Holly Shulman Named 2025 Gould Award Winner
The First Ladies Association for Research and Education honors historian for pioneering ‘Dolley Madison Digital Edition’ and contributions to the field of American first lady research and education.
In the early days of the internet in the 1990s, there was a buzz in the air and questions among innovators across all fields about what the new technology could do and how it might be used. Swept up in the excitement was historian Holly Shulman, who had published a Ph.D. dissertation, articles and the 1990 book The Voice of America: Propaganda and Democracy 1941-1945 that explore how information moved locally and globally during World War II.
It was her interest in information, the internet and America’s first ladies that later led her to edit a born-digital editorial project, the Dolley Madison Digital Edition launched in 2004. It is a milestone work that is the first-ever complete edition of the former first lady’s known correspondence that is text searchable. On Monday, Shulman, a research historian at the Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia and the preeminent expert on Dolley Madison, was honored for her foundational work along with her distinguished career in promoting research and education on the legacies of America’s first ladies when the First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE) awarded her the 2025 Lewis L. Gould Award.
“FLARE is a wonderful interdisciplinary collaboration between historians, archivists, journalists, media studies professionals, and social scientists. The importance of partnership between fields is a great model for the future. The story of these women—and their continuing impact—is increasingly important to our world,” Shulman said. “I am honored.”
The Dolley Madison Digital Edition was also the first of Rotunda’s authoritative, born-digital documentary editions, the digital imprint of the University of Virginia Press. It contains more than 3,600 letters, which provides a glimpse into the life of the fourth first lady of the United States and the wife of President James Madison. The XML-based archive allows users to perform simple or advanced searches by period, correspondent, or topic. The letters may also be accessed directly through a sortable list or read in chronological order, according to the website. Proper names link to a glossary that identifies over 5,466 people and places, providing a unique biographical view on the elites of the early Republic.
“I am so pleased we are honoring Holly Shulman with the Gould Award,” said Nancy Kegan Smith, president of FLARE and retired director of the Presidential Materials Division, National Archives and Records Administration. “Unlike many digital projects that this archivist has used, Holly ensured that this project is user friendly.”
The Lewis L. Gould Award is named for Lewis L. Gould the author and historian who pioneered the scholarly study of America’s first ladies 40 years ago. He developed the nation’s first course on presidential spouses and has authored more than a dozen books. The annual award presented by FLARE recognizes distinguished contributions to the field of first lady research and education and a commitment to excellence while furthering the study of American first ladies. This is FLARE’s fifth presentation of the award, which was first given in 2021. In 2020, Shulman was also honored with the Lyman H. Butterfield Award from the Association for Documentary Editing.
“Dr. Shulman’s scholarship has made an invaluable contribution to the field of first ladies studies,” said Christopher Leahy, FLARE board member and a history professor at Keuka College. “I have personally benefited from the Dolley Madison digital archive in my own research and in the classroom.”
Assembling the Dolley Madison Digital Edition was, indeed, exciting for Shulman. She recalled initially tagging every document by hand, a labor-intensive task that, with the help of others, was eventually automated.
“It was a beautiful thing to behold,” Shulman said, adding that while the work was groundbreaking, it was built with a paywall at a time when information on the internet was culturally expected to be free and widely accessible. The for-pay system ended up being a barrier for academics in the beginning, Shulman noted.
The other aspect of the Dolley Madison Digital Edition that was important to Shulman was to build a documentary edition around the life of a woman, and in particular, a well-known first lady who had always been seen through the lens of her husband.
“We were determined to publish as much about Dolley’s whole life as was possible, especially through her correspondence,” said Shulman, who is currently working on another book about Dolley Madison that includes findings from the primary sources she catalogued in the Dolley Madison Digital Edition.
Prior to publishing the Dolley Madison Digital Edition, Shulman co-authored The Eleanor Roosevelt Encyclopedia with Maurine Beasley, a traditional book with written essays from scholars. The goal, she said, was to create a single-volume text that outlined the life of Eleanor Roosevelt.
Additionally, Shulman believes that all first ladies are important in their own right, for their letters and for their lives.
“They are a way to understand their husband’s presidency,” Shulman said. “First ladies also tend to have more extant papers than most women, and so they are important to our understanding of women’s history.”
Watch the FLARE 2025 Lewis L.Gould Award ceremony here.
Melania Trump Joins Military Spouses for American Red Cross Holiday Care Package Event
First Lady Melania Trump, in a visit to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Monday, expressed gratitude to military service members and their families for their service to the country during an American Red Cross event that included assembling care packages.
