Dealey Plaza Dallas Texas

George Walker Bush - 43rd President of the United States of America (2001 to 2009)

Arriving at the George W. Bush Library and Museum I am surprised by the traffic. The parking lot is at capacity when I arrive but am able to get the very last spot. The second and third spillover lots have people walking from them in the heat to the building. This museum is busier than “rock stars” like Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Regan, which were full; W. is at or past capacity.

Inside there is a line. It’s long and snakes through a massive lobby. Once I pay admission I go into the next line for the audio tour device. When I have the device in hand I am in a third line to enter into the museum. The ceiling of the lobby is impressive. Its walls are digital and slowly move through the beautiful Texas landscapes. Landscapes turn into a movie about the people of Texas, the people of America, and evolve into the importance of the constitution before turning back into the look of the solid stone façade of the walls.

The good people of Texas are very kind and gracious with please, thank you, and pardon me. I am overwhelmed by how nice everyone is, nicer than Canadians. At one point the whole lobby, filled with people in three different lines, sing Happy Birthday to someone out of sight from me. It was heart warming.

The first stretch of wall covers family when entering. This is the family of George and Laura and the two girls. It leads to some of the pins and stickers of a campaign that seem to be required to every presidential museum. However, this election was unlike any in history. A daily breakdown of events for counts, recounts, hanging chads, and videos of the networks coverage that evening re-tell the story. This is a semi waiting area for fifteen-minute video of the President and First Lady giving the extensive highlights of the eight years in office. There were several things I was reminded of happening during this time. It starts with the goals of the campaign, is rerouted after the events of 9/11, and builds on to tell about the importance of education and service. This is called, “A Charge to Keep”.

Education, commerce, taxes, and compassionate conservatism is in an area called “Creating Opportunity” outside the theater. These are many of the campaign goals that were carried over from the Governorship of Texas.

The line to the next area is slow to move through, but once turning the corner, there it is, twisted wreckage from the towers. An area called “Responding to September 11” leaves me with a sadness that I have only ever felt one other time while at the Pearl Harbor remembrance. There are moment-by-moment accounts, documents and agenda for the public to review, and a video that takes visitors through to September 20^th.

Steps away, an area called “Defending Freedom” detailing other global terrorist activities and attempts to thwart them. A globe of the area shows the number of democracies in the 1950’s, 1970’s, 1980’s, and then in 2008, a shift from 17 to 121 countries. There is a digital table that allows the viewer to pull videos, documents, and images on Afghanistan and Iraq.

Around the corner, two sections after, is standing theater with individual kiosks. Each kiosk as details pouring in asking the participants to make decisions based on this data while a clock ticks down. This data is aggregated and disseminated on a master screen in the front. It’s an impressive exercise in helping people understand many of the aspects a president might face. Similar to a situation room simulator at the Ford, LBJ, Reagan, and Carter locations this one focuses on decisions that this particular president faced.

My favorite part of the museum is in the back of the building, a small theater where Jenna and Barbara Bush go through the favorite moments of their fathers two terms and highlight some very funny clips. Next to this is the Oval Office. In nearly every presidential museum there is a replica you can look at, but this one you are allowed to walk through and sit behind the desk. The museum staff is very good at managing the lines to keep them moving while continuing to talk about the items you are seeing, the importance they have, and the context in which they were applicable.

SIDE NOTE: At each location on this tour I buy some postcard, refrigerator magnets, and the official pen or pencil of the President. The George W. Bush Museum, while the most innovative I have been to, the one that takes the longest to get through because there is just so much stuff, by far the busiest, it was also the most expensive. While I did find magnets, the only pen they sold was a Cross pen over $100. The next most expensive pen I have purchased was at the LBJ for $3.95. This museum needs more low-end items.

George Herbert Walker Bush - 41st President of the United States (1989–1993)

The building is grand and stately sitting on the edge of a campus where the other major building is a football stadium equal to The Coliseum in Rome.

