Hail to the Chief's Libraries
(In honor of Presidents’ Day Feb. 17, we asked Chaplain Colonel Robert Bruno, OFM, to write about one of his hobbies, visiting libraries and museums housing presidential materials.)
Fr. Bob Bruno at the offices of the Chaplain Corps
My initial interest began while I was assigned to an Air Force year of study at Boston College in 1985-86. I came across the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum while touring downtown Boston and paid it a visit. I was so fascinated by the experience that I began what I call my pilgrimage to visit as many of these sites as possible when I became aware of how many of them there actually were. Since then, I have visited the following presidential libraries and museums:
1. George Washington: Mount Vernon, Va.
2. Abraham Lincoln: Springfield, Ill.
3. Theodore Roosevelt: Oyster Bay, N.Y.
4. Herbert Hoover: West Bend, Iowa
5. Franklin D. Roosevelt: Hyde Park, N.Y.
6. Harry S. Truman: Independence, Mo.
7. Dwight D. Eisenhower: Abilene, Kan.
8. John F. Kennedy: Boston, Mass.
9. Lyndon B. Johnson: Austin, Texas
10. Richard M. Nixon: Yorba Linda, Calif.
11. Gerald Ford: Grand Rapids, Mich.
12. Ronald Reagan: Simi Valley, Calif.
13. George H. W. Bush: Austin, Texas
I know I’m missing several of them, but still on the list to be visited among others are:
- · William McKinley, Canton, Ohio
- · Rutherford B. Hayes, Fremont, Ohio
- · Jimmy Carter: Plains, Ga.
- · William J. Clinton: Little Rock, Ark.
I was particularly interested in President Truman’s museum since he was the president in the year I was born. Several of the museums offer the opportunity of visiting the actual homes of their presidents at the time of their deaths. Visiting them is like a journey back in time as they were bequeathed to the National Park Service as they were. Each one of them offers a fascinating perspective on how the world looked from the perch of the U.S. presidency in their day.
(The Office of Presidential Libraries administers the nationwide network of libraries and museums. To learn more, visit http://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/about/office.html.)
This story originally was featured in the SJB News Notes of February 15, 2014. Toni Cashnelli is the Communications Director.
Posted in: News
