by John Wenz

Dec. 26-March 27 School House to White House: The Education of the Presidents Durham Museum, 801 S. 10th St. Reception Dec. 26, 1-5 p.m., $7/$6 seniors/$5 ages 3-12 444.5071, durhammuseum.org Our presidents sometimes stand either heroically tall in our eyes, or they are villified — but it’s usually from a period of four to eight years. They had careers even before that, and even farther back, childhoods. So for those dying to know how Jimmy Carter did in school, Durham’s School House to White House exhibit is for you. This traveling exhibit, part of the National Archives Presidential Libraries, offers insight into the school lives of presidents from Hoover forward. Witness the nascent days of Omaha’s son-by-birth Gerald Ford, who bulked up for college football at Michigan before becoming our only unelected president. Or see young nerdlinger Richard Nixon’s eighth grade autobiography, and look for signs of being a crook. And you’ll even see some of the PG parts of JFK’s youth. This is for the history nerds who know, or want to know, that our presidents were people before they were commanders-in-chief.

COMMENTS

(We're testing Facebook commenting (you can login using other services, too); please let us know if you have trouble.)