Mother's Day Trip to Kansas City - Day Two

The Liberty Memorial

Mom and I decided to visit the National World War I Museum at the Liberty Memorial.  Anyone who grew up in Kansas City is familiar with this although many of us have not visited it since it was reconstructed, enlarged, and developed.  We remember the two halls on either side of tower with a perpetual flame (electrically lit) that symbolized the liberty that was "guaranteed" by the "war to end all wars." Sadly, of course, that was not true.  But no one realized that when ground was broken in 1921 in a ceremony attended by 100,000 Kansas Citians along with the Allied leaders:  Field Marshall Foch (France), General Pershing (United States), Admiral Beatty (Great Britain), General Diaz (Italy), and General Jacques (Belgium).  Also present was the nine-year-old Ruth Platt who walked from 31st and Flora with a procession from her school, St. Vincent's Academy.  Mom shared that bit of history with one of guides who was showing us through main gallery with the "Music of World War I" exhibit.

Ruth Platt Pickett being interviewed at the National World
War I Museum

Within 15 minutes, a group from the museum's public relations department showed up with a video camera to interview her about her experience.  She told how her mother had given her sister, Maude, and her a nickel apiece for streetcar fare to get back home.  But kids being what they were and still are, Mom and Maude decided to spend their nickels getting an ice cream cone and then walked back home!  After Mom enjoyed listening to the music of that era at the exhibit, we enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Over There Cafe courtesy of the museum staff.

Mom with Pat Croaker

As we visited with the guide, Pat Croaker, we learned that he had grown up in Good Counsel Parish in Kansas City and, much to our surprise and delight, had been a friend and classmate of my brother, Terry, at Rockhurst High School.  You can read more about the Liberty Memorial in an interesting and accurate Wikipedia article.

You can see more pictures of our visit in the Picasa album with pictures of this Kansas City visit.  We returned to Grand Court where we had dinner and then back in Mom's apartment watched Gran Turino with Clint Eastwood followed by one of Mom's favorite programs, Blue Bloods with Tom Selleck who is the real reason she likes it.