Permission slips in grade school meant one thing: field trips. It was hard to focus in class when you were watching the clock for the time you would put on your jacket, get in line, and step onto the big yellow school bus. Getting away from your desk to explore a local site was always a welcome break from the everyday. Sometimes, it would even mean a stop for fast food or ice cream.

For many Iowa fourth graders, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum was one of those field trip experiences. It was a rite of passage if you lived in the region at that point in your life. It’s no coincidence that kids at this age are being taken to the museum. Fourth graders are typically beginning to study civics in regard to democratic principles and how these guide governments, so it is a good time to expose them to a museum and historic site.

It probably came as a surprise to many children that someone so important came from somewhere so close. Here was a person, orphaned at nine, who fed 9.5 million people during World War I, standardized everything from units of milk to traffic lights, became President of the United States, and was born down the interstate from where they lived! The experience they shared with their classmates is impossible to replicate within the confines of a traditional classroom.

Often, these museum field trips are paired with a visit to the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site. It has 186.6 acres of history and natural beauty. Kids are greeted by a park ranger in National Park Service regalia to tour the Birthplace Cottage, Friends Meetinghouse, Isis statue, Schoolhouse, and Jesse Hoover’s Blacksmith Shop, that often has a blacksmith working the bellows and shaping steel. Visiting these sites makes the experience feel much more real.

If you were one of the many fourth graders who has visited the Hoover Campus over the years, you probably have a few memories you could share of that field trip. Just as it was when you went, kids are still turning in their permission slips to grab their jackets, get onto the big yellow school bus, and make their way to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum. It is a destination that continues to educate and inspire children. Last year, 4,211 students made the trip.

Right now, we are engaged in an exciting project. The Museum will undergo its first renovation since 1992. The work will begin in the first quarter of 2025 and will be completed in summer 2026. This will create more engaging exhibits to allow visitors to better experience the stories of both Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover in more engaging ways.

In order to accomplish this, the Timeless Values | Modern Experience campaign was created. The goal of this is to raise $20 million to fund the renovation. Of that, we have raised $16.1 million. We have been very fortunate to have so many wonderful donors help us get to this point, but we still need help to raise the final $3.9 million to reach our target.

Every dollar you give will help support our efforts. Your gifts will go toward creating a more immersive experience not just for school children but for you and many others, as well. What we do collectively today will impact visitors in the near future and those who have yet to be born. The Hoover story is ours to share. By donating to the Timeless Values | Modern Experience campaign, the uncommon legacies of Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover become part of yours also.

When the renovation is completed, it would be wonderful to see you in West Branch. Just like it was when you were in fourth grade, we hope that you will grab your jacket, jump in your car, and head down I80 to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum to see all the terrific changes that will be completed and be inspired once again. Don’t worry. You won’t need a permission slip this time.