Patsy Terrell

Lived fully, laughed loudly, gave generously

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Brown V. Board of Education National Historic Site Dedication

On May 17, 2004, I traveled to Topeka with a bus load of others to be present at the dedication of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. It was a huge event, with a number of national speakers, including President George W. Bush.

Because the president was in attendance, security was tight. Thousands of people attended, and the folding chairs filled quickly. I ended up sitting in the dirt, near the media corral, to allow those who were less physically able to have the chairs. It was not the most comfortable day I’ve ever spent, but it was certainly a memorable one.

Jesse Jackson came over to speak to the media. Elijah Cummings was inspirational. Fred Shuttlesworth was amazing.

Most interesting to me were my fellow attendees. I looked to my left, at the rows of people sitting in the sun, many dressed in their Sunday best, complete with hats, and I knew there were a million stories there to be told. I was no longer part of the media at that point, but I desperately wanted to grab a microphone from one of the media who were nearby and say, “Here, let me get you a real story.” Unfortunately, most of the stories I heard were feeds of the speakers, not the real stories of the people who were attending.

The site had just been reworked and it was barely beyond a construction zone when the dedication happened. With all the foot traffic of the day, the soft ground was shifting in places. Because I had willing sat in the dirt, I was getting an up close and personal experience with it.

As I leaned over to allow someone to pass, my hand connected with something slightly below the surface, something that had escaped being rake20150209 008wd up and discarded after reworking of the school building into the historic site. My hand closed around it, and I pulled out a piece of tile. It has sat on a shelf in my house since then, a tangible reminder that history is happening every moment.

On the bus that day I passed around a notebook, asking people to write down what that moment meant to them. I’m so thankful to have those memories.

To see more about the dedication: http://brownvboard.org/content/grand-opening-dedication-and-50th-anniversary

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First Ladies Tea with Andy Och at Eisenhower Library in Abilene


The Eisenhower Library in Abilene hosted a First Ladies Tea Saturday, with Andy Och who produced the C-Span Series on the First Ladies. He was an excellent speaker and delighted us with stories of the first ladies from Martha to Michelle.

In a nutshell, he illustrated how each of them was very accomplished and unusual for their time. He told stories that were part of the series. You can see the series for free by going to cspan.com/firstladies.

I confess I became a fan of Mrs. Taft. She was the one who planted the first cherry blossom trees, and was the first to give her inaugural gown. She was asked by the Smithsonian to share something with them and thought because she wouldn’t be using the inaugural gown again it was the perfect item. A tradition was born!

The tea itself was tasty, but very minimal. They advertised the menu in advance, so that wasn’t a surprise, but I really wish they had offered more of a tea “experience.” Even if they had to charge more, it would have been nice to have more food offered, and to have the typical things expected at a tea.

We were served cucumber sandwiches, a chicken salad sandwich, a small scone, and two desserts. They had advertised a lemon dessert that wasn’t served, at least not to our table. They were all delicious, but more variety of delicate sandwiches and desserts would have made it much more of an tea event, to go with the wonderful presentation.


The food was done by Apple Mint Catering, and it was great. It just would have been nice to have more selection of food, and some of the traditional tea things – like lemon curd. I so wanted some of that to go with this lavender scone, which was wonderful!

All of that said, it was a wonderful experience. The presentation was spectacular and I would happily do it again in a minute. Mr. Och was the main event, and the tea seemed ancillary to the day. But, it was the tea that attracted me, and I’m guessing others as well. It wouldn’t take much to make it more of a tea experience and have the best of both worlds. I like to have my cake and eat it too. Or, in this case, my fascinating presentation and my tea sandwiches, too!

They are planning to do another one next year, the Saturday before Mother’s Day, so mark your calendar. I already have!

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Astonishment

neilarmstrong

Today is the anniversary of man first setting foot on the moon. I was young at the time, but old enough to know something major was happening. I can remember going outside and looking up, thinking that men were walking around. It was mind-boggling. It was astonishing. It was happening.

I wonder what that does to a generation. Steve Jobs, Stephen Hawking and Steven Spielberg all saw that. They were old enough to witness the moment that illustrated things not imagined even a couple of decades earlier were not only possible, but achievable. (On a side note: Perhaps naming your child some variation of “Steve” is a good idea.)

That’s not to say people were not coming up with inventive ideas before the moon landing, and certainly will afterwards. But it does make me think about how we’re influenced by the things we see at formative times in our personal histories.

Just as I remember the moon landing, I also remember Nixon’s resignation. Sociologists have been having a field day with that one for awhile, wondering if those of us at a critical time in our development were influenced by that in a way that made us apathetic.

More questions than answers, but I do wish every generation could experience the thrill of something as astonishing and other-worldly as landing on the moon.