George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum

No, you're not seeing double - we'd moved on to the Dallas area to see our second George Bush Presidential Library, this for the 43rd President, on the campus of SMU.

We arrived early as we worried about parking but it turned out to be quite easy and we were able to park just across the street.  The front of the library was beautiful.

After months of bidding by six colleges/universities (Baylor, SMU, University of Texas System, Texas Tech University, University of Dallas, and Midland College), SMU was selected and the site was opened on April 25, 2013.

The library is 207,000 square feet and the second-largest presidential library, behind only the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.  Particular focus of the library is made on Bush's decisions after the September 11 terrorists attacks. Hurricane Katrina, and the 2008 global financial crisis.

After going through security, we went to the desk to obtain our tickets.  It was Sunday morning and very quiet.

As we entered the exhibits the first thing we saw was the President as a new dad.

A few interesting items as we went through.  I thought this picture of George as a young baseball player was so cute.

George W. Bush, age 7 

Spring, 1954

In 2001, Laura Bush said "It's no secret my husband loves baseball.  If he had it his way, his baseball collection would be in our dining room.....and there'd be a game on the South Lawn once a month."

These custom pair of boots from Houston boot maker Rocky Carroll commemorates President Bush's time as a general managing partner of the Texas Rangers from 1989-1994.

While serving as the Governor of Texas, George W. Bush ran for President in 2000.

Of course we all remember the 'drama' following the 2000 election and the hanging chads.

Hanging chads on the left

A sample ballot on the right - the holes were not lined up well to the candidates' names

But on January 20, 2001, George W. Bush was inaugurated as the President of the United States and moved into the Oval Office.  As with many Presidential Libraries, there is a replica of the Oval Office on display.

President Bush used the Resolute Desk, which was created from wood salvaged from HMS Resolute and given to Rutherford B. Hayes by Queen Victoria in 1879/1880.  It has a hinged front panel added to it by Franklin D. Roosevelt with many stating this was because he wanted his legs to not be visible while he was sitting at the desk.  However, this is not confirmed.

The desk resided in the White House in various rooms, until Jacqueline Kennedy found it languishing in the "White House broadcast room" and she had it restored and moved into the Oval Office.  After Kennedy's assassination, the desk was removed for a traveling exhibition, returning to the Oval Office under Jimmy Carter in 1977.  It has been the Oval Office desk ever since with the exception of the George H.W. Bush presidential years.

The Seymour tall case clock, more commonly known as the Oval Office grandfather clock, was made between 1795 and 1805 in Boston by John and Thomas Seymour.  This clock has been located in the Oval Office since 1975 and has remained one of the few constant features in the office even throughout several renovations.

We moved on to the large exhibit describing the events of September 11, 2001 and the aftermath.

It was interesting to see what President Bush was doing in the days before the terrorist attack.

The  morning of September 11, Laura Bush was on Capitol Hill, where she had been invited to brief the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.  The President was at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Florida to meet students and staff to bring attention to his plans for education reform.  It looked like any other day.

One of the most iconic photos that morning was the President being notified of the attacks.  

Horrific pictures...

This American Flag flew over the White House on September 11, 2001.  It is thought that United Flight 93's intended target was either the U.S. Capitol or the White House.

On September 14, 2001, President Bush visited Ground Zero.  He grabbed a bullhorn and started thanking the fire fighters and other first responders at the scene, telling them that they were in the country's prayers.  Someone in the crowd shouted that he couldn't hear the president and President Bush replied with the words that made history.

"I can hear you!" he declared.  "The rest of the world hears you!  And the people - and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon."  The crowd reacted with loud, prolonged chants of  "USA! USA!"

The bullhorn the president used

This is a reproduction of the nearly 3,000 names as they appear inscribed in bronze on the 9/11 Memorial.

There is a piece from one of the World Trade Center towers on display.

Boy, that brought back some memories - time to move on.

Air Force One is one of the most identifiable symbols of the American Presidency.  Although Air Force One is the call sign of any Air Force aircraft carrying the President, it has become standard practice to refer to the highly customized Boeing 747-200B series aircraft as Air Force One.  It is often referred to as the flying White House.

During his eight years in office, President Bush logged 1,675 flights on Air Force One.  He visited every state in the country, except Vermont.  He also visited 75 countries during 49 foreign trips.

The President and First Lady had individual jackets 

The White House is where the President welcomes heads of state, foreign dignitaries, and religious leaders on behalf of the American people.

Two hundred twenty four foreign leaders came to the White House for meetings or for grand state dinners with President and Mrs. Bush.  In the months after September 11, 30 foreign leaders visited the White House to conduct working meetings with President Bush.

The Bushes strengthened alliances by building friendships with other heads of state and honored religious leaders at the White House.

Of course the war on terror continued on.  We found the Most-Wanted Iraqi playing cards interesting.  

During the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency developed a set of playing cards to help troops identify the most-wanted members of Saddam Hussein's government, mostly high-ranking members of the Iraqi Regional Branch of the party or members of the Revolutionary Command Council - among them were some of Hussein's family members.  As of 2021, all but four of the 52 most wanted have either died or been captured, eleven of whom have been released.

This pistol was captured with Saddam Hussein on December 13, 2003.

