I really could, like, walk into a Grocery Store and probably i really could like walk into a Grocery Store and probably finde five in a single like outing to walmart, so is very rich with students who had lived that experience and from various perspectives. At i reall the thing i realize when i i started interviewing was that there are so made different perspective there can ever thought about what life might look like for a kid who was five when the schools closed, so when i met those students i thought i should passed a wider net. It was amazing to meet someone that was not able to start their education until they were 10 years old and was pushed throug school in seven years and frustrated many teachers. That was a totally different experience from these kids who quit to school at 13 or 14 through no fault of their own, but because of school closures, so i did my best to cast a wide net and figure out what some of the main themes of the stories were and i have to say that narrowing down the stories and taking a few to focus on was one of the saddest parts of the book because i wanted to include all of the stories. I felt they were all meaningful, so that was like a great joy and Great Sadness in working with the book was having them share these stories that many had not even shared with their own family members. Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it,. [inaudible conversations] heres a look at books being published in this week. Nobel prizewinning Economist Joseph Stiglitz explores the shortcomings of the European Union and its shared currency in the euro. And capital offenses, Duke University law professor investigates the difficulties in prosecuting whitecollar crime. Talk radio host market davis argues against liberal thinking in upside down. Also being released this week, the rest i will kill, in which Historian Brian mcatee recalls William Tillmans fight in 1861, to free his ship from confederate privateer speared Jane Hampton Cook looks at the lead up and aftermath of the war of 1812, in the burning of the white house. And inborn bright, see nicole mason executive director for the center for research and policy and Public Interest recalls how she overcame poverty during her childhood to become a successful writer and scholar. Look for these titles and bookstores this coming week and watch for the authors in the near future on book tv. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] good afternoon. My name is Kendra Leitner and a member of the archives staff at the Franklin D Roosevelt library and museum and on behalf of the library and museum i would like to welcome you to the 2016 roosevelt reading festival. Is the premier Research Institution for that studying of the entire roosevelt area. The Research Room is consistently one of the busiest of all the president ial libraries in this groups of authors reflects a wide variety of Research Done here. If you love the roosevelt reading festival and want to support this and other great programs i encourage you to become a member of the Roosevelt Library and please consider joining us for our 75th anniversary programming later this month. You can learn more about membership and events at ww. Dot fdr library. Org. Let me go over the format for the festival concurrent session pickup at happy hour a session begins with a 30 minute author talks fall of a 10 minute question and answer time. Been on the author will move to the table in the lobby or you can purchase your books and have the author simon. At the top of the next hour the process repeats itself. If you have a question please use the microphone and the author will call on you if you have questions. Now smite pleasure to introduced Marlene Trestman took marlene is author of fair labor lawyer the remarkable life of new deal attorney and Supreme Court advocate Bessie Margolin. Shes now writing the history of new orleans she enforce Consumer Protection laws, covering tobacco, alcohol and twice earned Exceptional Service awards. For her writing she has funny from the National Endowment for the humanities, brandeis institute, American Jewish archives and a literary award from Supreme Court historical society. Please join me in welcoming Marlene Trestman. [applause]. Thank you. Its an honor to be here at the fdr library. It was not even a twinkle in my eye when i was researching here that one day i would be back to speak about the book, so im grateful and honored to be here. Through a life that spanned the 20th century, Bessie Margolin made her mark on the biggest issues of her day. She served on the brilliant legal team that descended the constitutionality of fdrs new deal Tennessee Valley authority. She drafted rules for the nazi war crimes trial and for more than three decades she championed the fair labor standards act, ultimately including the equal pay act. She was also a founder of the National Organization for women known as now. Entrusted with the Labor Department litigation, she presented 24 arguments at the Supreme Court, one of only three women in the 20th century to do so and she prevailed in 21 of them. For 20 years solicitors general assigned those arguments to her and she was the last Labor Department lawyer to receive that distinction. She began her legal career in 1930, when only 2 of americas lawyers for women. She