The Heart of Stark: 'Leaders in Literacy' exhibit coming to National First Ladies Library
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The National First Ladies Library & Museum is celebrating National First Ladies Day on Saturday by debuting the new "Leaders in Literacy: First Ladies as Teachers, Educators and Librarians" exhibit presented by Huntington Bank.
The year-long exhibit will feature more than a dozen first ladies who have advanced the cause of literacy and education.
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The exhibit will open to the public during regular historic site hours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday in downtown Canton, and a ticketed reception will be held at the museum that evening where attendees will enjoy a private guided tour and hear from guest speaker Patricia Taft, great-granddaughter of first lady Helen “Nellie” Taft, who will speak about her great grandmother’s time as a schoolteacher.
The "Leaders in Literacy" exhibit features numerous personal artifacts from the National First Ladies Library & Museum collection, showcasing the work of our first ladies in the areas of education and literacy.
The exhibit will also include loaned items from the Arthurdale Heritage Museum featuring first lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s efforts to provide a new chance at life and an education for impoverished residents in the West Virginia community and artifacts from the George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush Presidential Museums related to First Ladies Barbara and Laura Bush.
To engage younger audiences, the exhibit will also showcase Reading Reimagined— a replica one-room schoolhouse in the museum’s interactive space for children, as well as launch the Little Leaders reading and activity program for children ages pre-K to fourth grade.
“Literacy was such an important cause to so many of our first ladies,” says Michelle Gullion, director of collections and research for the National First Ladies Library & Museum. “They were inspired to take on the mantle of education and literacy, not only for children, but for the betterment of all Americans. I am delighted that we are able to showcase these amazing women for the next year.”
During the evening reception, the National First Ladies Library & Museum will announce the winner of the Mary Regula Memorial Scholarship, which will be awarded to a deserving Stark County junior or senior in high school who has written a compelling essay telling the story of significant historical events in American history through the eyes of the first ladies.
“We are simply thrilled to present ‘Leaders in Literacy’ to the community and to tourists from across the nation,” said National First Ladies Library & Museum President and CEO Patty Dowd Schmitz. “Our goal is to continue to elevate the stories of the incredible first ladies and to tell the story of American history through the eyes of the women who helped lead our country alongside their presidential husbands. Education and literacy are at the heart of a prospering nation, and our first ladies have always known this fact.”
Visit www.firstladies.org for more information on the exhibit and tickets for the reception.
Stark Community Foundation helps individuals, families, businesses and nonprofits achieve their philanthropic goals. Learn more at www.starkcf.org.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: 'Leaders in Literacy' exhibit debuts at National First Ladies Library
