Posted on 07/05/2004 8:20:12 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) - A new exhibit at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library showcases items and images from Reagan's funeral. Nearly 6,000 people visited the hilltop library on Sunday for the opening of "Mourning in America," a play on Reagan's upbeat "Morning in America" presidential campaign theme.
Reagan died June 5 after battling Alzheimer's disease for a decade.
The exhibit recalls the 40th president's funeral, burial and public viewing as well as the nationwide outpouring of sympathy for the Reagan family.
On display were the black velvet-draped bier that supported Reagan's mahogany casket in Simi Valley; riding boots placed backward in the stirrups of the riderless horse led to the Capitol; gifts and letters left at the library after his death; and the flag that flew over the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan on June 5.
The exhibit, on display through Nov. 11, also features more than 60 photographs of the funeral events, including intimate portraits of Reagan's family, taken by Pete Souza, one of Reagan's White House photographers.
"I'm just really gratified to see so many people out here, because it's the Fourth, because it's Ronald Reagan and because he meant so much," said Bill Bailey, who came Sunday to pay his respects.
The items will be stored in the library's archives after the exhibit ends.
On Sunday, the library also hosted a traditional July 4th celebration with performers in Civil War and other period costumes.
The holiday was among Reagan's favorites, said Duke Blackwood, executive director of the library and the Reagan foundation.
"Obviously there was a different tenor this year," he said but added, "we wanted to pay tribute to the president by continuing to celebrate Independence Day."
The library has been deluged with more than 15,000 letters and 162,000 condolence e-mails, said spokeswoman Melissa Giller. Archivists are determining what to do with the flower bouquets, posters, letters, flags and stuffed animals being stored in the library's basement.
The Ventura County landmark had extended its hours since reopening. On Monday, it was to resume regular hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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