Five stories that have North Texas talking (and they’re all about the George W. Bush Presidential Center): University Park paints itself red, white and blue, five Presidents gather in Dallas, years of construction in two minutes and more.
University Park has been bedecked with banners for weeks now. Flags on either side of light poles along Hillcrest Avenue tout exciting things happening inside SMU including the soon-to-appear George W. Bush Presidential Center. By happy coincidence, the Mustang’s colors are already red and blue, which made the patriotic merger a cinch. But over the course of the last few days, some local businesses have been getting in on the decorating act.
Peggy Sue BBQ in Snider Plaza has posted signs in its windows exclaiming “Forty Three Cheers! Welcome Bush Library!” This haunt fully embraced the presidential theme, draping walls and partitions inside the restaurant with Old Glory and popping miniature American flags inside the cowboy boots that line the windowsills. McCartney’s University Spirit on Hillcrest sells Greek gear and SMU sweatshirts and to entice the Commanders-in-Chief past and present to come in and browse, the store is offering a unique discount. The shop has painted up its windows promising 25 percent off to all U.S. Presidents, no I.D. required. Want to check out all the revelry? Make sure to look at street closings first. See all of our Bush Center coverage here.
- Expect Evolution: While opening a presidential library is a massive undertaking, experts say what you see today isn’t what you’ll see decades from now. “Based upon our experience, the first effort will be to present the information from the administration’s point of view,” said Harry Middleton, director of the LBJ Library at the University of Texas from 1971 to 2002. “As time goes by and historical attitudes and points of view change, the exhibits will change to reflect that.” Experts say the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be two of the big issues subject to changing historical perspectives as we move into the future. [Dallas Morning News]
- A Rare Meeting Of The President’s Club: For only the second time, five Presidents will gather in one place today. Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter will all attend the Bush Center’s dedication and as Time points out, these men have even more in common than a shared Oval Office. Clinton and Bush the younger will celebrate their 67th birthday this year; Carter and Bush the elder will both turn 89.
- Two And A Half Years In Two Minutes: The Bush Presidential Center ground breaking was held in November of 2010, but you can see every detail of construction in super speed thanks to a two minute time lapse video by Earthcam. The 226,000 square-foot building sits on a 15-acre urban park, so you get to see a lot come together, and fast, when time is compressed.
- On The Other Side Of The White House: Former first lady Laura Bush has had a busy couple of months. She just welcomed her first grandchild and today heralds the Presidential Center that will preserve her family’s legacy in Washington. She spoke to NPR’s David Greene about everything from drawing inspiration from other presidential libraries to her husband’s decision to take up painting. [NPR]
