Episode 60: RICHARD NIXON The Man Who Saved the Union (Part 7 ) Starlight, A Celebration of Patricia Ryan Nixon and the initiative to open doors for women in Government

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Starlight, the Secret Service Codename for First Lady Pat Nixon, was absolutely perfect as a way to describe Mrs. Nixon. She lit up every room that she entered. She was a First Lady who quietly went about accomplishing things in ways often unseen and under appreciated. Yet, despite her reluctance to be in the spotlight the American people still responded to her spirit and to her many contributions to our nation. She was voted one of the most admired women in the World for 22 straight years. That is a record few can match. 

In this episode, we put the First lady front and center and share several retrospectives on her life and contributions put together by the Nixon Foundation and an interview with President Richard Nixon himself on how much he appreciated this extraordinary partner. She rose from humble beginnings, orphaned as a teenager, she helped raise her younger siblings and went on to get her undergraduate, and then Master's degree before starting a career as a public school teacher, all in an era when few women were encouraged to do so. It really is a remarkable story, long before she even met Richard Nixon. But together, these two people from very humble beginnings would transform the World. 

Then we look at the initiative the President began when he took office, very much under the guidance of Mrs. Nixon, to bring women into government service. It is the initiative that brought several women to the forefront including Sandra Day O'Conner who would later go on to be the first woman on the United States Supreme Court under the Reagan Administration.  Listen as Barbara Franklin, the lady Richard Nixon tasked with leading the initiative, discusses the free hand and absolute support President Nixon gave her to do her job. It was yet another example of why Richard Nixon deserves to be considered one of our 5 greatest civil rights Presidents

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