Betty Ford reportedly said that if the White House West Wing is the “mind” of the nation, then the East Wing — the traditional power center for first ladies — is the “heart.” That “heart” beat for more than 100 years as first ladies and their teams worked from their East Wing offices on everything from stopping drug abuse and

St. Joseph’s University history professor Katherine Sibley says the now-demolished East Wing of the White House has for decades been indelibly linked with first ladies and the work they’ve done.