Of Big Skies and White Houses
Who: Lynne Cheney—author, former chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and wife of Vice President Dick Cheney
What: Blue Skies and No Fences: A Memoir of Childhood and Family
Why: “When I began writing my memoir of childhood in Wyoming, I realized how much both my husband and I owe to our forebears who made the journey west, often despite pretty awful circumstances. One of my Mormon foremothers, who came from Wales in 1849, lost husband and child on the way. Others whom we count among our ancestors arrived in America earlier: tough-minded Puritans, hard-working Germans, Scots-Irish tenant farmers who immigrated in clans. Their families made the westward journey over generations, persisting through war, natural disaster, and financial calamity, convinced that a better life lay ahead. These men and women made it possible for us to grow up under the great blue skies of the West and left a legacy of hope and optimism that we were fortunate to grow up with.
“Understanding the past is so important for perspective on today, and I can’t think of a better way to make the events of history meaningful than to learn how our ancestors experienced them. When I began to think about stories to include in Blue Skies, No Fences, I had boxes of documents and genealogical charts from relatives to explore, as well as amazing scrapbooks and photo albums. So far I’ve concentrated on the American story, but I’d love someday to go back further, go to Wales, perhaps, and see my great-great-grandmother’s home.”
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