There’s a nice profile of first lady Linda Daugaard in today’s Pierre Capitol Journal, where she lays out her priorities – raising good kids:
But the priorities Linda Daugaard had for her own family – raising good kids in South Dakota – are still her priorities as first lady.
“They have a ‘first spouse school.’ I tell people I flunked it,” Linda Daugaard jokes. But she said one of the lessons stuck with her: Do what you are passionate about.
For Linda Daugaard, that has meant working to promote literacy, to reduce infant mortality and to reduce early elective deliveries that aren’t done for medical reasons. All of those things work for a healthier population of kids in South Dakota who can achieve their full potential.
“During the campaign a doctor had mentioned that South Dakota had such a high infant mortality rate and that when Dennis was governor, he had to do something about that,” Linda recalled.
Dennis designated Linda to lead that effort.
Similarly, the emphasis on literacy was an easy choice for Linda Daugaard.
“The kids that I really influenced when I was a librarian were third-, fourth-, fifth-graders. Those were the kids I decided to target,” she said.
Amen! Great priorities and her children prove it.