Clinton Library Museum

Flashback - Arkansas:

The William J. Clinton Presidential Library, 1200 President Clinton Ave. in Little Rock, Arkansas is - in one word - impressive. The library is a raised building overlooking the Arkansas River and its bridges. Locals refer to it as the 'double-wide on stilts.' The trailer reference has little to do with Clinton and more to do with former Governor Mike Huckabee, who lived out of a trailer, parked on the front lawn while the governor's mansion was being remodeled. The Clinton Library is far from a trailer. The entire building is environmentally friendly with solar panels, recycled materials and energy efficient everything.

The three-story facility opened in 2006 and was financed completely through donations and contributions. Filled with a mix of black-and-white and color photos, the library details Clinton's eight-year administration timeline from 1993 through 2000. There are interactive touch-screen stations, a full-scale replica of the Oval Office, biographical material of Clinton's early years growing up in Hope, Arkansas and monthly binders to access the President's daily schedule.

Most impressive were a series of hand-written letters from people like Fred Rogers (Mr. Roger's Neighborhood) who praised Clinton for encouraging children to read, and there was a letter from Paul Newman. The Hollywood actor turned race car driver received a note from Clinton about a racing accident March 7, 1996. Newman responded, "Dear Mr. President. Thank you kindly for your note. It was a humiliating experience. I'm the only race car driver in modern history to crash off the circuit at 25 m.p.h."

The other impressive section paid tribute to the Little Rock 9; a group of black students from Little Rock Central High School who tried to integrate the school in 1957. The story about the students was fascinating, especially since Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus defied federal orders when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that racial integration was unconstitutional. The Governor used the Arkansas National Guard to block entry to the school, but he was trumped when President Dwight D. Eisenhower intervened and sent the 101st Airborne Division to escort the students to school.

Aside from the Clinton Library paying tribute to the Little Rock 9, there was also a life-size bronze statue of the nine students outside the State Capitol.

The Word on the Traveling Elvis Exhibit

First, the promised note on the Elvis exhibit, then I'll update you on the Clinton library visit -- (See previous post picture HERE.)

ELVIS AT 21...

A traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institute is on display at the Clinton Library through September.

"Elvis at 21" features black-and-white photographs by Alfred Wertheimer. Hired in 1956 at age 26, Wertheimer was instructed to exclusively shoot promotional images of the rising star.

"First of all, he made the girls cry, and second he permitted closeness," said Wertheimer.

The photos captured an intimate Elvis, sitting in a train car with a phonograph on his lap, or in a rare instance, standing alone in a train station - unrecognized. There were photos of Elvis lying on a couch using a pile of fan mail as a pillow; a bunch of letters torn to bits, lying on a table in the foreground. "I'm not going to carry them with me," said Elvis. "I've read them and seen what's in them and it's nobody else’s business."

While in the Elvis exhibit, a woman said her husband busted her out for crying as she looked at the photos. "I mean he's been dead since 1977," said the husband

Guys just don't get the impact of Elvis.