July 2011

The New Mexico History Museum began as the development of a storage facility for collections at the Palace of the Governors decades ago and has evolved into a first-class museum project, spurred by the national rethinking of the role history museums play in communities. They are no longer attics or basements full of long-forgotten objects. They are now places that partner in education, civic engagement, and social change.

“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of the president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. So help me God.” It was 2:38 PM Central Standard Time, Friday, November 22, 1963, when Lyndon Johnson, right hand raised, repeated those words in a stuffy, cramped compartment aboard USAF 26000, Air Force One, in Dallas, Texas. Nearby, President John F. Kennedy’s body lay in a bronze casket. His widow stood next to Johnson. Less than three hours earlier, Vice President Johnson and President Kennedy had been cheerfully campaigning in downtown Dallas.