Public opening on Oct. 14 includes free admission, concerts and extended hours
Dr. Henry Kissinger, California Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger, U.S. Archivist David Ferriero and President and Mrs. Nixon’s grandchildren Christopher Cox and Melanie Eisenhower will officially open the New Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum at a free public ceremony on Oct. 14 beginning at 11:00 a.m.
The museum will open to the public immediately following the ceremony and will remain open until 9:00 p.m. Admission is free all day. Those wishing to attend the ceremony can sign up at newnixonlibrary.com. Signing up for the 11:00 a.m. ceremony is recommended but not required; seats will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
“Using all-new interactive and digital opportunities, visitors will discover the fascinating story of our grandfather’s life and times,” said Christopher Cox and Melanie Eisenhower, co-chairs of the New Nixon Library and Museum’s Opening Committee. “That story began and ended here in Yorba Linda, and the new Library will bring his life and legacy to new generations of visitors.”
Also on hand will be Ed Nixon, President Nixon’s youngest brother; Madam Li Xiaolin, president of The Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and daughter of former Chinese President Li Xiannian; U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Ron Walker, chairman of the Richard Nixon Foundation; and Fred Malek, chairman of the Nixon Centennial Legacy Campaign, that raised funds to create the new museum. The opening ceremony will include musical performances by the USC Trojan Marching Band, a Presentation of the Colors by the Los Angeles Air Force Base Honor Guard and a commemorative flyover by a squadron featuring a WWII C-53 Skytrooper plane that flew on D-Day.
An invitation-only luncheon featuring Dr. Kissinger in conversation with Ambassador Winston Lord, U.S. Ambassador to China from 1985 to 1989, and KT McFarland, Fox News National Security Analyst, will be held in the Library’s replica of the White House East Room, at 12:00 p.m.
Free musical performances will be offered throughout the day. A family-friendly concert begins at 6:00 p.m. featuring tributes to Elvis Presley — who famously met President Nixon at the White House in 1970 — and The Beatles.
Parking is free at Yorba Linda Friends Church, Tommy Lasorda Field House and the Yorba Linda Community Center. Shuttle services will be provided to and from the Library all day.
Saturday Celebration
The opening celebration continues at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15, with “The Making of the New Nixon Library.” This interactive session will feature the creative firms who designed, produced and built the new museum and website, including Thinkwell Group (Los Angeles), Cortina Productions (McLean, VA), and The Woo (Los Angeles). This event will be held in the Library’s Theater 37 and will be streamed live on Facebook.
At noon, there will be a program in the East Room featuring four prominent Nixon biographers. “A Consequential Life: Biographers Evaluate President Nixon’s Impact on America and the World” will include Irwin Gellman, author of The President and the Apprentice: Eisenhower and Nixon: 1952-1961; Luke A. Nichter, co-editor of The Nixon Tapes (volumes I and II) and author of Nixon and Europe: The Reshaping of the Postwar Atlantic World; Douglas Schoen, author of The Nixon Effect: How Richard Nixon’s Presidency Fundamentally Changed American Politics and Evan Thomas, author of Being Nixon: A Man Divided. Mark Updegrove, Director of the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum, will moderate the program.
The Sunday Concert Series continues on Oct. 16 with free concerts at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
About the New Museum
The new museum will feature nearly 70 new major exhibits, including a replica of President Nixon’s Oval Office and an extensive exhibit on Nixon’s historic trip to China. It will also feature 30 unique multi-media experiences, 11 original films, 12 custom digital interactives, 10 curated archival film sequences, more than 600 photographs, 8,000 square feet of wall murals and more than 300 artifacts.
MEDIA: Press previews of the museum will be held on Oct. 11-13. For media access, register with Joe Lopez at [email protected] or 714-364-1147.
About the Richard Nixon Foundation
The Richard Nixon Foundation is a privately supported, nonprofit, nonpartisan institution dedicated to discovery, debate, and discussion about Richard Nixon and his influence on today’s world. The Foundation owns the 9-acre campus and buildings comprising the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, and jointly operates the Library and Museum facilities with the National Archives and Records Administration. For more information, call 714-993-5075 or go to nixonfoundation.org.