it was really wonderful to find out that we have a sedalia, missouri, connection. his grandfather was mayor of the town that i grew up in, and i have a feeling that his father actually was a student of my mother at smith cotton high school in sedalia. and i'm going to tell you a little bit about that as i get into my speech on eleanor roosevelt. but i do want to thank dr. cannon, vice president for scholarship and education of the united states capital historical society for asking me to be here today and to say i'm so happy i am a member of this organization and have been for, um, many years. we're so fortunate to have a vital historical organization like the united states capitol historical society help us recognize the importance of our heritage as americans. isn't it studying the past that gives us the strength and vision to press onward into the future? the -- every time i get into the eleanor roosevelt material, and i must say that i and my husband, hank beasley, who has joined me in researching eleanor for many years, have been into roosevelt literature for

i'll just have to tell you this story since we started a little bit about sedalia, my mother had to give up her job as a high school teacher when she married my father. of course, married women couldn't be school teachers in those days. anyway, when she told the superintendent of schools that she was getting married, he said, oh, my! you see what i have left. only those wanted neither by god nor man. [laughter] >> an awful comment, unmarried women teachers but that's the way things were back in that era. well, of course, while eleanor is redoing the role of first lady she's still carrying on these ceremonial activities. this is the white house christmas card, 1933. see, she's sitting properly by franklin's side. but she's making history in other ways. here she is showing an interest in african-americans, and she was really the ambassador of the roosevelt administration, two african-americans who were unbelievably discriminated against. this is a picture, 1936, and she is visiting howard university, and the two students on either side are dressed in reserve officer uniforms. now, this pic