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Linda Ronstadt met Jerry Brown in 1971. At the time, he was California's Secretary of State, and her career in music had not yet made her famous. By 1975, Ronstadt's album Heart Like a Wheel was climbing the charts. Brown announced his candidacy for President of the United States in March, 1976. His bid for the presidency was unsuccessful, but in November, 1979, he announced he would again seek the Democratic nomination in 1980. Ronstadt performed several benefit concerts for Brown, and the public began referring to her as the First Lady. Brown ended his campaign on April 1, 1980, after falling behind in the nomination process. The pair remained friends, eventually parting ways as their careers took them in different directions.

While the term “Old Lady,” seems derogatory, it was actually a term of endearment for a long-time girlfriend in the 1970s. Describing Ronstadt as “First Old Lady” was an appeal to elect Brown to make the rock superstar the First Lady of the White House.

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During the Vietnam War, university campuses became a hotbed of revolt. “Free Karl” was an anti-war sentiment on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus in 1973, calling for the withdrawal of the life sentence UWM student Karleton Armstrong was facing for the campus bombing of the Army Mathematics Research Center (AMRC). The October 27th rally held at UW-Madison Library Mall was one of many in an attempt to decrease Armstrong’s sentencing.

The AMRC was the only mathematics research center funded by the U.S. Government, receiving millions of dollars a year to assist the war effort. The center also worked on “Project Michigan,” which improved infra-red aerial photography and was later used to track down and kill rebel freedom fighters throughout South America.

Armstrong was a part of “The New Year’s Gang,” and their intention for bombing the AMRC was for no casualties: They bombed the building during their summer recess and called campus police to evacuate the area, which was never carried out. As a result, the demonstration killed Robert Fassnacht, a post-doctoral student who had no connection to the AMRC facility.

This event, called the Sterling Hall bombing, changed the way the anti-war movement existed throughout campuses across America – bringing the anti-war revolts to a tragic end.

Brown B., Sibler, G. 1979. The War at Home. Stadium Media LLC Studio. 

Glines, T. (2006). Review of Resistance or Terrorism? The 1970 Sterling Hall Bombing. The Journal of American History. 93(1), 156–158. https://doi.org/10.2307/4486066 

Karl Armstrong Defense Committee, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Winter Soldier Organization. (1973, October 27). Amnesty For All War Resisters. Madison, WI, USA. https://www.dpvintageposters.com/posters/political-and-protest/protest/amnesty-for-all-war-resisters-free-karl-smash-army-math-original-american-anti-vietman-war-protest-poster_10493 

The Karl Armstrong Defense Committee. (1973). Karl Armstrong and the AMRC: A Review of the Case, A History of Protest. https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/p15932coll8/id/80930 

Blue rim with white text around a black and white portrait photograph of Harold Washington

Harold Washington was the first African-American mayor of Chicago; he held the position from 1983-1987. A Chicagoan from birth, Washington served in the army during World War II, and later moved into a career in politics: first as a Chicago Alderman, then in the Illinois state congress in the 60s and 70s, and then as US Congressman in the 1980s where he fought to defend the Voting Rights Act, the Equal Rights Act, and became known for advocating for issues important to his Black and Latino constituents. He ran for and won election as Chicago mayor in 1983. In 1987 he ordered a design competition for a new central library in downtown Chicago, and though Washington passed away from a sudden heart attack in November 1987, the library was dedicated and named for him in 1991—one of many institutions in the city named for Mayor Washington. Considered a strong orator, the Chicago Public Library created a digital archive of his speeches that can be accessed online. 

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Floyd Fithian was was a congressman who served the state of Indiana in the House of Representatives from 1975 to 1983. A Democrat who won the seat of Republican Earl Landgebe in the highly conservative area of Lafayette Indiana, he was reelected, serving a total of four terms. In addition to working as a congressman, he worked as a Purdue University professor, a farmer, and in politics as chief of staff for Illinois senator Paul Simon. He died June 27, 2003 in a nursing home at the age of 76.

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In 1961 John A. Kurtz received a scholarship to attend the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. After a stint in the Navy and an early career in photography, he turned to painting in 1968 and has continued since. Influences include comics such as George Herriman’s Krazy Kat and Walt Kelly’s Pogo, and Mad Magazine artists Wally Wood, Jack Davis, and Basil Wolverton. His colorful art continues to be displayed in galleries around Chicago.

Dark orange cat with red and yellow features hand-painted in relief

In 1961 John A. Kurtz received a scholarship to attend the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. After a stint in the Navy and an early career in photography, he turned to painting in 1968 and has continued since. Influences include comics such as George Herriman’s Krazy Kat and Walt Kelly’s Pogo, and Mad Magazine artists Wally Wood, Jack Davis, and Basil Wolverton. His colorful art continues to be displayed in galleries around Chicago.

Purple cat with red and yellow features hand-painted in relief

In 1961 John A. Kurtz received a scholarship to attend the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. After a stint in the Navy and an early career in photography, he turned to painting in 1968 and has continued since. Influences include comics such as George Herriman’s Krazy Kat and Walt Kelly’s Pogo, and Mad Magazine artists Wally Wood, Jack Davis, and Basil Wolverton. His colorful art continues to be displayed in galleries around Chicago.

Black text on a red background with an illustration of a deer in the center making the button a rebus, with the illustration meant to be read as part of the text 

The Conservation Federation of Missouri was formed in 1935, and originally called the Restoration and Conservation Federation of Missouri. Formed by state citizens, the purpose behind the organization was to generate citizen involvement in protecting wildlife in the state—not to curb hunters and fishers, but to keep that wildlife population sustainable. As of 2024, the organization is still in existence and partners with the Conservation Department of Missouri’s government on a program called Share The Harvest, which encourages hunters to donate deer they hunt so that the venison can be processed and donated to community members experiencing food insecurity and financial hardship. 

Black and white photograph of Richard Nixon on a white background with red text about and white text on a blue background below. A brown ribbon with tan text and a gray elephant fob are attached to the bottom.