It was time to go outside and see the future burial site of George and Laura Bush.  Originally they had selected Texas State Cemetery as their burial site but later changed course and decided they would be buried in the Rose Garden at the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

They will be buried in the grassy area in front of the rose garden.  It has not been determined if Jenna and Barbara will be buried with them.

The Bushes now reside on their ranch in Crawford, Texas.

Can you believe they displayed this photo using scotch tape????

George H.W. Bush Library

As we headed north we made a stop for a few days near College Station, Texas, home to Texas A&M University and the George H.W. Bush Library and Museum.  It was a college football weekend so we were surrounded in the RV park by Aggies.  We planned our visit to the Library, which is on the university campus, so that we would not be there on game day.

We'd visited before as one of our favorite places to visit is presidential libraries and gravesites. But, unfortunately for us yet fortunate for the Bushes, they were still living when we last visited so the gravesite had not been built.  So we felt it was important to make another visit and pay our respects.

Before we went inside, we took a walk to the back of the museum to see the gravesite.

Across the bridge....

And there it was.

Many might not know about Pauline Robinson Bush, known as Robin Bush, who was the second child and oldest daughter of George and Barbara Bush.  After she was born in California, the family soon relocated to Texas, where Robin lived most of her life.

At the age of 3, Robin was diagnosed with advanced leukemia.  As she was given very little time to live, her parents flew her to New York City for treatment, where she spent six months.  Despite doctor's efforts, she died two months before her fourth birthday.  Her death prompted them to establish a foundation for leukemia research.

The gravesite, as well as the surrounding area, is beautiful.  So peaceful and relaxing.

After spending a few quiet moments there, we headed back to the Library.

The library is administered by NARA under the provisions of the Presidential Libraries Act of 1955.  On the plaza is the adjoining Annenberg Presidential Conference Center and the George Bush School of Government and Public Service.

George Bush School of Government and Public Service in the background

The President and First Lady kept an apartment on the top floor of the School and we learned some interesting tidbits.

The First Lady used to walk the dogs around the plaza in the mornings, often in her sweat pants or other comfortable clothes.  One day she was out walking, fortunately not in that type of attire, and came across a bridal party taking pictures on the campus.  Barbara went up to the couple to congratulate them and ended up joining the party for pictures.  What fun to have the First Lady in your wedding photos!

At times the President would go outside before the Library opened and on occasion would go to the side door, which was also the emergency exit, and knock on the door.  When a library employee would come to the door, President Bush would ask to gain entrance so that he could go through the library when visitors were not in attendance.  I guess if you're the President and it's your library you can do whatever you want!

We went inside to view some of the artifacts.

You will see more about this later

Handsome guy!

Time to get married.  Barbara Bush stated: "George's return date kept being put off.  We eventually scratched out December 17....and wrote in January 6."

After many years of public service, including Vice President of the United States, it was time to run for the presidency.

Most of the details about the President's limo are classified, which makes sense since all work done on the cars is supervised by the Secret Service and no one without the proper credentials can get too close to it.  All ground services involving the limousine are arranged by the U.S. Army.

Still, it is known that the limo, affectionately nicknamed "The Beast", has bullet proof windows as thick as telephone books, and bullet proof tires - if they're shot at there are wheel inserts which keep the limo driving.  There is a remote starter with a bomb detector, a self-healing fuel tank, a supplemental supply of oxygen, and layers of Kevlar under the car's sheet metal from top to bottom.

One of the most interesting displays in a Presidential Library is the recreation of the Oval Office.

The "real" Oval Office

The recreated office 

The C&O desk is one of six desks ever used in the Oval Office by a sitting President.  The C&O desk was used in the executive office by only George H.W. Bush, making it one of two desks to be used by only one president there (the other was used by Lyndon Johnson).  Prior to its use in the Oval Office by President Bush, the desk had been in use elsewhere in the White House.  It is the shortest-serving Oval Office desk to date, having been used for one four-year term.

A docent pointed out a few very interesting items.

The copy of the mitt we saw above inside the drawer as the President kept it.

The phone on the desk is a reproduction rather than the original.  But the one inside the drawer is an original.  It was a phone that the President could use to make secure calls.

You can see it in the portrait below which is displayed in the Library lobby.

The Laurel Office at Camp David was the scene of many of President Bush's most important decisions.  All of the artifacts in the office here come straight from Camp David.

It's always interesting to see original fashion from First Ladies.  Many of those are housed in the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. but there were a few of Barbara Bush's here.

This gown was worn by Barbara Bush in the President's Dinner in Washington, D.C. on June 12, 1990.  It was designed by Arnold Scaasi.

The Berlin Wall, erected in August 1961, was a symbol of fear and oppression.  It separated a city and a nation until freedom of movement was restored on November 9, 1989.  This segment of the barrier was presented to the Library on behalf of the people of the reunited city of Berlin.  

"The quest for freedom is stronger than steel, more permanent than concrete."  

George Bush, November 11, 1989

One of the most enjoyable parts of the day was sitting in a small area where we could learn more about the Bushes.  What a delightful couple with quite a sense of humor.  They were often guests on late night television and we loved seeing some clips.

What a kick!

We were so happy to have the opportunity to visit again.  As we left we saw this poignant photo, especially since the George W. Bush Library was our next destination.