MEMORIES RELIVED WITH ANNIVERSARY ATTENDANCE TOPS 3.6 MILLION.Byline: ERIC LEACH Staff Writer SIMI VALLEY Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. -- When Debbie Wright Debbie Wright is an American singer. Wright sang on early P-Funk material in the late 1960s early 1970s with Parlet member, Mallia Franklin. Wright and Jeanette Washington became first female members of P-Funk in 1975. Wright, Franklin & Washington became Parlet in 1978. mentioned to her airplane seatmate seat·mate n. A person sitting next to another on a conveyance such as an airplane: "His seatmate was a gray-haired woman with glasses" Anne Tyler. that she was from Simi Valley, he asked whether she'd ever visited the Reagan Presidential Library, where he'd bought gifts online from the museum store. Wright had to laugh. She's been working there almost since the library opened -- exactly 15 years ago today. ``This library has definitely put us on the map,'' she said, noting that her fellow traveler fellow traveler n. One who sympathizes with or supports the tenets and program of an organized group, such as the Communist Party, without being a member. Noun 1. immediately recognized her hometown. ``We used to have to explain where Simi Valley was.'' More than 3.6 million people from all over the world have visited since the library opened Nov. 4, 1991, on a windy hillside overlooking Simi Valley. This year's attendance set a record of 505,398, topping the attendance of 500,000 in 2004, the year Reagan died. And Wright and Carolyn Mente have been there the whole time. Mente, who manages the museum store, got to see Reagan, then-President George H.W. Bush Noun 1. George H.W. Bush - vice president under Reagan and 41st President of the United States (born in 1924) George Herbert Walker Bush, President Bush, George Bush, Bush and three other former presidents dedicate the library on opening day. She is still thrilled by the place where she works, driving to her job every day from Porter Ranch along the Ronald Reagan Freeway. ``It's a beautiful drive, and the destination's the best part,'' she said. ``It's been an honor and a pleasure every day.'' Wright first came to the library for the opening and came back on Veterans Day, when she met Mente and applied for a job. ``I was immediately in awe of this place,'' she said, explaining how she started working as a clerk and became assistant manager of the main gift shop and manager of the satellite store in the Air Force One Pavilion. The venue's crown jewel Crown jewel A particularly profitable or otherwise particularly valuable corporate unit or asset of a firm. Often used in risk arbitrage. The most desirable entities within a diversified corporation as measured by asset value, earning power, and business prospects; in takeover opened just more than a year ago and documents Reagan's travels as president, when he tried to use charm and one-on-one diplomacy to win over world leaders For a list of heads of state, see . World leaders is a MMORPG. The game involves creating a state, joining an alliance and going into war. It is mostly played by players from Israel, China, USA, Britain, Brazil and Saudi-Arabia. . Both Mente and Wright have seen national and world leaders arrive to pay tribute to Reagan. They've seen ordinary citizens from former communist countries who sometimes get teary-eyed as they recognize Reagan's help in ending the Cold War. ``When we play DVDs of him in the museum store, I still get emotional,'' Mente said. ``He had tremendous charisma. It was great to be in his presence and hear him talk about his life experiences. ``When he would come to the library, some people would just cry.'' Wright has a wall in her home devoted to photographs of Reagan and his wife, Nancy, posed with members of her family. ``They are very special and all personally signed,'' she said. ``They are the prized possessions in my house.'' The library houses more than 55 million pages of gubernatorial, presidential and personal papers and more than 100,000 gifts and artifacts artifacts see specimen artifacts. chronicling the lives of the Reagans. The museum is filled with exhibits that follow Reagan's life -- from his childhood in Illinois through his career in radio, television and films to his election as governor of California The Governor of California is the highest executive authority in the state government, whose responsibilities include making yearly "State of the State" addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced. and president of the United States The head of the Executive Branch, one of the three branches of the federal government. The U.S. Constitution sets relatively strict requirements about who may serve as president and for how long. . The museum store where Mente and Wright work is a key part of the overall experience for many visitors who want to take home examples of what they've seen. And for the museum store duo, their workplace has provided them with plenty of memories over 15 years. Even after his death, Reagan's presence can still be felt at the library and museum ``everywhere you walk,'' Wright said. ``This will be a special place forever.'' eric.leach(at)dailynews.com (805) 583-7602 IF YOU GO The Reagan Presidential Library, 40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley, will celebrate its 15th anniversary, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. today. Festivities fes·tiv·i·ty n. pl. fes·tiv·i·ties 1. A joyous feast, holiday, or celebration; a festival. 2. The pleasure, joy, and gaiety of a festival or celebration. 3. will include music, refreshments, children's activities and a photo exhibit. For more information, call (800) 410-8352 or see www.reaganlibrary.com. Facts, figures Opened Nov. 4, 1991, at 40 Presidential Drive in Simi Valley. Has hosted more than 3.6 million visitors. This year, it set an attendance record of 505,398. Contains more than 50 million pages of presidential papers, half a million feet of motion-picture film, 20,500 videotapes, 25,500 audio recordings and nearly 1.5 million photos. Source: Reagan Library. CAPTION(S): 5 photos, 2 boxes Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) A statue of Ronald Reagan, top, faces west into the sun in the rear section of the Presidential Library in Simi Valley on Friday. Visitors to the library, above, are the first to tour the new Air Force One Pavilion as it opens to the public Oct. 24, 2005. The venue's crown jewel documents Reagan's travels as president. (3 -- color) Joe Klein For the basketball player, see . Joe Klein (born September 7, 1946) is a longtime Washington, D.C. and New York journalist and columnist, perhaps best known for his novel Primary Colors of New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , right, and his sister Janet Snodgrass of Winnetka visit Ronald Reagan's grave Friday at his Presidential Library in Simi Valley. John Lazar/Staff Photographer (4 -- color) Former President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, inspect a portion of the Berlin Wall that was donated to his Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley. Daily News file photo (5 -- color) For the first time in history, five U.S. presidents gathered in one place. Then-President George H.W. Bush and former Presidents Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon appeared in the courtyard of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Center for Public Affairs on Nov. 4, 1991. Box: (1) IF YOU GO (see text) (2) Facts, figures (see text) |
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