On Statues...

Hey folks!

Here is a photo of me rubbing the foot of the Will Rogers statue here in the Capitol. This is a famous statue because for years lawmakers would rub Rogers' foot before going out on the Senate floor to give a speech. It was a good luck charm. That is why you can see his feet are pretty worn. With the addition of the Capitol Visitor Center last year, they have since moved it.

Every state is allowed to display two statues here in the Capitol. There are a few rules though: they must be made out of either bronze or marble, they must be paid for by the state, and they must also choose the person they wish to honor. Every state is represented here, but some states want to update their statues. Therefore, they must choose which statue they want to replace. Helen Keller from Alabama is the newest statue to be unveiled. It will soon be a big day for our office when Michigan replaces it's statue of Zachariah Chandler (Google him!) with Former President Gerald R. Ford. Quite an upgrade!

Statues are housed all over the Capitol from the Visitors Center which hold Keller as well as former astronaut Jack Swigert. Who is Jack Swigert you ask? Well, ever seen Apollo 13? He is played by Kevin Bacon. Talk about six degrees of separation...that guy is everywhere!

Many of them are housed in Statuary Hall, the old House of Representatives chamber and the more famous one (Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson etc) are in the Capitol Rotunda. But others are just in random hallways that most tourists never see.

Well this is a nice little diversion but coming up I'll talk about a weird day in the Senate and my Thankgiving with the family...

Take care!