The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

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The Daily Campus

The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

The crew of Egg Drop Soup poses with director Yang (bottom, center).
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Lexi Hodson, Contributor • May 16, 2024
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The complete collection

George W. Bush Presidential Museum houses 43,000 artifacts to take visitors through Bush’s life
The+complete+collection
Courtesy of AP

(Courtesy of AP)

BASEBALL COLLECTION

One of the major donors of the George W. Bush Presidential Library was Major League Baseball.

Bush, a huge baseball fan, actually played for his Midland Little League team before playing his freshman year at Yale University.

As a former Texas Rangers managing partner, Bush has collected more than 350 baseballs, and threw the first pitch of Game 3 of the 2001 World Series in New York just over a month after 9/11. 

IRAQ WAR

Many presidencies have struggled through controversy.

Lyndon Johnson was faced with the backlash of Vietnam, Richard Nixon with Watergate and President Bush with the Iraq War.

Just as LBJ’s library has a section devoted to the Vietnam War, the Bush museum will have a section dedicated to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, and the controversial justification for the Iraq war, weapons of mass destruction.

In the Decision Points Theater, visitors have the opportunity to make the difficult choices President Bush faced during his presidency. 

STEEL FROM 9/11

One of the most significant moments of George W. Bush’s presidency was September 11. President Bush has said in recent interviews he wanted a lot of the museum to be devoted to remembering the events of 9/11.

One of the most prominent exhibits, which includes movies and images that will bring visitors back to that day, are twisted steel beams from the World Trade Center site in New York.

As you turn the corner into the museum, you are surrounded by the past of a day that President Bush, among many others, hopes will never be forgotten.

OVAL OFFICE REPLICA

A common staple of presidential libraries is an exact replica of the Oval Office while the respective president was in office. President Bush’s library and museum will be no exception.

His replica, however, will include its very own rose garden.

Unlike some Oval Office replicas which can be viewed from behind a velvet rope, this office will allow visitors to walk in and sit in the President’s chair.
 

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