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"NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND" LAW.>>
STACY... MOST EDUCATION
EXPERTS AGREE ON THAT... BUT
SAY IT'S BEEN DIFFICULT TO GET
VOTERS FOCUSED ON EDUCATION
--- GIVEN THE OTHER ISSUES
TAKING CENTER STAGE.
>> THANK YOU MICHAEL. >> BUSH,
OR KERRY? IT'S TOO CLOSE TO
CALL RIGHT NOW, BUT BY THIS
TIME NEXT WEEK, WE'LL KNOW WHO
AMERICA'S NEXT PRESIDENT WILL
BE. IN HONOR OF THE
ELECTION, WE WANT TO INTRODUCE
YOU TONIGHT TO A MAN IN
FAYETTE COUNTY WHOSE
FASCINATION WITH THE AMERICAN
PRESIDENCY IS INSPIRING MANY
YOUNG PEOPLE. CAROL LEE
ESPY HAS THE STORY.>> WALK
INTO BELLMAR MIDDLE SCHOOL IN
BELLE VERNON, FAYETTE COUNTY..
AND YOU'LL GET A CRASH COURSE
ON THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY.
>> THAT'S BECAUSE BELLMAR
IS HOME TO ONE OF THE LARGEST
COLLECTIONS OF POLITICAL
MEMORABILIA IN THE REGION.
>>
THOUSANDS OF PRESIDENTIAL
POSTERS, BUTTONS, BANNERS,
PHOTOGRAPHS AND STATUES --
MANY OF THEM MORE THAN A
HUNDRED YEARS OLD -- ARE ON
DISPLAY HERE. THERE'S
HARDLY A HALLWAY, CLASSROOM..
OR OFFICE THAT DOESN'T CONTAIN
SOME KIND OF MEMORABILIA.>>
THIS IS AN INTERESTING PIECE
ON RONALD REAGAN HERE. THIS IS
FROM 1949. THIS IS A SHIRT
COMMERCIALS. AND THIS IS WHERE
ADVERTISING DOLLARS WENT
BEFORE T-V. >> BELLMAR
PRINCIPAL, STEPHEN RUSSELL,
STARTED THE COLLECTION MANY
YEARS AGO.>> IN 1960, I HAD TO
DO A CURRENT EVENTS ARTICLE
WHEN I WAS IN THE FIFTH
GRADE.. AND LOW AND BEHOLD, I
SAW JOHN F. KENNEDY AND HIS
WIFE AND THAT WAS THE ARTICLE
I CHOSE TO DO MY, MY CURRENT
EVENTS ARTICLE ON. AND MY DAD
WAS THE ONE THAT BROUGHT HOME
MY FIRST POLITICAL CAMPAIGN
BUTTON AND THAT CAMPAIGN
BUTTON SAID, "MAMIE, START
PACKING. THE KENNEDY'S ARE
COMING." >> SINCE THEN,
RUSSELL'S COLLECTION HAS GROWN
AND GROWN .. AND GROWN. NOW
HE SHARES IT WITH HIS STUDENTS.
>> I FIND IT VERY CONDUCIVE AS
A BUILDING PRINCIPLE TO BE
ABLE TO USE THIS MATERIAL TO
MOTIVATE YOUNG PEOPLE.. TO
EVEN MOTIVATE TEACHERS.. AND
WE KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THAT
PART OF THE EDUCATIONAL
PROCESS IS.. SO I.. I REALLY
GET A CHUCKLE OUT OF THE KIDS
WHENEVER THERE'S A CAMPAIGN.
THEY REALLY SEEM TO ENJOY THE
POLITICAL EXTRAVAGANZA.. >> I
DEFINITELY LIKE THE BIG HEAD
DOLL.>> ESPECIALLY WHAT WE PUT
ON HERE WITH THE POSTERS AND
THE DIFFERENT MEMORABILIA
ITEMS AS THE COME OUT
THROUGHOUT THE CAMPAIGNS.>> SO
THE REPUBLICAN ANIMAL IS A
WHAT? IT'S A WHAT?>> ELEPHANT?
>> OKAY AND THE DEMOCRAT?>>
DONKEY.>> IS THE DONKEY. OKAY?
>> AND WITH THE
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION JUST
DAYS AWAY.. RUSSELL'S
COLLECTION HAS BECOME A GREAT
TEACHING TOOL AS WELL.>> I PAY
MORE ATTENTION TO IT NOW..
BECAUSE OF THE ELECTION
BECAUSE ALL THESE PRESIDENTS
HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE WITH
OUR COUNTRY.>> SO TELL ME THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE BUTTONS
OF YESTERDAY AND THE BUTTONS
OF TODAY?>> WELL THE BUTTONS..
FIRST CAME OUT IN 1896.. IN
THE McKINLEY/BRIAN ELECTION.
AND THEY VERY COLORFUL.
THEY'RE NOT AS LARGE AS THE
ONES THAT COME OUT AS TODAY.
TODAY USUALLY BUTTONS ARE TWO
INCHES, THREE INCHES, FOUR
INCHES IN DIAMETER.THE BUTTONS
BACK THEN WERE SEVEN-EIGHTH OF
AN INCH.. OR AN INCH.. RATHER
SMALL.. DEPICTED A NICE
PICTURE OF THE CANDIDATE.
