“Vacation Homes and Pastimes of the First Ladies, Presidents and Their Familes”
Presidents don’t really get vacations. However, they do their best to relax when they can and spend time with their families outside of Washington, DC and the White House. First Ladies are often at the center of these efforts, activities and places. Some First Ladies have even designed and purchased these Summer White Houses and vacation homes.
Andrew Och is the First Ladies Man and he’s been to almost all them. From The Truman Little White House in Key West up through the Hoovers’ Rapidan Camp in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley over to Theodore Roosevelt’s Pine Knot cabin in Keene, VA and all the way out to the Reagans’ Rancho Del Cielo in Santa Barbara, CA and down to the LBJ Ranch in Stonewall, TX, Andrew will take us to these places, explain their origins and tell us how the First Families spent their time there.
All of which is yet another window into the lives of these most influential, unelected and unpaid women…our United States First Ladies…before, during and after the White House.
Andrew Och is an Award Winning television producer who has traveled the world in search of provocative stories and adventures. In 2012, He began an historical journey as he traversed America for over a year documenting the lives of every First Lady of the United States for the C-SPAN series *First Ladies: Influence And Image.* The series aired in 2013 to great acclaim and helped reveal the untold stories behind the ladies of the White House.
In the author’s own words:
My name is Andrew Och, and I am the “THE FIRST LADIES MAN.” Women have been partners in the development and leadership of our country from the very beginning. American First Ladies are some of the most influential, unpaid, and unelected women in the world. They have been paying it forward since before “pay it forward” was a catch phrase. They didn’t do it because they had to or were expected to. They did it because it was the right thing to do. Much of their efforts and many of their accomplishments have gone unrecognized. The sooner we realize that women are an integral part of the success of our country and the modern world, the sooner we can all move forward together as one and create a better world and future for all of us.
My speaking program highlights what I have learned about these women and how their stories relate to all aspects of life in our modern world. It is a positive message about doing right by other people, and joining together as humans to build a better future. There is a strong message about women’s leadership. It is a clear message for both men and women – young and old.
I was a Producer for the C-SPAN series “First Ladies: Influence and Image.” My travels and research have given me the opportunity to learn about every First Lady of the United States from Martha Washington to Dr. Jill Biden. I continue to visit and explore cities, towns, villages, homes, schools, churches, birthplaces, cemeteries, train stations, farms, plantations, libraries, museums, general stores, town centers, and cottages that relate to our American First Ladies. Learning everything I can about these amazing women is a lifelong project for me. As I wrote in Volume 1, many of our Presidents married up. Most of these men would not have made it to the White House without the help, influence, and support of their wives. The amazing stories about this unique sorority of women continue in Volume 2. I have travelled tens of thousands of miles in the footsteps of these First Ladies, and here’s what I’ve learned…ALL of these women have been UNUSUAL FOR THEIR TIME.
Historians, archivists, educators and enthusiasts agree – my books, research and FIRST LADIES MAN project put me in a small group of people. In fact, no one has completed the journey I have, seen what I’ve seen and learned what I have learned. Together with C-SPAN and the White House Historical Association, I have assembled one of the largest archives of interviews, information, material and footage regarding these women that exists in the world.
Come hear the author talk about his books and the First Ladies & First Families at play – as he brings these stories to life and buy a signed copy after the presentation!
Thursday, February 25, 2027
On the beautiful lawn of the Truman Little White House, 111 Front St, Key West, FL
Gates open at 5:30pm
Presentation begins at 6:00pm. Book signing after the event.
All seating is general admission.
Tickets: Members $20 Non-Members $35
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The Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 that serves to preserve the Harry S. Truman Little White House, Florida’s only presidential museum, and programming that supports civic engagement, education and the historical and cultural influences of the Truman era. EIN# 75-2979668.
