July 4th, 2005 in Independence, MO. Patriotic and fitting was how Peter and I saw it. We started the day by taking a tour of Truman's lifelong home at 219 North Delaware Street. It's a grand old house with great porches.
The inside of the house is exactly the same as the day Bess Truman passed away in 1982. Even the calender on the wall is set to 1982. On the coat rack in the hallway is the last coat and hat that Harry wore. It is as he last set it there before he died. One interesting note, it is in Bess' will that the Truman's daughter, Margaret Truman, is allowed to stay at her childhood home at anytime she likes. Because of this, the entire upstairs is off limits to tourists as it is Margaret's home. Margaret, now in her 80's, hasn't stayed at the North Delaware home in a few years.
After the house tour, Peter and I moved on to view the Truman's Museum about a mile north of his home. For the decade after Truman left office, he took a brisk walk to and from his home to his office at the museum complex. He claimed it kept him healthy. His aim was to take 120 steps per minute to keep the heart in shape.
Of the three museum's Peter and I felt that the Truman Museum was the most honest. It certainly celebrated his life and accomplishments, but there was no overstating propaganda. During the opening film, the narrator clearly stated that the decisions and issues that Truman handled some 60 years ago have not yet fully played out and so a decision as to whether he did something well/right/badly/wrong cannot yet be determined. In addition, throughout the museum, viewpoints that stated what Truman did was incorrect were always presented. For example, it was on Truman's watch that the atomic bomb was dropped on Japan. There were clear statements in view by those who felt that Truman's decision to drop the bombs was a mistake. It was refreshing to read criticisms of Truman's years in the White House.
It also became clear to me that during the years Truman was in office, he didn't catch a break. The end of WWII, the Korean War, Joseph McCarthy, emerging Civil rights, the Marshall Plan and Truman Doctrine. One after the other, Truman was bombarded with crises and he simply did his best.
If his persona had to be summed up in one line it would be:
That saying was printed on a placard that sat on his desk. I think it is a great motto for our leaders.
Oh, an observation. Since we spent a number of hours at the Truman Museum, we left in the middle to go get some lunch. In our pursuit of healthy food options, we noticed that up to this point in the trip, we had yet to see a grocery store. Where do the people of this part of the country shop for groceries? It's unfortunate, that we had to resort to McDonalds for lunch.
After our time at the museum, we went wandering around Kansas City. The city is knows as the "CITY OF FOUNTAINS" and so we went to a part of town that we were told had a number of the most beautiful. Along the way, we drove through downtown, which was eerily quiet. We stopped in and saw the newly renovated Kansas City Union Station. Driving south, we stumbled upon the obviously very yuppie section of Kansas City along 47th Avenue. Case in point? Restoration Hardware. Enough said!
On the evening of July 4th, Peter agreed to attend a baseball game at Kauffmann Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals. On this evening, they were playing the one and only Seattle Mariners. Seattle won 6-0.
After the game, a great fireworks show and then sleep at the Southeast Kansas City Motel 6.
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