The design of the rotunda is similar to the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, IL, open welcoming, Presidential. Greeting at the front door by a very friendly woman with the most gracious southern hospitality. A painting of presidents 41 and 43, father and son are smartly placed to the side. After paying for entrance, I enjoy a film about the president’s life. Unlike yesterday at LBJ, which has three major themes they would like me to remember throughout the day, this movie is about family.

Most noticeable about this museum is that the photos and story told is from the perspective of home and family. The audio tour, something absent from the LBJ tour, are excerpts from the president and Barbara, likely from memories and letters, with latter tales told by Dorothy. The story is about a life of service, through the military, congress, party, the CIA, Ambassador, Vice President, President and post Presidential foundations and services. There are no topics that are radically larger than the other, his time in congress, the CIA, China, UN, WWII, and Vice President are about equal size. The largest topic is the Gulf War with a room to itself on decision-making, a room with words from the troops, and a room that talks about the event itself. The shortest topics are running for office in 1988 and 1992.

Before leaving the museum, there is a corridor that encourages visitors to participate in their community in one of several ways (volunteering, education, and a cause devoted to the research to cure cancer which is a personal commitment to their daughter who passed at the age of 3 to leukemia.)

Lyndon Baines Johnson - 37th Vice President of the United States (1961–1963)

Located on the Campus of the University of Texas in Austin the building can be seen from the highway. It is reminiscent of many 1970’s futuristic designs found in movies like “Logans Run”, “Roller Ball”, or “Future World” with its white stone and tall lines.

 On entering I am greeted by a team of friendly volunteers who talk me through the exhibit. It has just recently re-opened, which is great timing. Nearly all of the exhibits have been updated. I told by the greeter, “my (her) generation only thought of LBJ as the person to blame for Vietnam, but there is so much more to know about his presidency”.  She then stated the three things we should remember him for: a) The Great Society b) his commitment to education and the war on poverty c) Civil Rights. He also signed many, many bills into law and was a very smart man. Her comments at the door did not seem odd to me until about an hour later.

 I watch a very well produced movie about this life that started with a life long commitment to education, the war on poverty, and went on to covert the Great Society and the Civil Rights movement. Also on this main level is a time line of his life that also covered points of major historical significance at the same time something occurred in his life. The best part of the main floor is a Disney-esq animatronic robot of LBJ that tells stories and jokes. I thought this was amazing and it captured the attention of all who were able to find it.

On the next level up is a corridor of major achievements during his work. There is a very large area dedicated to the Great Society. There is a large section on Civil Rights. There is an area of importance to highlight Education and the war on Poverty. Then, there is a partial wall and a table about the War in Vietnam. I think there is a specific message that the designers had in mind, down play Vietnam. An interesting limitation considering that there is a huge area of Water Gate at the Nixon, Vietnam at the Ford, and the assassination with JFK.   

The top floor has not been updated. It is a replication of Lady Birds office, her gowns of significance, and gifts donated to the President and First Lady during their time in office.

At the front desk again, I inquire about “the ranch” something I have overheard from others I have walked with, and am strongly encouraged to go.

 The Ranch is well worth the hour drive from Austin. It helps to fill the gaps the museum misses and helps make human the President outside of the three themes. Shared between the state and the federal government, this is a driving tour through part of the 2,100 acres of land the family owns. I guess it pays to work for the government. It is a place of small town Texas folklore and beautiful vistas. There are many buildings on the land and I encourage everyone to purchase the audio CD at the welcome center to drive along with.

Some of the buildings on the property are the Johnson family grandparents and guesthouse. Many cattle roam freely along with deer and birds. There is a working farm. There is a private landing strip, which is still functional and has the abbreviation LBJ. Near the ranch house is the small jet the President would take from Huston or Dallas after changing from the Boeing 707 he called “Air Force one-half”. The ranch has several of the cars he owned and drove through the property over the years. The ranch itself is a nice home. The original building has been added on to several times with a large office, improved kitchen, expanded dining room, study, and the final additions of separate his and hers bedrooms.

Throughout the day you will notice the number of phones in each room and the three television steps away.