This weekend marks the Fourth of July celebration, a moment marked by celebration, time with family, and relaxation. Parades, fireworks, barbeques….all are part of the composite profile we think of at this time of year. But it does have a more serious side to it (I know, leave it to me to point that out). July 4th, 1776, 232 years ago, Congress approved the Declaration of Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. John Adams stated “I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.” And he was right although, one wonders sometimes if the celebrations are pausing for a moment to include the original intent of our Founding Fathers.

As you might expect, General George Washington spent the day with his troops and provided them a double ration of rum and an artillery salute in 1778. Of more recent interest, an independence day of another sort occurred: On July 4th, 1945, General Douglas MacArthur announced that the Philippines had been completely liberated!

(John Adams)

Two other fascinating events took place on this date in our nation’s history, one of which I didn’t know until I did a little research, courtesy of Wikipedia:
In 1941 the residents of Vicksburg, Mississippi, celebrated Independence Day for the first time since July 4th, 1863, when the Siege of Vicksburg ended with a Union victory during the Civil War. The other is almost too strange a coincidence to believe, but it is fact: Both John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, two of the great thinkers and libertarians of our time, both Founding Fathers and the only two men who signed the Declaration of Independence to become President of the United States, died on the same day, July 4th, 1826. Five years later, President Monroe died on July 4th, 1831.

(Thomas Jefferson)

My thoughts this holiday will be with our troops abroad who can’t be here to celebrate with their families. Every day, they make a huge sacrifice to protect us. These holidays are especially difficult for them because they bring into acute focus where they are—and where they are not but would like to be. It is to them that we say “thanks” for providing us a safe day to celebrate all those who came before them and helped build this great nation we too often take for granted.

Happy Fourth to all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It’s been a busy few weeks…what’s new!!!

Much of the last few weeks were spent preparing to host Dr. Bruce Cole, Chairman of the National Endowment of the Humanities, and his team, for their visit to Dallas to announce a new educational initiative called "Picturing America".  We were honored to be able to work with the NEH in bringing this great program to Dallas, the first city in the nation to receive it. 

The formal announcement occurred on Wednesday at a ceremony that took place at the Nasher Museum, an appropriate site given its founder’s love of art and education.  Ray Nasher was a wonderful man and friend: he would have been so pleased to have known about this innovative use of art to help educate kids throughout our country.

Mayor Tom Leppert introduced our special guests which included Dr. Michael Hinojosa, Superintendent of Schools, Dallas Independent School District; Daniel Schneider, Acting Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and Loriene Roy, President of the American Library Association.  I was so delighted to have been asked to serve as the Master of Ceremony for the event, one that was very well attended by a cross section of educators, museum experts, and other people of good will. 

That evening I hosted a dinner for about 24 people including the NEH team and friends of the arts in Dallas.  Many old friendships were rekindled. It is always a joy for me to bring such caring and committed people together for an event of lasting importance.

Picturing America will be, in my view, Dr. Bruce Cole’s lasting legacy as Chairman of the NEH.  It has the power to teach kids of all backgrounds and expose them to iconic images of great American art and culture many might never see. It is an especially effective teaching tool for first generation Americans.  And it is free!!! Another example of Dr. Cole and his team delivering value and substance to the American people.  His leadership of the NEH, now approaching almost seven years, is a testament to excellence and stewardship.  All citizens have benefited.

It has been an honor to be a small part of what I know is going to be a tremendous success of the Picturing America initiative.

Good health is the most precious blessing we possess. Regardless of our level of appreciation of that fact, little else serves as a more poignant reminder of this reality than being sick, or worse, some surgery. I’ve been very fortunate to avoid more common problems affecting others, however my cross to bear has been sinus problems. This week delivered me up to the sinus surgeon for a fourth time….so apologies for a lengthy absence of writing blog entries. I feel ok, a bit weak, but hopefully — hopefully — this will help fix the problem.

There are alot of great stories on which to report. The elusive search for the Amber Panels about which I recently wrote has been suspended. I pretty much predicted that outcome; I do not believe they will find the Amber Panels intact in this dig. As often times happens in these ventures, the "partners" have had a falling out at least momentarily, and that usually somehow involves funding. So the mystery of those remarkable panels remains unsolved if they are extant, or the scams involved in searching for them continue if they are not. Hope is a powerful and intoxicating motive to keep searching for something so unique and valuable, but it must be balanced with reason, information, and facts. "Che vediamo" the Italians say (We’ll see!)

(German troops annex Austria)

March 12th passed without the attention it deserved — the 70th anniversary of Hitler’s parading into Austria for the Anschluss. It is hard to believe that 70 years have passed and yet we are still living with the legacy of Hitler and the Nazis. That certain segments of Austria have so begrudgingly addressed that country’s deplorable complicity in enabling and supporting Hitler and the Nazis is shameful. Even today certain museums and collectors in Austria, such as the Leopold Museum in Vienna, allegedly possess works of art stolen from victims of the war and Holocaust. The Leopold’s founder, Rudolph Leopold, recently told the weekly magazine, Falter, that "works [of art] bought legally in good faith should be able to remain in Austria" and that the claimants of works of art were "only interested in money". Of course, legal entitled heirs MAY only be interested in money or not, but if it is their rightful property then it is their right to dispose of the asset as they so choose. More on this story in the weeks ahead.

I spent the last two weeks on the road interviewing families of Monuments Men who had never been contacted by others before. It was a remarkable experience, one I shall always cherish, as these fine people are so eager for their loved one to be recognized for his or her service to civilization during World War II. Of course, we remain committed to doing just that….

Back to bed and some needed rest….best wishes and good health to all of you.

We had a great week of feedback from the public about the CBS Sunday Morning Show segment as well as the recent Smithsonian Magazine article, both of which were in the works for more than a year. The CBS piece was especially gratifying as we have had numerous calls from people connected to this story, several of whom we’ve been trying to locate, and several leads on looted art which we are tracking down. It didn’t hurt book sales either as Rescuing Da Vinci shot to as high as number 13 on Amazon’s bestseller list. My father used to always say, "A rising tide lifts all boats", and he was certainly correct as Lynn Nicholas’ book The Rape of Europa also climbed the ranks.

A reminder: please tune in to Rick Steves Show tomorrow, to hear my interview with him about our amazing project. You can check local air times and the station by clicking on the following link: www.ricksteves.com. In Dallas the program airs on KERA 90.1 FM at 2pm Central Time. I am sure you’ll enjoy Rick’s questions quite informative as he has traveled extensively throughout Europe.

The news of my father’s death proved quite a distraction: a day passed before I even thought to ask what happen with the Academy Awards nominations for Best Documentary category. In fact, our film, The Rape of Europa, was not selected among the final five candidates. It was quite an honor for it to have been included in the first cut of 15 films, especially given the peregrinations this film took before reaching the big screen. Of the final five that were selected, I recommend seeing "No End in Sight". Aside from its thought-provoking content, I like it for another reason: the producer of the film had never made one before!!! It is but another example of how ANYTHING is possible fore someone with the passion, wisdom, and commitment to have an idea and see it through to conclusion no matter the obstacles ahead. DON’T LET ANYONE EVER HAVE YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN"T BE WHAT OR WHO YOU STRIVE TO BE!!

We’re having a usual Dallas winter…air conditioning for a day, then heating. Perfect weather for getting a nasty cold…and I guess it was my turn. Hope everyone is feeling better than me today!!! Have a wonderful weekend and stay warm.

A friend of mine says about life: “Enjoy, it; it goes by quickly.” A lot can happen in a week. When I was sitting at my desk this time a week ago all was well in the Edsel households: a week later, we are sad at the loss of the patriarch of our family, A. Ray Edsel. It was a week filled with a loss that will linger to be sure, but the overriding emotion of the week was joy at having had such a wonderful person so influentially in our lives for so many great years. The laughter in their home during the week from all the kids, grandkids, and friends…the numerous stories about Dad I heard from various friends of his who called me all week long…the wonderful sentiments so many of his lifelong friends expressed at the reception following the Celebration of Life service on Wednesday…all were confirmation of the full and happy life he lived and the impact that life had on others. Sadness…yes, but moreso joy to have been blessed with such a great father.

The day Dad’s obituary was printed in the Dallas Morning News there were four other World War II veterans whose obituaries appeared alongside him. This served as a poignant reminder for all of us about the rate at which we are losing the remaining members of the “greatest generation” as they have been called. But a more lasting remark was offered by one of Dad’s elderly friends at the reception who said to me, “Your dad’s going to be with four other great guys so they’ll all be good company for one another.”

About a stone’s throw away from Dad’s grave is that of my best friend, Drew Heard, who died almost three years ago at the too young age of 54. I visit Drew’s grave from time to time. Each year his family holds a graveside gathering for his friends to say a prayer and remember our missing friend who provided us all with so much laughter, joy, and good counsel. It is fitting, and comforting, to know that Drew will now be watching over my father as he so ably watched over me for more than 20 years in business and life.

We are all digging out after a stressful week, trying to get back to our lives and reengage our routines as much as is ever possible. Next week we’ll be back to work full bore. I hope you’ll check in then for some interesting stories about the many varied developments of the Monuments Men project and our ongoing efforts to continue their work. Until then, have a peaceful and safe weekend.

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After almost five weeks on the road I am finally home!! (Well, at least for a few days.)

But I will be working this weekend as I will introduce our film, The Rape of Europa, both Friday and Saturday, at the 7:30 screening followed by a Question and Answer session both nights. This will be my third weekend to be amongst friends and acquaintances at the Angelika plus some new friends who have kindly introduced themselves after the show.

I encourage any of you who have not yet seen this great film to come by this weekend and see for yourself what has excited so many people in cities across the country. Having the chance to see the film in high definition on a big screen is a stunning experience, especially our scenes in the Hermitage and other museums. The camera work of Jon Shenk, the film’s director of photography, is breathtaking.

I wish you and your family a wonderful holiday weekend and hope to see you at one of the two showings even if it is just to stop in and say “howdy”!

As I prepare for another “road trip”, I am relishing in the great temperate weather we have experienced in Dallas this week. It has been quite a moment to be here and catch my breath before a hectic series of interviews and speaking engagements on the road.

(Richard Berge at the Paris Theatre)

Anyone doubting the organization skills of the City of New York and its workers need only take a look at the city clean up crews. At the end of the parade, not 20 feet from the last band of marchers and musicians, sat a row of street sweepers and clearing crews poised to gather and remove the confetti off the street!!! Pretty amazing city, I must say.

Have a wonderful weekend and please send your friends a link to my blog….I am hearing from more and more of you and it is all gratifying!