forced to research...

... Eleanor Roosevelt. As a result of badgering a friend for several years to propose me as a potential member in an organization that I thought was going to be a book club. You know - where reading material is assigned, and everyone convenes at a coffee shop or conference room in the library to discuss. I ashamedly confess my research was limited exclusively to wikipedia. But it was very informative: so much stuff I had a hard time paring down to be able to squeeze it all in under fifteen  minutes.

As it turned out it is not a 'book club' per se, but called the Student's Club. I think it has been around nearly one hundred years, so you can picture in your head what the group looked like when they attended meetings in their Sunday-best frocks, with veiled hats and white gloves tidily arranged. Looking perfectly groomed as they minced about being appropriately delicate and feminine. Drinking their tea in the tiny demitasse cups of finest china with pinkie fingers delicately held aloft, while they partake of cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, sans bread crust. Primly perched on the leading edge of the chair, with ankles carefully crossed, and saucer on a knee.

One person does the work each month, and gives a report on the assigned topic to the assembled group. Why they gave me such a topic I will never know. But once I got started was fascinated by this remarkable First Lady. Eleanor was so busy and involved during her life, the synopsis I found online was forty pages long, probably the abridged version  that! I am glad I was forced to read about her - she was the gold standard for White House spouses. No one since has been  nearly as stalwart, vocal, capable, well-versed, interested and interesting.

I told the assembled group when I finished my talk, after we spent a few minutes sharing info, discussing what a remarkable ahead-of-her-time person she was, that I felt so well informed I was available for giving my talk to other groups. Wondering if I should sign up for the local speakers bureau, but my scope is so narrow, limited to one amazing individual, it would not take long for that potential career to come to a screeching halt, as I would soon exhaust my audience, crash and burn.

I am well prepared to attend the trivia contest if there are going to be lots of questions about Eleanor.