Nixon Funeral to Be Held Wednesday in Yorba Linda

When America last mourned the passing of a President more than two decades ago, the eyes of the world fell on the hills of Texas that Lyndon Baines Johnson always loved. Thousands waited in the cold wind, 21-gun salutes and jets overhead marked the occasion, and then-President Richard Nixon shut down the government to honor his predecessor.

Now, as the nation plays out that scene again, it is this town’s turn to take center stage as it buries its most prominent native son.

It is here, in this bedroom town of 57,000 people--where horse-grazing laws often mark the fiercest political debate of the day--that world leaders and neighbors alike will gather next week to mark the passing of Nixon at the age of 81. He died Friday night in New York City.

Washington is often the focus of much of the national mourning that follows the death of a President--but not this time. Because Nixon had asked that he not lie in state in the Capitol, the library that bears his name will instead assume that high-profile role.

Officials at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace announced Friday night that members of the public will be invited to gather at the library beginning at 1 p.m. Tuesday to await the arrival of the motorcade bearing his body. Nixon will lie in state at the library for public viewing from 3 p.m. that day through the next morning.

At 4 p.m. Wednesday, with family and friends in attendance, the library will hold funeral services, with Dr. Billy Graham as officiant. President Bill Clinton, Gov. Pete Wilson and Sen. Robert Dole will deliver the eulogies.

A private burial will follow at the library, near the resting place of Nixon’s wife, Pat, who died last year.

Members of the public are invited to send flowers to the library at 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda, Calif. 92686. Except for the public viewings, the library will be closed through Thursday morning.

The list of world dignitaries and other key questions in the funeral planning remained uncertain Friday night, but one thing seems certain: as much as Nixon’s family and friends intend to maintain a private air to the funeral ceremonies, the city of his birthplace will now become the focus of the most attention in its quiet history.

“The city is totally ready,” Yorba Linda Mayor Barbara Kiley said. “We’ve been prepared for days, quite frankly.”

Kiley predicted a stately affair in a city that has come to regard the 37th president with a special affection, even after his fall from national favor in the wake of Watergate.

“We’re the hometown. We will tend to his memory,” she said. “Orange County is of course the bastion of Republicanism, and the respect that will turn out for President Nixon will be overwhelming, there’s no doubt. We welcome them and we have open arms for anyone who wishes to pay their respects. He’ll always be the President to us.”

In a placid town where many of the churches and downtown buildings from Nixon’s birth 81 years ago still stand today, next week’s event offer a potentially daunting task.

Since the opening of the Nixon library in 1990, the town has played host to world leaders several times already, most recently for Pat Nixon’s funeral last year. But her husband’s funeral and burial could bring the town the most attention of all.

Security will prove a key concern in the days ahead, as the Secret Service and other federal agencies converge on Yorba Linda to ensure a smooth event. Officials with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the Brea Police Department, which patrols Yorba Linda, say they will also begin planning security measures to prepare for the funeral.

“I suspect the next few days will be days that the eyes of the world will focus on Orange County to perhaps unprecedented levels,” said Orange County Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez, whose district includes Yorba Linda.

“It’s a very, very significant event and our goal as a county should be to pay our deep respects, to provide a warm welcome to leaders in this country and probably leaders from around the world who will join in paying respects to the President,” he said. “I am very glad that he’ll be coming home to be placed at rest where it all began.”

Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Thomas F. Riley echoed Vasquez’s remarks, saying that he expects “a well-attended service.”

One key focus, Riley said, will be maintaining the dignity of the event and avoiding any “extracurricular activities” that may detract from the private mourning of Nixon’s family and friends. “That’s the way it should be,” he said.

Times staff writer Jodi Wilgoren contributed to this report.

Richard Nixon Comes Home

Former President Richard Nixon will be buried at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace next to his wife, Pat, who died last year. The public will be able to pay last respects beginning Tuesday.

Tuesday

Nixon’s body arrives: In the afternoon, on Air force One

Public gathering at library: 1 p.m.

Public viewing: 3 p.m. through 11 a.m. Wednesday

Wednesday

Service: For family and friends only at 4 p.m.

Officiant: the Rev. billy Graham

Eulogists: President Clinton, Sen. Robert Dole of Kansas, California Gov. Pete Wilson

Interment: Private, following services at a location near Mrs. Nixon’s grave

Messages and Flowers

Address: 1800 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda, 92686

Fax: (714) 528-0544

Information: (714) 993-3393

Sources: Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace