WOMEN AT THE WELL™ presents Leslie Goddard, Ph.D., an award-winning actress and scholar, who has been portraying famous women and presenting history lectures for more than ten years. She holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University specializing in U.S. history and American Studies, as well as master's degrees in both theater and museum studies. A former museum director, she is the author of two books on Chicago history and currently works full-time as a historical interpreter, author, and public speaker.
Few American houses enjoy as lavish a holiday season as the White House. In this beautifully illustrated talk, historian Leslie Goddard, Ph.D. discusses the traditions that bring Christmas alive inside America’s most famous address. Learn the history of the gingerbread house tradition begun by Pat Nixon, the National Christmas Tree lit by Calvin Coolidge, and the thousands of ornaments created by artists around the country over the years. Did you know Dwight Eisenhower and Jackie Kennedy used their own paintings on Christmas cards? Or that Andrew Jackson once hosted an indoor snowball fight? Take an insider’s view of one of the most historic homes in the world during the most magical time of the year