served in the federal government under six president s from fdr to nixon and nine labor secretaries starting with frances perkins. She received every award the Labor Department offered and by 1963 was promoted to associate solicitor, the Labor Departments top nonpolitical legal position. In short, before there was a notorious are bg as a Justice Ginsburg has been effectually called, there was an audacious best c margolin. After retiring in 1972, however, she faded from the public record. Its not hard to understand why she deserves to be rescued from obscurity, but i would like to explain how i came to the task. In the fall of 1974, i was a freshman in baltimore, far from my home in new orleans. My High School Guidance counselor had written margolin, a deceivers alumna and from of 1925, the letter of introduction shown here. Through college, law school and into my legal career, i got to know Bessie Margolin. She was the first female lawyer ever met and we were connected by common childhood experiences. Bessy and i were words of the same southern jewish childrens welfare agency, which educated as at its newman school, a halfcentury par. Bessie margolin personified excellence in the law and in Public Service at a time when women attorneys were discouraged if not outright presented from pursuing opportunities available to men. While protecting the rights of millions of american workers, she also advanced the careers about calais government lawyers and employees, many of whom sought out her prestigious and demanding tutelage. The late simon cellblock who was chief judge of both Maryland Court of appeals and the federal court circus and the former solicitor general offered only to suggestions for lawyers seeking a career in federal appellate practice. They should work in either the office of the solicitor general, naturally, or the office of Bessie Margolin. I would like to share her journey from beneficiary of social justice to its powerful advocate and along the way i will offer just a few examples of the wonderful resources here at the fdr library that enabled me to understand Bessie Margolin journey. These were resources that preserve the needles of her remarkable life amid the archival hair step haystacks of more celebrated individuals. Bessy was born in 1909, in brooklyn new york, the first americanborn daughter of russian jewish immigrants. From there to escape new yorks top and Credit Conditions her family made its way to memphis tennessee. About a year after giving birth to a third child, bessys mother died leaving bessys father alone to care for his three very young children. Apply a check to the attention of a memphis rabbi who petitioned the jewish orphans home in new orleans to accept the children as half orphans. In 1913, the orphanage admitted bessy at age four and her siblings. Proclaimed a magnificent monument to hebrew benevolence, the home, as it was known, that prominently on st. Charles avenue near the stately mansions of new orleans most prosperous citizens. It was both a stunning contrast to the humble origins of its young residence and uninspiring similar to each of them could and many of them did achieve. In the home bessy grew up with more than 150 other orphans orphans from drought the deep south. Its trustees were not content to provide them with mere subsistence. Instead, the home groomed bessy is an allamerican girl to shed honor of the local Jewish Community and reflected the values and culture of her prosperous benefactors. In addition to a religious education in reform judaism, which preached and modeled social justice, the home provided bessy a robust secular education at the Isidore NewmanManual Training School for the cutting edge curriculum emphasized manual skills like Home Economics and work woodworking as well as rigorous academics care. The home built this unique school to educate its wars, but also admitted new orleans children of all religion whose parents paid tuition. Newman quickly became what it remains today, one of the souths finest College Prep Schools and their bessie excelled in every subject. She graduated from newman in 1925, as a 16year old leader who is comfortable in a coed setting competing, succeeding and when you respect decides leading the debate club and girls a Student Council bessie was valedictorian and when the scholarship to attend new come college, Tulane University college for women. Bessie spent two years at new come ranking among the top 10 in her class, but the audacious bessie wanted more. Bessie decided to attend law school, something no other girl from the orphanage have ever done. As tulane law schools only woman at the time, bessie felt isolated and selfconscious, but she and her male classmates soon adjusted to each other. When a professor assigned a case involving an accident in a mans bathroom, no one wanted to recite the backs of the case because they were embarrassed to use the word toilet in mixed company. When one poor fellow finally blurted out the word washroom they all sighed with relief. In june, 1930, at age 21 bessie completed her liberal arts and law studies with honors in only five years. She graduated second in her Law School Class and was editor of the bar review. Tulane law school dean, rufus harris, urged gail Law School DeansCharles Clark to higher bessie or