Memorial Trust Meeting

Libby, the librarian with the Second Air Division Memorial Library, invited me to come to the Annual General Meeting of the Trust this morning. The library is a living memorial and so funding and memorial related events are run by the Trust. She told me several times that I was by no means expected to come, especially since I had been given rather short notice. But I'm sure, thanks to my rather lack-luster blog posts of late, my faithful readers are painfully aware that on the average day I certainly have nothing better to do.

I met with Libby and the library director at the Millennium Library (where the Memorial Library is housed) and traveled with them to County Hall for the meeting.

Parts of the actual meeting I enjoyed:

Learning about the group that makes this library possible.

The stockbroker's report. I know this sounds boring, but he explained the reasons for the recession really well. I've never been much good with economics and I think I actually get it now.

The summary of their recent trip to Dallas for a convention with the American Second Air Division group.

Listening to the memories of one of the Trust Governors who was retiring. He was ten years old when Americans starting coming to East Anglia to fight in World War II. He and his family befriended many of them only to hear about their deaths weeks or even days later. It is truly amazing to hear about the impact that Americans had on this area and on the individuals who lived here. Those pilots were every little boy's heroes.

And lets not forget the fact that both the Chairman and Libby mentioned me and spoke highly of my volunteer work for the library. (Although thus far, I haven't done that much. But I have big plans!)

Parts of after-the-meeting I enjoyed:

Free lunch.

Pretty much every person there came up to talk to me during the informal lunch. I talked to at least two British lawyers, and two American World War II veterans. One of the vets started talking politics and I just smiled at him until he was finished.
Finally he looked at me and said, "But you probably voted for Obama."
"I did."
Then he said to me, "Well, now he's our president and I will support him."
This man (who was, by the way, wearing a tie with small outlines of the state of Texas all over it) was the most polite person I have ever disagreed with.