Presidential Libraries and Museums Part IX

There are twelve approved Presidential Libraries offering an unbelievable opportunity if we take advantage of all that they provide.

The government approved Presidential Libraries beginning with President
Herbert Hoover and ending with President William Jefferson Clinton.

The President George W. Bush Library remains under construction and will open at (SMU) Southern Methodist University in Dallas,Texas hopefully by early 2013.

The Libraries prior to President Hoover had storage and environmental problems allowing many of the documents and personal items to require extensive
costly restoration.  It may be possible that as new Presidents are sworn in the older Libraries will become less attractive and attendance and interest will roll off unless your name is George Washington or Abraham Lincoln.  The Libraries are very expensive to operate and to maintain.

Our first visit to each Library is a familiarization tour and follow-on visits offer a closer view. We have attended many special events at the Kennedy, Nixon and Reagan Libraries. (Check Library Events Calendar)

As the Presidential Library series wraps up I would like to highlight
my earlier choices as my top six Presidential Libraries. The choices will
continue to change as Library improvements are implemented.

1. President Reagan

2. President Nixon

3. President Bush (41)

4. President Truman

5.  President Roosevelt (FDR)

6. President Eisenhower

The remaining Presidential Libraries are listed in alphabetical order. I did not rate them but expect some will move into the top six:

James Earl Carter – Atlanta GA, William Jefferson Clinton – Little Rock, AR, Gerald R. Ford – Library Ann Arbor, MI,  Gerald R. Ford - Museum, Grand Rapids, MI, Herbert Hoover, West Branch, IA, Lyndon Baines Johnson – Austin, TX, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Boston, MA

                    The James Earl Carter Presidential Library and Museum

The Carter Presidential Library is located in Atlanta, Georgia.  As you walk from the parking lot to the library you notice that it is surrounded by grassy knolls and is
below ground level resembling a bomb shelter. It is not the shining building on
the hill. It was unclear if these were environmental additions keeping the
Library cool in the summer or if they had a different purpose. The grounds were
shaded and attractive providing a great place to sit, relax and reflect.

I knew immediately that I was in the right place when trying to view the displays illuminated with low wattage light bulbs.  I thought it didn’t have to be this way.  The other libraries presented no such viewing problems.

President Carter had been Governor of Georgia and had accomplished many positive changes; however he did have long periods of failures embedded
within him as well.  President Carter could be frugal to a fault.

When he ran for office I had high hopes that his moral values and his young staff which was about my age at the time would succeed. 

He spent a great deal of time pretending to be someone that he is not.  He often carried an empty garment bag and brief case aboard Air Force One; according to the Secret Service.  He often scheduled the Whitehouse tennis courts.  He should have spent this time developing a plan to free the hostages from Iran.

President Carter was a good and decent man.  He was a graduate nuclear Engineer and a Naval Officer; which indicates that he had a high level of intelligence as well.

He could have done so much more with the Library. He may have been a better President than he was Commander in Chief.

President Carter placed limits on his abilities and surrounded himself with an intelligent but inexperienced staff. His archival data and frugal way left him with little to promote his legacy.

  William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library and Museum

The Clinton Presidential Library is located in Little Rock, Arkansas on the Arkansas River.  The Library is the most expensive Library built to date.  It has a long way to go to move into my top six Libraries, however, the potential is there. He may have accomplished more as Citizen Clinton than as President Clinton.

In time the outside surroundings will be developed improving that portion of the Library.  It’s the inside that concerns me. There were three attractions that some enjoyed. The major attraction as you may have guessed is the Oval Office, which had a line waiting to view it.  The Cabinet room and the Madeline Albright’s on loan pin collection interested others.  Each pin represented her feelings toward the
person she was meeting with.  Example: The snake was worn when she met with Saddam Hussein.

Most archival data is on Computers and many were out of service. They were not in demand at the time anyway.Visitors were in an out. One group of six that entered with us departed twenty minutes later.

The gift shop was a shuttle bus stop away.

We asked for the snack bar and were directed to linen table cloths and silver utensils.  The cost of a snack at this Library told me I could wait. I was hoping for a hot dog.

The Library addressed the countries green future rather than
the years of the Clinton Presidency.

They focused on building supplies such as broken bottles, bamboo, and ground up tires products that I will continue to throw away.  I hope these products are not in our future, because if they are our years as the greatest country in the world are
numbered. If we turn around no one will be following us. They understand the
cost and performance will yield a dismal return requiring more government
subsidies.

I concluded the President delegated the Libraries responsibilities to others that made certain no money was left on the table. It was another spending program out of control.              

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum

The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is located in Ann Arbor, MI. The Museum is located in Grand Rapids, MI.  The Museum is a great place to spend a few hours.

President Gerald Ford was a decent, honest and kind man.  As we know Ford assumed the office of President as President Nixon departed unexpectedly for San Clemente, CA.

President Ford maintained a low profile but accomplished a great deal.  The Museum in Grand Rapids is a great example of what careful thought and hard work can accomplish. His Museum may never become number one, but with his limited time in office how much can one accomplish or compete.  He is probably best known for getting the job done without a great deal of showmanship both as Speaker of the House and Vice President and he did a wonderful job as President. He had to wean the country from Watergate which also consumed him for many months, possibly years.  

Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum

The Hoover Library is quite beautiful it is located in West Branch, Iowa a very small country town. It is his boyhood home and the place where he was raised.  It reminds us of life in the 1920’s & 30’s.  It also reflects his years prior to the Presidency and his image as a problem solver as he helped countries around the world. The Library is simple but interesting and includes his graded school, blacksmith shop and the modern library with his archival data.

It is a great spot to study the early days of the depression and how FDR refused to help calm the population after elected, but not yet sworn in, Partisan Politics took priority.

Hoover and his wife are buried there on top of a small hill, well worth the ten minute walk.  The family will enjoy the time spent here.

Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum

The Johnson (LBJ) Library is located in Austin, Texas.  The Library is quite nice, but, reflects a great deal about the Vietnam War.  There is a cloud over the building with and a deeply saddened President that took his role as Commander in Chief very seriously as he should have.  He should have taken into account the lack of support from half of the American people it was not his fault alone. This took a toll on his life cutting it short. His feelings could not be hidden as hard
as he may have tried. A visit to the LBJ Ranch reflects an entirely different
person. The ranch is a great take-in located in the Texas Hill Country near Johnson City and Fredericksburg, Texas about one hour from the LBJ museum.

LBJ was a man with deep emotion that often controlled him. He could also be very shrewd.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

The John F. Kennedy Library is located in Boston, MA.  This Library has the greatest potential for moving up to the top six.  It has many of the ingredients but lacks the special punch to launch it forward. The Library provides something for everyone including many special events.