Political Pilgrimage : 500 GOP Faithful From Convention Visit Nixon Library

Tricia Nixon Cox laughed as the visiting GOP convention delegate clasped her hand and recounted a story about the first time he met her.

It was 42 years ago. Bob Masson was 19 at the time, and Cox was 8. She was vacationing with her parents at a cottage in Maine, and Masson was the busboy who delivered their room-service meals for three days.

Memories came flooding back to Masson on Wednesday when he visited the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace.

Tour buses brought about 500 people attending the Republican National Convention in San Diego for a visit to the library, where they were greeted by the late president’s daughter. She smiled graciously at compliments and posed for pictures with many of the delegates.

“It was a thrill to meet her because all the memories came back,” said Masson, who lives in Old Greenwich, Conn. “She was very genuine.”

Eighteen years after that first encounter with the Nixon family in Maine, Masson worked as an advance man in then-President Nixon’s 1972 reelection campaign, and he still cherishes the memory.

After viewing the Nixon family photos at the library, Masson said he realized the importance of preserving memorable occasions for posterity.

“Nixon left his stamp on the world, and to see it documented so beautifully was a wonderful experience,” said Masson.

Masson, 61, and his wife, Ginnie, 63, were among those who had keepsake photos taken with Cox.

Elizabeth Kelly, an 83-year-old delegate from Cincinnati, shed tears as she stepped into the Nixon museum. She said Nixon had been misunderstood by the public, and this visit to his birthplace made her favorite president even more beloved.

After listening to a replay of a presidential speech, Kelly said that Nixon inherited the Vietnam War from earlier presidents, and took the blame for Watergate because he was the president. She credited him with accomplishing the historic opening to China, which led to the relaxation of tensions between the two Pacific superpowers after more than two decades of mutual hostility.

“Too bad he had to die before people recognized how great he was,” she said.

“Nixon was part of a great Republican legacy--principled and moderate,” said library director John Taylor, explaining the current crush of visitors. He estimated that by the end of the week about 2,500 convention-goers and delegates will have visited the library.

Joseph Stamm, a delegate from New York City, said the tour gave him an opportunity to learn more about a president who often seemed aloof and difficult to get close to. “He had his ups and downs but the more we learn about him, the more we’ll realize what a great person he was,” Stamm said.

Stamm videotaped each item in the display cases to show to his five children when he returns home. Although he has done some other sightseeing, Stamm said he particularly enjoyed the library tour because it was “true to life” and a learning experience.

The tour was a convention highlight that William C. Hammers of Memphis, Tenn., said he “wouldn’t have missed for anything.” Hammers said he felt a special attachment for Nixon, who like himself was a veteran of World War II.

Gretchen Franz, 82, of Moses Lake, Wash., said Nixon “was a great president, particularly for foreign policy. A lot worse has happened now that didn’t during his presidency.”