George W. Bush Presidential Library (Dallas, Texas)

As many times as we've been to, and through, Texas, until now we hadn't made it to Dallas. Usually this part of the state is off-route to wherever else we are heading, so coming here had to be part of an on-purpose journey. Since we are attempting to visit all thirteen Presidential Libraries and all thirty baseball stadiums before we come off the road, stopping here has helped us move closer to these milestones. Our trip allowed us a visit to the George W. Bush Presidential Library, and Globe Life Stadium, home of the Rangers. As an added bonus, we also got to visit The Sixth Floor Museum in Dealey Plaza Texas, which chronicles the assassination and legacy of President John F. Kennedy. Our first tourist stop was the presidential library. 

The George W. Bush Presidential Library is the newest of the presidential library system, a nationwide network of 13 libraries administered by the Office of Presidential Libraries, which is part of the National Archives and Records Administration  (NARA). These are repositories for preserving and making available the papers, records, collections and other historical materials of every president of the United States since Herbert Hoover. Although I may not have voted for this particular president, and I may not have agreed with all the decisions he made during his term of office, it is still interesting from a historical perspective to see the challenges he faced as leader of the United States, and how he dealt with them.

The biggest event during his presidency, of course, was the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington D.C. on September 11, 2001. In this hard to see 9/11 display, called the "Day of Fire," video images from the attacks flash around a twisted metal beam recovered from the wreckage of the World Trade Center. A wall wrapping around the room contains all the names of everyone killed in the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and the hijacked planes. I can only imagine how hard it will be to visit the memorial in New York. 

Hurricane Katrina, No Child Left Behind, and the financial crisis are also key events during Bush's presidential term, and each of these were highlighted  as well. The newest addition to the library, which opened up just days before we arrived, is an art gallery of paintings by George himself, called "The Art of Leadership: A President's Personal Diplomacy". The gallery showcases 30 oil paintings of world leaders Bush dealt with during his tenure in the White House. I really enjoyed seeing another side to this president; it gave him a dimension I hadn't considered before, and one I rather liked.  

Here are some pictures of the highlights from our visit to the George W. Bush Presidential Library.