ETV Holds (First) Ladies’ Night on “The Big Picture”

South Carolina ETV

High resolution images are below

Pressroom

South Carolina ETV

Stay Connected

ETV Holds (First) Ladies' Night on "The Big Picture"

Thursday, Mar. 26 at 7:30 p.m.

For Immediate Release
March 16, 2009

Columbia, SC… In March 2007, a gathering of former governors converged on ETV for a historic get-together that launched ETV's news and public affairs program, "The Big Picture." Sure, the program provided a great deal of insight about the men who helmed the Palmetto State through good times and bad in the late 20th century.

But who isn't familiar with the old adage, "Behind every good man is a great woman"?

To celebrate its second anniversary, "The Big Picture" is once again making history, this time by bringing together five former first ladies who provide a decidedly different perspective of life inside the walls of the Governor's mansion. The program will debut on Thursday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m.

Joining host Mark Quinn are:

Lois Rhame West, wife of the late Gov. John West
Anne Edwards, wife of Gov. Jim Edwards
Iris Campbell, wife of the late Gov. Carroll Campbell
Mary Wood Beasley, wife of Gov. David Beasley
Rachel Hodges, wife of Gov. Jim Hodges

This special episode of "The Big Picture" was taped at the Caldwell-Boylston House at the Governor's Mansion complex on March 12. For some of the women, it was their first time back in years. But for all of them, memories of entertaining at dinner parties, of presidential visits, and of children learning to ride their bicycles on the sprawling lawn and paths flooded back.

Find out who:

Asked a visiting president to sit in multiple chairs to keep the children from fighting over who got to sit in the seat in which the president sat
Asked the head butler to lie in a guest bed so she could make sure it was long enough for another visiting president
Found out she was the target of a death threat

The cameras rolled for over 40 minutes as the women reminisced on everything from how they kept a sense of normalcy for their children to how they handled public criticism of their husbands. While the broadcast version will only be 30-minutes, viewers can watch the additional clips by going to www.myetv.org/thebigpicture following the March 26 broadcast.

Sidebar:
How well do you know your first ladies? Guess which governor's wife:

Said there were bats in the mansion during her husband's administration
Said that the South Carolina press was "much kinder" than the Washington press
Was her husband's chauffeur because she said she was a better driver
Said that her children were excited to leave the mansion until they found out she would again be doing the cooking
Said she was brought kicking and screaming into the governor's mansion, but was brought out the same way
Said her husband usually had to calm her down when he was criticized in the press
Revealed that she cried when she had to leave the mansion
Said she had her bags packed long before it was time to leave the mansion
Started shopping in Atlanta with her child, because the child didn't like it when people stopped her in Columbia stores to talk
Said one of her favorite things about being first lady was no longer having to go to the grocery store

Key:
1. Campbell 2. Edwards 3. West 4. Beasley 5. Edwards 6. Hodges 7. Beasley 8. Campbell 9. West 10. Hodges

South Carolina ETV is the state's public educational broadcasting network with 11 television and eight radio transmitters, and a multi-media educational system in more than 2,500 schools, colleges, businesses and government agencies. Using television, radio and the web, SCETV's mission is to enrich lives by educating children, informing and connecting citizens, celebrating our culture and environment and instilling the joy of learning.

###

For more information, contact Rob Schaller at (803) 737-6556 or rschaller@scetv.org.

Photos may be downloaded for the sole purpose of publicizing this program. To download an image, click on the picture below. A new Web page will open containing the hi-res version. Right click on the hi-res image, and select "Save As" or "Save Picture As."

The former First Ladies of South Carolina helped The Big Picture celebrate its second anniversary in style. Front row (l to r) Anne Edwards, Lois Rhame West. Back row (l to r): Rachel Hodges, Mary Wood Beasley, Iris Campbell and host Mark Quinn. Photo Credit: Allen Sharpe/ETV