Celebrating 97!

President Nixon would have been 97 years old today. We are celebrating his Legacy in Yorba Linda.

Yesterday the Richard Nixon Foundation, and the folks at the National Archives co-sponsored a panel discussion "Domestic Policy Initiatives of the Nixon Years: Bringing Innovation and Progress to the American People." It was great.


Geoff Shepard set the stage by explaining how the model of the National Security Council was used to form the Domestic Council. This became the way policy was discussed, massaged and ranked. Eventually the ideas took on the form of a "White Paper" that went to the President. President Nixon preferred being able to study options in the form of a document, rather than having advisers presenting their views in person. He set aside time to review these papers in his small White House study. The model of how the National Security Council operated is a very interesting way to get things done. A policy would be introduced, and if the Congress did not reject it within 60 days, it was considered enacted. That';s what the Domestic Council put in place for their policies. A brilliant strategy that produced results.

James Cavanaugh talked about the health care initiatives of the Nixon administration. Such a timely topic right now, but even more amazing to realize is what could have been then. The "Family Assistance Program" was almost a done deal until the ever powerful Unions persuaded Senator Ted Kennedy that they were happy with their health care plan and didn't want it messed up. The Senator stopped his support of the Nixon program and the idea was defeated. What if indeed . . . . even Kennedy later expressed regret that it wasn't enacted in the early 1970's.

John Whitaker talked about the environment. The first "Earth Day" and the establishing of the Environmental Protection Agency. "White Papers" on the subjects of clean air and clean water resulted in the Acts that bear those names. President Nixon was responsible for those major initiatives and it is disturbing that he isn't given more credit for the many good things that were done.

Dick Fairbanks talked about energy, the Alaska pipeline, and many other exciting energy-related projects that most people had forgotten were started during the Nixon years.

For me, a young mother of three at the time, focused on our girls and running a household with a husband who traveled extensively, it was quite a learning experience to sit in the audience and hear the panel talk about the accomplishments of those years. In our home, the conversations were more often about the President's travel plans than about his policies. You can imagine, the major issues of the day were things like, Dad can't go to Lisa's parent-teacher conference because the President will be going to Whitney Young's funeral in Lexington, Kentucky. Or, Dad won't be at Marja's school play because the President will be giving a speech in Chicago. Or, Dad won't be able to make Lynne's track meet because the President will be at the Lincoln Day dinner in New York. That's the kind of stuff the Walker family talked about. I'll bet the four Whitaker boys and their Mom, Betty, talked about Environmental issues around their dinner table, when they had finished talking about sports, of course.

Needless to say, I learned so much from that panel discussion and urge you to watch for it to appear on C-span.

Tricia Nixon Cox, her husband Ed, and son Christoper flew out from New York to join us for the events of the week-end. On Saturday, Tricia laid a wreath at the grave-site of her parents. It was a moving ceremony, made even more special and Presidential, by the participation of the Sea Cadets, Troy High School Junior ROTC, our military leadership of tomorrow. Robbie Britt, a man with an amazing voice, wowed the crowd when he sang, "God Bless America," and then asked the large crowd to join him in singing that wonderful song again. Sandy Quinn, always the masterful master of ceremonies, worked his usual magic. It would have been perfect, if the Eisenhower family had been able to join us, too. They were missed.

Tricia also met with all of the wonderful docents and had a group photo taken. The docents, in their red, white and blue uniforms, as far as I am concerned, are the heart and soul of this Presidential Library. They are dedicated and well informed. As Ron said recently, "the docents know everything about this place." He was right. They really do. I still haven't figured out why they are no longer allowed to conduct the school tours. Such a waste of their vast knowledge and their twenty years of experience. Perhaps it is because they are TOO COMPLIMENTARY of the President when they talk about him and his family. Certainly we have now learned that archivist prefer to talk about mistakes and mis-steps. The very first work-day after we celebrated the President's birthday and talked about his legacy in positive terms, we were once again bombarded in the press by the latest release of documents. Not one news item was positive. As much as they want everyone to read and hear about the negatives, we can take heart because we know that is really not the way it was. Not completely. We celebrated that fact on the President's 97th birthday.

We also saluted a great American Hero on Saturday. Commander Everett Alvarez, Jr., the longest held POW in Vietnam, received the First, "Great American Hero" award from the Richard Nixon Presidential Foundation. Ron and I have proudly called Everett and Tammy Ilyas Alvarez dear friends for many years. Ron was at the bottom of the airplane ramp when Everett and the other POW's arrived home to freedom. What an emotional moment that was, the day when the American Heros finally came home. Everett had been a "Chained Eagle", the title of his book, for eight and a half years.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend. A Happy 97th Birthday party that brought almost four thousand people to the grounds of the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace.

We'll keep plodding away here in Yorba Linda. Thanks for your support.