Mourning a First Lady : Public May Visit Today as Body Lies in State; Private Memorial Service Scheduled Saturday

The body of former First Lady Pat Nixon will lie in state this evening at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace, and hundreds are expected to pay their last respects to the woman who displayed grace and dignity under the pressure of public life.

Former President Nixon, his daughters Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon Eisenhower and their immediate families are scheduled to arrive at the library this afternoon as Mrs. Nixon’s casket is brought here under military escort from El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

Mrs. Nixon died Tuesday at the family home in Park Ridge, N.J., of lung cancer after a long illness. Her death came one day after the couple’s 53rd wedding anniversary.

Mrs. Nixon’s family members will be joined this afternoon by the Rev. Billy Graham, a close family friend who urged Nixon to run for president in 1968 and who will conduct Saturday’s private funeral, to be attended by a limited number of friends and family members.

Library officials said they could not say how many people might show up for tonight’s public viewing, to be held from 5 to 9 p.m.

“We just have no way to tell,” said Kevin Cartwright, museum spokesman. “Mrs. Nixon was very popular. She pioneered the role of the First Lady in the second half of this century.”

Mrs. Nixon’s closed casket will be placed at the far end of the library’s lobby, where a two-man honor guard of U.S. Marines will be stationed. The guards will change every half-hour.

Because Saturday’s service is limited to about 250 friends and family members, those who could not be accommodated at the Saturday service have been asked to pay their respects along with the public this evening.

Plans for the memorial service were still being worked out late Thursday night and a guest list had not been finalized. But known attendees will include former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald R. Ford and their wives. The Bushes are not expected to attend because of the death of Barbara Bush’s brother.

White House officials said it was still unclear who would represent President Clinton, but neither Clinton nor his wife Hillary will be able to attend because of scheduling conflicts.

Cartwright said that perhaps 20 or more members of both houses of Congress would attend either Friday’s viewing or Saturday’s service.

Four eulogies will be delivered--by U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, California Gov. Pete Wilson, former Nixon aide James (Don) Hughes and family friend Cynthia Milligan, daughter of Clifford Hardin, who was one of Nixon’s secretaries of agriculture.

Members of the Chapman University Choir and the Master Chorale of Orange County have been asked to perform six pieces, including “My Country ‘tis of Thee” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” a Rodgers and Hammerstein hit requested by Julie Eisenhower.

Twenty singers have been chosen from the two groups and will be accompanied by a 15-piece orchestra, according to William Hall, dean of Chapman’s School of Music.

The service will take place on a grassy patch in the amphitheater next to Nixon’s boyhood home, which stands in its original location. Mrs. Nixon will be buried on a small plot of land next to her garden, which contains five varieties of roses. Richard Nixon has a burial plot beside her.

After the service, which is scheduled to last 75 minutes, a small reception will be held inside the museum for those in attendance. The 1 p.m. burial, to include family members only, concludes the service.

On Thursday, library officials were attending to last-minute details, such as the placement of white, folding wooden chairs on the tiny parcel of grass in the amphitheater. By midafternoon, about 250 chairs had been assembled.

The terrazzo lobby was being polished, and workers were touching up painted surfaces here and there. Military officers discussed plans for the service and where they should be positioned.

The library is to remain closed until Sunday, when it will reopen with free admission through Tuesday. On Thursday, occasional would-be visitors wandered up to the front doors only to find them locked.

Thousands had called in the two days since Mrs. Nixon died. Written condolences have come from the embassies of Russia, the People’s Republic of China, France, South Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Bob and Delores Hope had written, as had baseball great Ted Williams, actor Red Skelton and pianist Van Cliburn. The prime minister of Japan, the president of Mexico and both the prime minister and foreign minister of Israel had sent condolences.

Back in December, 1991, just nine months after the Nixon library opened, spokesman Cartwright said, visitors were asked their opinions of what could be improved.

“Overwhelmingly, they said they wanted more exhibits (featuring) Pat Nixon,” Cartwright said. “They wanted to see more of Mrs. Nixon.”

A new room was added that included some of Mrs. Nixon’s gowns. Gifts given to the First Lady by foreign leaders were put on display for the first time, as were newfound personal mementos, such as a thimble she used as a child.

Paying Respects to Pat Nixon The public will be admitted to the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace today to pay respects to Pat Nixon, who died Tuesday. It will be a closed-casket ceremony. Today When: 5-9 p.m. Where: Library main lobby Attendants: Marine Corps honor guard; will change every half-hour Protocol: No photos allowed Saturday Service: For family and friends only, 10 a.m. in outside amphitheater. Officiant: the Rev. Billy Graham Eulogists: Gov. Pete Wilson, U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, former Nixon aide James D. (Don) Hughs, family friend Cynthia Hardin Milligan Interment: Service for family only at 1 p.m. Library Burials Mrs. Nixon is the sixth First Lady to be buried at a presidential library. The other five are: Mamie Doud Eisenhower Born: 1896 Died: 1979 Buried: Dwight D. Eisenhower Library, Abilene, Kan. Lucy Webb Hayes Born: 1831 Died: 1889 Buried: Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, Fremont, Ohio Lou Henry Hoover Born: 1874 Died: 1944 Buried: Herbert Hoover Library, West Branch, Iowa Eleanor Roosevelt Born: 1884 Died: 1962 Buried: Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, N.Y. Elizabeth (Bess) Wallace Truman Born: 1885 Died: 1982 Buried: Harry S. Truman Library, Independence, Mo. Sources: Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace; World Book Encyclopedia; Researched by CAROLINE LEMKE / Los Angeles Times