November, 2009 - Louise Henry Hoover - Dallas Texan

Louise Henry Hoover: 1929-1933 - 

Born in Waterloo, Iowa, the daughter of Charles Delano Henry, a banker, and Florence Ida Weed, "Lou" grew up something of a tomboy. Charles Henry took his daughter on camping trips in the hills—her greatest pleasures in her early teens. Lou became a fine horsewoman; she hunted, and preserved specimens with the skill of a taxidermist; she developed an enthusiasm for rocks, minerals, and mining. In 1894 she enrolled at Stanford University as the school's only female geology major. That year she met Herbert Hoover, then a senior. Both Hoover and Lou Henry were aged 24 when they married on February 10, 1899.  Possessed of a natural ear for languages, Mrs. Hoover became quite proficient in Chinese. In the White House, the Hoovers at times conversed in Chinese to foil eavesdroppers. Mrs. Hoover was also well versed in Latin; she collaborated with her husband in translating Agricola's De Re Metallica, a 16th century encyclopedia of mining and metallurgy. The Hoover translation was published in 1912, and is still in print as the standard English translation. During World War I, she assisted her husband in providing relief for Belgian refugees. For her work she was decorated in 1919 by King Albert I of Belgium. While Hoover served in the cabinet of Presidents Harding and Coolidge, she was active as national president of the Girl Scouts of the USA. She funded the construction of the first Girl Scout house in Palo Alto, California. It is called Lou Henry Hoover Girl Scout House. It is the oldest Girl Scout House in continuous use in the country

The Drink:

Dallas Texan Cocktail

1 1/2 oz bourbon 
1/2 oz apricot flavored brandy
1/2 oz grenadine
1/2 oz fresh lime juice 

Drinkability - 4
Drunkability - 4
Taxic Diversity - 2
Accessibility - 3
Priority of Conservation - 4

From First Ladies no host given