of artwork and objects for the collection and played a major role in fulfilling this need.
Acquisitions to the White House Collection during the Nixon administration were substantial bringing more than 600 pieces of art, furniture, chandeliers, notable examples of china services from past administrations, and carpets among other things to the White House. Mrs. Nixon considered the iconic portrait of Dolley Madison painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1804 to be the most important acquisition (loaned from the Pennsylvania Academy of Art in 1970 and acquired by the White House through the gift of Walter H. and Phyllis J. Shorenstein Foundation, 1994).
In 1970, First Lady Patricia Nixon and the Committee for the Preservation of the White House began a program to furnish the Red, Green, and Blue Rooms in high quality American decorative arts from the early 19th century. Major examples by cabinetmakers Duncan Phyfe and Charles-Honore Lannuier were acquired for the Green and Red Rooms.
Since Mrs. Kennedy began efforts to restore the historic integrity to the public rooms of the White House in 1961, every First Lady has taken an active interest in and supported the work of the White House Historical Association.
Join us as we enter our second half century of sharing the rich history of the White House with the people of America and begin to open new and exciting avenues of research, lecture and educational programs with the opening of the David M. Rubenstein Center for White House History at Decatur House in 2013.
View the audio slideshow message from White House Historical Association President Neil Horstman:
The David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History at Decatur House.
The White House Historical Association announced a gift of $10 million from philanthropist and former White House aide David M. Rubenstein to establish an education and research institute for White House history.
The David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History will feature an innovative and digital and online resource center, interactive and immersive new educational experiences, and new programs to engage the community. Expected to be fully operational in 2013, the Center will be located at Decatur House, a National Trust site owned by the National Trust and operated by the White House Historical Association. Read more
In the fall of 1976 “Keep Betty’s husband in the White House” campaign buttons erupted all over the country—a tribute to a woman unknown to most Americans only three years earlier—and to her grace, candor and lack of pretension.
It was my good fortune to have been chosen by Mrs. Ford to serve as her White House social secretary. America’s Bicentennial in 1976 would soon be upon us—a time of numerous state visits when leaders came from around the world to honor our country. It also happened to be a presidential election year. The importance of the social side of the White House in accomplishing the goals of an administration was well known to both President and Mrs. Ford and fortunately entertaining was something the first lady relished.
It was also a time of great change for women in this country and Betty Ford was instrumental in getting women involved in White House policy and campaigning for the Equal Rights Amendment. She relished that, too. She was a caring boss who worked without a chief of staff giving generously of herself and her time to the individual needs of people who worked for her. When I commented that there seemed to be a reversal of roles, Mrs. Ford laughed and said, “Not to worry—I think you have the best job in the White House—I would be happy to swap.” Long before there was a Betty Ford Center she was looking after and helping people—a precursor of what was to come. We will miss this very special lady greatly.
Maria Downs is the Public Relations Director for the White House Historical Association.
