Here's a another story from CWM, this time from my partner Sue.

Harry Needham
Special Advisor - Programme Development
Canadian War Museum
330 Sussex Drive,
Ottawa, Canada
K1A 0M8
Voice: (819) 776-8612  Fax (819) 776-8623
Email: [log in to unmask]

> ----------
> From:         Sue MacLean[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Reply To:     [log in to unmask]
> Sent:         Wednesday, March 03, 1999 7:22 PM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Re: FW: Got to watch them cannon ! (was: funeral exhibit)
>
> And don't forget the V-J Day ceremony!!
> I was stationed near the main entrance to CWM (Sussex) during the
> ceremony, and was facing the Elizabeth Bruyer Hospital. Much to the
> disgust of my supervisor, I cracked up during the gun salute, but since
> he had his back to the hospital, he couldn't see the source of my
> amusement.
> A word of explanation before I proceed: the hospital has a flat roof
> with a crenelated balistrade. As the salutes sounded, the nuns (who
> staff the hospital) appeared on the roof, one by one, to watch the
> ceremony.They were attired in all white habits, and for all the world
> looked like ducks popping up in a shooting gallery!
> Jeremy never could understand my mirth!
>
> [log in to unmask] wrote:
> >
> > You may find part of this amusing.
> >
> > Harry Needham
> > Special Advisor - Programme Development
> > Canadian War Museum
> > 330 Sussex Drive,
> > Ottawa, Canada
> > K1A 0M8
> > Voice: (819) 776-8612  Fax (819) 776-8623
> > Email: [log in to unmask]
> >
> > > ----------
> > > From:         Harry Needham
> > > Sent:         Wednesday, March 03, 1999 1:33 PM
> > > To:   'Museum discussion list'
> > > Subject:      Got to watch them cannon ! (was: funeral exhibit)
> > >
> > > I really enjoyed reading Olivia's post. The bit about people being
> annoyed
> > > by the guns rang some bells. Our museum is diagonally across the road
> from
> > > Ottawa's largest long term (chiefly palliative) care hospital. They
> have
> > > never complained about anything we have done, which have created more
> > > local traffic, noise, etc., but we are VERY careful to point cannon
> AWAY
> > > from the hospital during ceremonies in which they are fired. It makes
> > > quite a difference. There are other advantages. We fire the guns into
> a
> > > small grove of pin oaks and the paper wadding is traped by the
> branches
> > > and falls to the ground, so the "beaten zone" is very small. The trees
> > > have not been damaged. A little common sense and consideration goes a
> long
> > > way but there is no pleasing all the folks.
> > >
> > > I recall being a battery commander almost thirty years ago firing a
> salute
> > > in a large park in London, Ontario. We had erected stanchions and
> ropes to
> > > keep the public well back of our 105mm howitzers, both for safety's
> sake
> > > and because we didn't want them unduly startled by the noise of the
> guns
> > > firing.
> > >
> > > One woman with a small boy refused to cooperate, because "she was a
> > > citizen of this city and it was a public park and how dare we tell her
> > > what to do", etc., etc. (you know the type). I explained to her about
> the
> > > noise and the danger but she was damned if she would move. Inasmuch as
> she
> > > really wasn'd in the way or in a dangerous spot, I gave up and carried
> on.
> > >
> > > At the sound of the first round, her son started screaming like a
> banshee
> > > and continued full bore all through the 21 gun salute. At the end of
> it,
> > > as my men were preparing to move, she came storming over and ran up
> one
> > > side of me and down the other about how I should have warned her and
> what
> > > did we think we were doing, disturbing the peace like that, etc., etc.
> > >
> > > Luckily, I spotted the Commander, Canadian Forces Base London, walking
> a
> > > couple hundred yards away and said "Ma'am, do you see the man in
> uniform
> > > with the four gold rings on his sleeve? Well, he's our base public
> > > relations officer and I really think he's the one you should be
> talking
> > > to."
> > >
> > > Off she went and I turned to my battery sergeant major and said,
> "Smartly
> > > now, BSM! Let's get the H___ out of here while the getting is good!"
> > >
> > > I never heard another word about the incident, so concluded that the
> base
> > > commander had done his usual excellent job.
> > >
> > > Harry Needham
> > > Special Advisor - Programme Development
> > > Canadian War Museum
> > > 330 Sussex Drive,
> > > Ottawa, Canada
> > > K1A 0M8
> > > Voice: (819) 776-8612  Fax (819) 776-8623
> > > Email: [log in to unmask]
> > >
> > > ----------
> > > From:         Olivia S. Anastasiadis[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> > > Reply To:     Museum discussion list
> > > Sent:         Tuesday, March 02, 1999 3:02 PM
> > > To:   [log in to unmask]
> > > Subject:      Re: funeral exhibit
> > >
> > > Sometimes I don't know where my head is.  We have a funeral exhibition
> > > regarding President Nixon; we are currently re-vamping it so that we
> can
> > > "celebrate" his fifth death anniversary this coming April.  Things we
> > > have considered adding to the display is the jacket he was wearing
> when
> > > he had his stroke, his hospital bracelet; I'm still squeamish about
> > > showing the death certificate but people are fascinated by these kinds
> of
> > > documents.
> > >
> > > We have a variety of material related to the funeral proceedings,
> > > photographs, taped eulogies & video of it all, news clippings, letters
> > > from foreign dignitaries as well as national political figures.
> School
> > > children drawings and letters, as well as construction paper cards
> with
> > > drawings of the funeral were sent to us by the teachers or principals
> of
> > > these schools.  Mourners left placards and home-made posters at the
> front
> > > of the building along with religious candles; someone sent a teddy
> bear
> > > with its "bear-a-gram" note.  Another left a different teddy bear
> > > strapped in a child's seat with sympathy notes and drawings and
> > > pinwheels.  We even got a pair of boxer's gloves with a poem written
> on
> > > both gloves!  Lots of poems  from other mourners.  People who had had
> > > dealings with Senator Nixon and who still retained news clippings from
> > > the 50s sent them to us as well, just to show how much they treasured
> > > their association with him.  We really didn't get negative things; a
> few
> > > funny cartoons, but most of it was uplifting.  We need to decide how
> much
> > > of the tribute books, memory books and other items can be safely
> > > displayed.  From the Bronx, New York to Pearl City, Hawaii, we've got
> a
> > > lot to sort through.  And the protocols followed for Presidential
> > > funerals is another ball of wax; we have all that material as well,
> and
> > > we need to explain it to the public.
> > >
> > > The funniest story I heard during the funeral was that there was an
> older
> > > lady in the neighborhood, up in arms, and very concerned about the
> > > Marines shooting off the cannons (for the salute) they brought out by
> the
> > > fountain because it would spook her horses (she lives across the
> street).
> > >  We had to give her fair warning about this part of the proceedings so
> > > that she would be prepared to calm the horses down.  The neighbors
> were
> > > very gracious about the extra added traffic and throngs of people who
> > > descended on us.  Some of the neighbors even had coffee and other
> goodies
> > > they made for the people who were waiting for hours in line to pay
> their
> > > respects to the President.  It was surreal.  Now we are going to try
> to
> > > bring in that same "surreal" feeling to our exhibit so that people
> > > viewing the display can experience what it was like to be here during
> > > those days.  After the visitors view the funeral display, they can
> then
> > > walk out to the gardens where they can see the President's resting
> place,
> > > alongside his wife Pat.
> > >
> > > O
> > > Olivia S. Anastasiadis, Curator
> > > Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace
> > > 18001 Yorba Linda Boulevard
> > > Yorba Linda, CA  92886
> > > (714) 993-5075 ext. 224; fax (714) 528-0544; e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
> > >
> > > ___________________________________________________________________
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> > >
>
> --
> Sue Maclean                   [log in to unmask]
>