By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current
The Lucille Ball presentation, originally scheduled for July 31 at the Geneseo Public Library, has been rescheduled for 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31.
Leslie Goddard, a gifted, award-winning historian, author, actress and lecturer who has been presenting on topics in American History and women’s history for more than 20 years will be making her debut presentation as Lucille Ball at the library.
The presentation is free and open to the public.
Lucille Desiree Ball was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive, and was recognized by Time as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for her work in all four of these areas.
In the 1950’s, she captured the hearts of television audiences across the nation. Off-screen, she and her real-life husband launched their own television studio and pioneered new technologies. Unbeknownst to her viewers, however, the day-to-day struggles of living your life on TV took a toll on the couple’s marriage.
A former museum director, Leslie Goddard holds a PhD from Northwestern University as well as master’s degrees in museum study and in theater.
She is known nationally for her work in bringing women’s history alive through her portrayal of famous women such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Kennedy, artist Georgia O’Keefe, actress Bette Davis, and Chef Julie Child and others. She also has portrayed Betty Crocker, lectured on the history of the Barbie doll and on the life of airline stewardesses in the 1960’s in her portrayal as “Pan Am Betty.”
Goddard presents more than 400 performances and lectures each year to public libraries, professional associations and colleges/universities. She has served on the board of the Illinois State Historical Society, the Illinois Association of Museums and the Civil War Round Table of Chicago.
She is the author of three books on Chicago history: “Remembering Marshall Field’s,” “Lost Chicago Department Stores,” and “Chicago’s Sweet Candy History