award her a fellowship for graduate studies. Clark found bessie worthy of a job, but refused to consider her for a fellowship because he did not want to encourage her to pursue a career teaching law that to simple he did not exist for a woman. Harris assured to clark that bessie was in his words quote and levelheaded girl who knew some things in this world must be taken as they are, or so he thought. With her fate determined by the two deans, bessie accepted a Research Position with gail law professor Ernest Lorenz and, an expert in comparative law and complex. While in new haven, bessy and press both lorenz and and a wildly popular young faculty member, william o douglas, the future Supreme Court justice. With their help, bessie overcame dean clarks earlier opposition and she became the first woman awarded yale sterling fellowship for graduate study. With her jailed doctorate bessy moved to washington for a new opportunity. She applied for a job at the Tennessee Valley authority, which congress had just created to realize fdrs new deal vision of supplying electricity to the valleys most impoverished residents. Among her letters of recommendation, professor lorenz and wont what apparently convinced them to fire Pirates First woman lawyer or bessie was intent on a legal career as a primary objective from which she would not be deflected by considerations of marriage. Bessie thus began her federal government career with a pledge that she would be married to her job instead of a man. Fearing competition, Public Utility Companies hurled charges of socialism that quickly turned into lawsuits. To defend this new deal cornerstone, tva hired James Lawrence fly, a harvard law graduate and experienced trial lawyer from the justice department. Fly made bessie a key member of tva brilliant legal team. To landmark Supreme Court cases that established the legality of tvas Power Program and later the Tennessee ElectricPower Company overshadowed tvas legal work in those early years and bessie researched, prepared witnesses and materially shaped the brief in both cases. In her another tva work, she negotiated contracts and got courtroom experience in condemnation cases despite fierce resistance for a woman lawyer from local attorneys, judges and even witnesses. Bessie won the respect of her tva colleagues including herbert f marx, pictured in the top left of the group photo who would go on to serve as general counsel to the Atomic Energy commission and whose papers researched here at the library. How did bessie feel about her chosen profession . In 1938, she shared her thoughts and her sorority magazine. Law is still too greatly restricted for women with considerable prejudice against them, she wrote. She offered this nononsense advice a woman attorney must manage to be accepted and treated as another man and it must be willing to take responsibility, criticism and hard work in the same spirit as do the men attorneys. She must aim to become one of the men, without however, becoming masculine or overly aggressive in her approach. Bessie practiced which she preached throughout her career. In march, 1939, bessie joined the Labor Department where another great new deal program awaited enforcement. There, the fairly standards act of 1938 invoked federal commerce powers to prohibit child labor and to guarantee minimum wages in overtime. Bessie was there as every new aspect of the law was tested. Her first week she traveled home to new orleans, where she won a motion to squash a subpoena. By years end she returned to new orleans several more times on flsa manners including a Supreme Court bound lawsuit that challenged the minimum wage for textile workers, then 32 and half cents an hour. The new Orleans Press loved bessies local orphan girl makes good story. One fulllength photo shown here captures bessie in a pose more cheesecake than lawyerly. Why wasnt she married the press wanted to know. The reporter recounted bessies Quick Response this way. I havent had time for love. And then she smiled, but im not immune. Im just uncontaminated. Doctor margolin brushed back a lock of soft black fair, so far she added. Bessys remark merit several notes. First, it was sweet tea like a line from a Katherine Hepburn movie, revealing bessies passion for wordsmith three. Second, she seemed neither defensive nor selfconscious about being single and third, it just wasnt true. Im going to digress to discuss a topic i am often asked about about the personal life that it doesnt fit neatly within the confines of her career history precisely illustrates the challenges she faced as an ambitious professional woman of her time. During law school, bessie was engaged to her classmate, the dashing bob butler. She broke it off it relates 1933, surprising no one who knew her except perhaps poor bob. Little did bob realize that his dream of marrying bessie was it doomed from the start. When he gave her a book inscribed, to my sweetheart bess, she inscribed the margins and blank pages of the very same book as you can see here with extensive passages from the genie awards recent feminist essay, a room of ones own extolling the importance of women having faith, literally be figuratively. Then, there was larry fly, bessys tva boss who is married with two children. There a fair was a secret. Thats what colleag