Day 36 & 37 Three Men and a Little Dog

Bill Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States.  In Little Rock, Arkansas we visited the William J. Clinton Presidential Library.  At the end of his tenure, each U.S. President creates a Library to archive the correspondence and memorabilia of his term in office.  These libraries are a method of recording the history of the American nation and the leaders who shaped the country. This is the first such Library we have visited.

The Clinton Library has an exact replica of the Cabinet room and the Oval Office.  It also has interactive displays for kids to practice giving a speech and create a campaign platform.  Very fun! The main displays describe events that unfolded during Clinton's presidency (1993 - 2001) including his near impeachment and bad personal choices.  But the man also did a great deal of good for the children and poor of the U.S. through his commitment to improving education.

"All Americans have not just a right but a solemn responsibility, to rise as far as their God-given talents and determination can take them."  --Bill Clinton, State of The Union address, 1995

 

Elvis Presley was the King of Rock 'n' Roll.  We visited Graceland in Memphis Tennessee.  Max and Simon were familiar with Elvis' music but really knew very little about his life.  Now they know lots!  We enjoyed touring the Graceland mansion with our audio guide and learning about the accomplishments of this humble man.  Simon was especially impressed by the generosity of  Elvis -- there were several plaques from hospitals, charities, and individuals who had received gifts of kindness and money from Elvis.  Max was impressed by his cars -- many colours and varieties!  He also gave away cars!

The Graceland property contains the main house and several other buildings housing memorabilia from Elvis' life and musical triumphs.  We saw many costumes that Elvis used in his stage performances and several posters from the 31 movies that he starred in.  We also learned that Elvis had recorded over 600 songs and won two Grammy Awards for "How Great Thou Art" and "He Touched Me". The Trophy House contains many gold records and other awards.

When he would come down the stairs wearing all his rings, jangling, and ready to meet his guests, I would be as awestruck as any of them.  It's Elvis!  --Lisa Marie Presley, paraphrase from Graceland Audio Listening Guide.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          One thing we did not know is that Elvis' body is also buried on the site of Graceland, along with his mom and dad, and his grandmother.

Martin Luther King Jr was a black Baptist pastor and civil rights activist.  We visited the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee.  The Lorraine Motel is the location of King's assassination and it has been turned into a museum that describes the events of civil disobedience and non-violent protests that marked the civil rights movement in the South.  We learned about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.  We listened to tape recordings of President JFK talking about James Meredith and his fight to attend the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss).   We watched a movie about the last days of Martin Luther King Jr and his efforts to help the Memphis City garbage collectors in 1968.  It was this event that brought King to Memphis and made him a target on April 4, 1968.

"Like anybody, I would like to live a long life.  Longevity has its place.  But I'm not concerned about that now.  I just want to do God's will.  And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain.  And I've looked over.  And I've seen the Promised Land.  I may not get there with you.  But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!"   --Martin Luther King Jr, Mountaintop Speech, April 3, 1968    After hearing this speech, Max believed that King had had a vision from God:  he had seen the future and knew he would be killed.  Perhaps he saw 40 years into the future when a black man would be elected President of the United States.

Pete is a little dog.  We visited Pete and his family in Memphis, Tennessee.  Wendy Porter and her wonderful family looked after us for two nights and we had a blast!!

"Bark!  Bark!  Bark!"  --Pete, translation: who is going to play dress up with me when the boys are gone?