Daughters Mark Nixon Anniversary

In honor of what would have been their parents’ 54th wedding anniversary today, the daughters of the late President Richard Nixon and Pat Nixon have sent two large floral wreaths to the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace.

The white and yellow flowers were placed on the graves of the former President and First Lady, who are buried next to Nixon’s birthplace home in Yorba Linda. The Nixons were married on June 21, 1940. Pat Nixon died on June 22, 1993, and her husband died April 22.

Their daughters, Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon Eisenhower, are both living with their families on the East Coast.

Nearly two months after the President’s elaborate burial ceremony, large crowds are still gathering at the side-by-side graves to pay their respects, said Kevin Cartwright, a spokesman for the Nixon library.

Cartwright said that Pat Nixon’s grave, which originally bore a pink marble marker, now has a black granite headstone that matches her husband’s. The inscription on Pat Nixon’s marker includes her response to a reporter’s question about her ability to communicate with people in foreign lands:

“Even when people can’t speak your language, they can tell if you have love in your heart.”

Cartwright said Pat Nixon’s ability to transcend language barriers was “one of the reasons she was such a wonderful goodwill ambassador for the country.”

The Nixon library, which is open seven days a week, currently features an exhibition of California Impressionist painters.

There is also a display of neck ties worn by U.S. Presidents over the years, accompanied by a series of historic photographs.

The oldest tie in the exhibit belonged to Thomas Jefferson. There is also a bow tie worn by Abraham Lincoln.