DIDN'T HAVE AS MUCH WRITTEN
INFORMATION ON IT. >>
RUSSELL HAS HUNDREDS AND
HUNDREDS OF BUTTONS. SOME OF
THEM ARE CAMPAIGN BUTTONS.
OTHERS ARE DEDICATED
TO THE MEMORY OF FALLEN
PRESIDENTS.>> IT IS
EVERYWHERE. EVERYWHERE I LOOK
I SEE SOMETHING.>> WELL, THIS
AREA HERE IS DEDICATED TO THE
JOHN F. KENNEDY AND AS WE MOVE
ALONG FURTHER, YOU'LL SEE THE
OTHER MARTYRED PRESIDENTS ARE
ALSO HONORED IN THIS PART OF
THE SCHOOL.>> THIS IS A
DISPLAY CASE HERE.MOST OF
THESE BUSTS/STATUETTES THAT
ARE IN THIS CASE ARE
ORIGINALS. THESE ARE 1880-81
GARFIELD. THESE ARE 1991
McKINLEY'S ARE 1900'S.. AND
SOME OF THEM ARE FROM HIS
CAMPAIGN. THERE ARE FOUR
IMPRESSIVE STATUETTES IN HERE
OF JAMES A. GARFIELD.. THERE,
THERE, THERE AND THERE. AND
THERE'S McKINLEY BUSTS
THROUGHOUT.. ESPECIALLY OVER
IN THIS AREA HERE. >> OVER
THE YEARS, RUSSELL'S
COLLECTION HAS ALSO BECOME A
TOURIST ATTRACTION. IN THE
1980'S.. A THEN RELATIVELY
UNKNOWN COMIC BY THE NAME OF
DENNIS MILLER CAME TO
RUSSELL'S SCHOOL TO DO A STORY
FOR A PITTSBURGH T-V STATION.
>> HI, I'M DENNIS MILLER AND
TONIGHT WE'RE AT BELLMAR
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL.. TO SEE
WHAT HAS TO BE ONE OF THE
LARGEST PRESIDENTIAL
COLLECTIONS IN THE COUNTRY.>>
AND WE HAVE CALVIN COOLIDGE.
IT'S A RATHER LARGE PRINT OF
COLLIDGE.>> EVERYTHING FROM
WASHINGTON.>> PRESIDENT
HARDING WHO DIED IN OFFICE IN
1923.>> ACTUALLY NOTHING THIS
GENTLEMAN SAYS IS A GUESS.
THIS IS STEPHEN RUSSELL AND
HE'S THE RINGMASTER OF THIS
COLLECTION>> AND AS CAMPAIGN
2004 WINDS DOWN.. STUDENTS
BEGIN TO REALIZE THE
IMPORTANCE OF RUSSELL'S
COLLECTION.>> IT'S KIND OF
NEAT TO SEE WHAT THE DIFFERENT
PRESIDENTS ARE LIKE.>> IT'S
NICE TO LOOK AT.. ESPECIALLY
WHEN YOU'RE WALKING THE HALL.
>> I THINK IT'S NICE BECAUSE
IT'S REAL EDUCATING AND IT
TEACHES US A LOT.>> IT'S LIKE
WALKING THROUGH A HALL OF
FACES. YOU CAN LOOK UP AND SEE
ALL THE FACES OF THE
PRESIDENTS.>> MY FAVORITE ONE
IS THE PICTURE BY THE OFFICE..
OF JOHN F. KENNEDY.>> WHAT
HAPPENS WHEN YOU RETIRE.. TO
ALL OF THIS?>> WELL, HOPE..
HOPEFULLY.. A COLLEGE,
UNIVERSITY OR HISTORICAL
SOCIETY.. SOME INTERESTED
PERSONS IN THE COUNTRY WILL
TAKE AN INTEREST IN THIS. SO
I WANT THE THING TO BE
PRESERVED. HOPEFULLY,
SOMEWHERE IN THE NEXT FEW
YEARS, WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE
TO FIND SOMEBODY TO
PERMANENTLY PLACE MANY OF THE
ARTIFACTS FROM THIS COLLECTION
SO THAT MANY MORE PEOPLE CAN
ENJOY WHAT'S HERE.
>> AS YOU CAN SEE MISTER
RUSSELL IS A BUSY PERSON...
NOT ONLY AS A SCHOOL
PRINCIPAL.. HE ALSO WORKS FOR
THE PIRATES.. AND... HE'S
CURATOR AND GENERAL CHAIRMAN
OF THE MID-MON VALLEY ALL
SPORTS HALL OF FAME.... AND OF
COURSE, STACY... THAT
COLLECTION IS A JOB IN ITSELF.
>> HAS HE EVER DONE A COUNT
ON EVERYTHING? >> YOU ONLY SAW
A FRACTION... HE HAS LOTS MORE
PACKED AWAY.... EASILY OVER
TEN THOUSAND ITEMS.. BUT
THAT'S A CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE.
>> THANK YOU CAROL.>> THANK
