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Senator
Frank Church
Travels by Air
Images from an exhibition in
the
Smithsonian Institution's
National Air and Space Museum,
Washington, D.C., 2008 |
Frank Church collection: Trips, Germany, 1958 Photo 1
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In November 2007 the Smithsonian Institution's
National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., opened a major exhibition
entitled "America by Air," documenting the history of passenger air travel in
the United States. While the exhibition was in the planning stages,
curator Joanne Gernstein London contacted the Special Collections Department in
the Boise State University Library to inquire if the Frank Church collection
contained any photos or documents illustrating how safe, convenient, and
affordable air travel enabled members of Congress to keep in touch with their
constituents and travel across the country. The short answer was "Yes,"
and the Library was able to supply the Smithsonian with several items to use in
the exhibit. Those items included a photo of Frank Church boarding an
airplane in 1958 (depicted above) as well as pages from his appointment book
chronicling three busy days of air travel in 1976. The Smithsonian staff
created a montage of the exhibit items, drew a map of the Senator's whirlwind
travel, and mounted them in a suitcase (supposedly filled with the Senator's
clean shirts and other clothes). The caption on the outside of the
suitcase reads: "Jet travel helps shape politics by making it easier for our
representatives to stay in contact with the people they serve, especially during
election years. A politician's schedule may include stops across the
country in just one day." If you are able to visit Washington, D.C.,
during 2008, the Senator's suitcase can be found on the baggage carousel in the
"America By Air" exhibit on the first floor of the National Air and Space Museum
on the Mall. If not, you can see the Frank Church suitcase below and link
to the exhibition's website.
Click on the thumbnails to
see a larger image
Link to the Smithsonian's "America by Air" exhibition
If your computer cannot open the page above,
try this
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