October 17, 2003

Road Trip - Day 13: JFK Museum & Harvard

We got a really late start today. We had some reading (for school) to catch up on. But, thanks to the nice telephone repairman, our connection is now much better, so at least we are able to update our blogs quicker and more completely. :-)

We decided to visit the JFK Museum today on the campus of the University of Massachusetts. It was a huge building and the exhibits were very nicely done. We started with a brief movie about JFK in the years prior to his running for president. Almost all the narration was done by JFK himself through the use of audio taken from interviews, speeches, etc. over the years.

The most moving part of the entire museum, for me, was the speech JFK gave on television about the race issue. His speech was followed by a portion of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech. (It gave me chills! Especially when JFK mentioned Lincoln and the emancipation of the slaves, since that is what we've been studying. Now that's what I call perfect timing!)

Another fun part for both Jenna and me was the First Lady's wedding dress which is on display through the end of this month, I believe. Jenna didn't like the style of it very much, but I thought it was quite beautiful, and we were both amazed at how tiny her waist was!

Upon leaving the museum we drove over to Cambridge and the campus of Harvard University. It was already late in the day and it was getting dark by the time we arrived in the area, so we didn't get very many pictures. This one is of the founder of the school, John Harvard.

The ironic thing about Harvard is in the beginning it was a seminary--an institution set up to train men to be ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There are all kinds of fantastic quotes etched in the stone walls and gateways bearing witness to a time when the learning that was done on this campus was primarily for the purposes of furthering both the gospel and the spiritual growth of the students and others. Now, as I understand it, Harvard is a school of "higher thought"--one which, for all intents and purposes, denounces the importance, the significance, and even the truth of Scripture. Very ironic indeed... And quite sad....


We managed to see some of the history in the area, however, visiting an old church where George and Martha Washington had worshipped, and Teddy Roosevelt had taught a Sunday School class. In the churchyard was a cemetery, as was customary in those days. Many of the headstones were unreadable or nearly so, but there were some we could read that dated back to the early 1700's. There is something historical around nearly every corner in this "neck of the woods."

Tomorrow we are planning to take the Freedom Tour in historic downtown Boston. Ro and Kyle were going to meet us, but Kyle is not feeling well (running a temperature of 101.7), so I doubt they will make it. We will be disappointed if that is the case, but we understand.

Socrates didn't have a very fun day today. We took him with us on our adventures, but he ended up staying in his crate in the car most of the afternoon and evening. As I write this, however, he is stretched out at my feet snoozing happily. (What a sweet little guy and a great little traveler!)