“Every package built here today is built with American values. Each represents liberty, love, community, and honor. Each is delivered with heart and love. The foundation of our great nation,” Mrs. Trump said during her brief remarks in a base hangar before joining military spouses to assemble holiday care packages for deployed service members.
The care-package project was made possible through a collaboration with the American Red Cross, which provides support to service members and their families throughout the year.
Calendar
Dec. 5, 2025
White House Historical Association Holiday Book Festival
The White House Historical Association will hold its annual holiday book festival on Friday, December 5 from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Free and open to the public, the event will feature book signings with authors at the White House Historical Association Carriage House, 1610 H Street N.W., in Washington, D.C.
Artist Peter Waddell will discuss his monumental painting The Indispensable Plan, which depicts the City of Washington as Pierre Charles L’Enfant laid it out in his 1791 plan. Of special interest is Waddell’s vision of how the White House would have looked had it been built at five times its actual size as designed by L’Enfant. The painting is featured in White House History Quarterly #79 “The White House That Wasn’t.”
Author signings include:
Former White House Chief Usher Gary J. Walters – White House Memories, 1970–2007: Recollections of the Longest Serving Chief Usher.
Bill Barker – Becoming Jefferson.
John Hutton – How to Draw the Presidents and First Ladies
John Wrory Ficklin – An Unusual Path: Three Generations from Slavery to the White House.
Pastry Chef Mark Ramsdell —The White House in Gingerbread: Memories & Recipes and Creating the Sweet World of White House Desserts.
Adrian Miller – Asian Heritage Chefs in White House History: Cooking to the President’s Taste and The President’s Kitchen Cabinet, Soul Food, and Black Smoke.
William Allman – Official White House China.
Former White House Curators William Allman, Lydia Tederick, and Melissa Naulin – Furnishing the White House.
Anita McBride and Gigi McBride – First Ladies Make History.
Diana Carlin, Anita McBride, Nancy Kegan Smith – Remember the First Ladies.
Mary Jo Binker – If You Ask Me: Essential Advice from Eleanor Roosevelt and a collection of her articles featured in White House History Quarterly.
Stewart McLaurin – The People’s House Miscellany: A Treasury of White House History, Fun Facts, and Things to Know.
Christi Harlan – Mr. President, The Class is Yours: Jimmy Carter’s Sunday School Lessons in Washington, D.C. and Normal Lives.
Melinda Dart – A Glimpse of Greatness: The Memoir of Irineo Esperancilla,
Bruce M. White – At Home in the President’s Neighborhood: A Photographic Tour.
Christina Ewald – White House History Quarterly #77 “The White House and World War II.”
Jonathan Pliska – A Garden for the President, Kid’s Play and President’s Play.
Rocco Smirne – Rocco Keeps the Beat!
Christy Bowe – History in the Making: A Focus on Five U.S. Presidents.
Heath Hardage Lee — The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady.
Special tables featuring the published work of late White House Curator Betty C. Monkman and the late historian William Seale.
Dec. 11, 2025
Holidays in the White House with Janet Weir Creighton
Celebrate the season with a special holiday edition of Third Thursday on December 11, 2025, featuring Janet Weir Creighton, a seasoned public official and National First Ladies Library & Museum board member. With a rich background spanning local government in Stark County to federal service in Washington, D.C., Creighton brings a unique perspective on leadership and tradition.
Join her for an enchanting presentation on Christmas in the White House—a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the planning, preparation, and magic that bring the holidays alive inside the Executive Mansion. Read more
Dec. 12, 2025
Legacy Lecture: From Grief to Grace
The National First Ladies Library & Museum presents a virtual discussion about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who is often remembered as first lady and a symbol of national grief. But her life after the White House reveals a remarkable story of resilience, reinvention, and influence. Join historian Karen Dunak for this insightful Legacy Lecture that explores Mrs. Onassis’ later years as a twice-widowed woman who forged a successful career in publishing and became a passionate advocate for historic preservation and cultural heritage. Learn how she balanced public scrutiny, family responsibilities, and personal ambition to quietly reclaim her story and legacy. Dunak is Professor and Arthur G. and Eloise Cole Chair of American History at Muskingum University and author of Our Jackie: Public Claims on a Private Life (NYU Press, 2024). This program is entirely virtual. All attendees will receive a recording of the event within 48 hours of the event. Read more