RICHARD NIXON: 1913-1994 : Farewells Bade From the Outside : Crowds: Only invitees could enter Nixon library grounds, but many others got as close as possible.

Inside the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace: President Clinton, Bob Hope and hundreds of other celebrities and dignitaries.

Outside: a man who drove from Iowa because it was his “last chance to say goodby.” A father who brought his 5-year-old son to witness a “history lesson.” And a woman who didn’t so much think Richard Nixon deserved respect as that as he needed compassion.

Under a canopy of steel-gray clouds and amid a hand-numbing chill, they were among hundreds of people lined up outside the site of Wednesday’s funeral service for former President Nixon. None was included on the dignitary-studded guest list, but they weren’t about to miss it.

If they couldn’t be inside, outside was the next best thing.

The scene was decidedly Middle America: children clutching tiny American flags. People eating Cracker Jacks and ice cream. Horses bearing mounted security officers clip-clopping along Yorba Linda Boulevard.

As the service began, they huddled around television monitors set up in the middle of the street. Contrary to the festive atmosphere an hour before, most sat quietly, riveted.

Some came to honor Nixon because they felt he deserved it. Some came to honor him, they said, because it was the right thing to do. Some came to experience history. On the whole, they proved a forgiving lot.

Collectively, they symbolized what seemed to be the theme for the day: One man, two views.

“Before this all happened the only thing people could remember about him was Watergate,” said Dean Bouldin, who brought his 5-year-old son, Henry, in a red wagon. “I’m glad. Now they’re remembering the good stuff, too.”

Bouldin took the opportunity to give a mini-history lesson to his son. “I told him about President Nixon’s foreign policy, how he made friends with other countries, and how he had a major impact on the Vietnam War.”

And?

“And then I told him he made a mistake and he got caught.”

Glenn Stine, 42, drove 2,000 miles from Des Moines, Iowa, to pay his respects to his political idol.

“I just want to say goodby to him even though it’s from a distance,” said Stine, who clutched a stack of Nixon commemorative newspapers. “These are souvenirs. I’ll hand these out back home. A lot of people know he was a great man.”

Others sat on curbs, on their parents’ shoulders and on lawn chairs, hoping to get a better view. As the Rev. Billy Graham quoted Scripture, children and adults alike dabbed tears from their eyes.

At one point, a doe-eyed boy in a yellow rain slicker strayed away from his family and wandered across Yorba Linda Boulevard, as if in a trance, to within five feet of a giant TV monitor. A police officer gently escorted him back to his parents.

More curious than solemn, three Cal State Fullerton students with cameras tried to improve their vantage point by hopping over a back-yard fence to sneak past police roadblocks. Security officers quickly collared them and forced them behind the yellow tape.

“We just wanted to get as close as we could and see what was going on,” said Greg Morris, 23, of Fullerton. “We aren’t old enough to have really known much about him, but we know this is a significant, historical day.”

When the solemn service was finished, much of the crowd lingered for more than an hour, converging on big-name celebrities as they emerged from the library. Most dignitaries brushed away the autograph seekers and climbed into waiting limousines.

One who obliged the crowd was former President George Bush, who halted for a few minutes to sign about half a dozen autographs. Bush smiled when one well-wisher told him how much he had done for the world.

Ray Sprigg of Hollywood obtained a few autographs, but he never got what he most sought: an official program from the funeral. Sprigg even offered to buy one from guests, but none would part with what is sure to be a collector’s item.