Hoover Library Celebrates Hoovers’ 150th Birthdays With Exhibit, Panel Discussion, and Music
By Angela Tudico | National Archives News
WASHINGTON, August 6, 2024 — The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum marks the 150th anniversary of the birthdays of Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover with an exhibit and months of commemorations culminating this Saturday with Hoover’s Hometown Days, an annual event in West Branch, IA.
Tour group visiting Hoover 150: A Birthday Celebration. Photo courtesy of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum.
On August 10, President Hoover’s birthday, the Presidential Library will celebrate with free admission to the museum, made possible by the Hoover Presidential Foundation. Special events will include a panel discussion in the Figge Auditorium. During the Honoring Hoover: Family & Historian Roundtable Discussion, descendants of the Hoover family will discuss the lives and legacies of their great-grandparents with Hoover historians.
That day, the Library and Museum will also serve as a backdrop to "Hoover's Hootenanny." The concert will feature a country and bluegrass band and a performance from The Shades of Blue Jazz Ensemble, part of the U.S. Air Force Band of Mid-America. Prior to the band performances, the Hooverball National Championships will take place on the grounds of the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site.
“Hoover’s Hometown Days is always a special opportunity to highlight the Hoover story in his birthplace and hometown," said Tom Schwartz, director of the Library. "Our role allows us to provide unique perspectives on Hoover's accomplishments and life of public service, and this year's program offers a fitting celebration, as we honor Hoover's 150th birthday and prepare to build towards the future."
Visitors to the museum will be treated to a unique birthday-themed exhibit. Hoover 150: A Birthday Celebration opened this past May. The exhibit sheds light on the private lives of the Hoovers by exploring how they celebrated their birthdays over the years. It features video and sound recordings, objects, and photographs from the library’s own collection, many of which are on display for the first time.
“This exhibit represents a collaborative effort by Hoover Museum staff who researched, created, and designed Hoover 150 in its entirety,” said Melanie Wier, assistant curator at the Hoover Library and Museum. “We hope visitors join in the celebration of these special anniversaries and realize the importance the Hoovers placed in acknowledging others, savoring fleeting moments, and delighting in life's wonders.”
Museumgoers can expect to see more than 60 birthday-related items on display from the collection, including signed birthday cards, a dress Lou Henry Hoover wore on her birthday while in the White House, and a signed “Happy Birthday Mr. Hoover” T-shirt sent to Hoover for his 88th birthday in 1962 from the Shadyside Boys Club in western Pennsylvania.
The exhibit will remain open until the library closes for a major renovation and expansion in early 2025, completely renovating the exhibition galleries that have been on display since 1992.
“This is an opportunity to discover the Hoovers in a remarkable way,” Schwartz said. “This exhibit properly provides a special sendoff to our galleries, sharing the Hoover story in a festive way. With a monumental renovation only months away, we encourage visitors to rediscover the museum one more time before our doors close until 2026.”
The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum is located in West Branch, IA, and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit their website.
Public Affairs Specialist Aaron Scheinblum contributed to this report.