14 Preserving the Hoover Legacy

Chapter 14 PRESERVING THE HOOVER LEGACY Dr. McDonald pulled out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame parking lot and drove past the stadium where the Cleveland Indians play their home games. "I'm so disappointed," Mrs. McDonald said as she thumbed through her Ohio guidebook. "What's wrong, honey?" "The Goodyear World of Rubber Museum is closed," she said sadly. "It would have been perfect for Amazing but True." "What a shame," Dr. McDonald said, rolling his eyes. "I'm so sorry." On the inside, he was cheering. The last thing he wanted to do was visit a museum devoted to rubber. This would be one less ridiculous tourist attraction that he would have to endure.

"But I was thinking that we could visit the Goodyear Airdock," Mrs. McDonald said. "It's in Akron, less than an hour south of here." "Airdock? What's that?" Dr. McDonald asked, suspiciously. "It's a place where they used to build Goodyear blimps," she told him. "It's twenty-two stories high, and four football fields could fit inside at the same time. It says here it's the largest building in the world that doesn't have interior supports. It's so big that sometimes it even rains inside!" "Wow," Dr. McDonald said. He turned around to see the twins' reaction. They just stared back, expressionless. "What do you think, kids?" he asked. "Would it be fun to visit the largest building in the world?" "Whatever." The twins weren't listening. Pep was feeling guilty about breaking the window at the top of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. If anybody found out who did it, they could get into serious trouble. And Coke was thinking about Mrs. Higgins. She had

tried to kill them three, four, maybe five times now. Each time, they escaped. She must be really mad, and determined. What would she try next? When he tried not to think about it, the image of Archie Clone popped into his head. That lunatic was running around free somewhere, too. Cleveland is only about 370 miles from Washington. If they drove straight through the night, it would be possible to get there in seven hours. But everyone was tired and hungry. The closer they got to their final destination, the more nervous Coke and Pep became. Something evil was waiting for them there. They knew that much. They didn't know what it was, or what it would do. But they knew it was out there, tracking their every move. Dr. McDonald pulled onto Interstate 71 heading south and got off at exit 226. It wasn't long until they had reached Willow Lake Park, a campground in Brunswick, Ohio. It was a nice place, with horseshoe pits, miniature golf, and a basketball court. The family worked together to make a quick

dinner, did a dump of the RV's septic tank, threw a few horseshoes, and called it a day. "I have an announcement to make," Dr. McDonald said over breakfast the next morning. "I've been thinking about this for a long time, and I've decided on the subject for my next book." "What is it, dear?" asked Mrs. McDonald as she leafed through her Ohio guidebook. "I'm going to write a biography," Dr. McDonald replied, "of Herbert Hoover." "You should write about one of the more famous presidents, Dad," Coke said. "Like Washington, or Lincoln, or Kennedy. That would sell lots more books." "Yeah, why him, Dad?" asked Pep. "Wasn't Hoover the president who got us into the Depression?" "You see? That's all anyone knows about Hoover," Dr. McDonald said. "But he was a fascinating man. Did you know that he never took any money for being president of the United States?

He donated his salary to charity." "Is that so?" asked Mrs. McDonald, looking up from her book. "I'll bet you didn't know that President Hoover spoke Chinese," Dr. McDonald continued, "and his vice president, Charles Curtis, was part Native American." "I actually knew that," Coke said. "But did you know that Hoover was the first president to have a telephone on his desk? Did you know that his son had a pet alligator? I'll bet you didn't know that President Hoover wouldn't let his wife see the White House servants. It's true. Whenever she walked into a room, they had to go hide in a closet." "President Hoover sounds like a weirdo, Dad," Coke remarked. "Exactly!" Dr. McDonald said. "People love weirdos. They'll want to know more about him." "I think it's a great idea, Dad," Pep said enthusiastically. "I say go for it." At that point, Mrs. McDonald let out a gasp.

"I can't believe it!" she exclaimed. "What?" Go to Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/). Click Get Directions. In the A box, type Brunswick OH. In the B box, type North Canton OH. Click Get Directions. "This is an amazing coincidence," she said. "It says here that the Hoover Historical Center is in North Canton, Ohio. That's less than an hour from here! And it's even in the right direction." "Let's go!" Dr. McDonald shouted. Even the kids felt good about going to the Hoover Historical Center. Dr. McDonald had sacrificed so much on the trip for the rest of the family. They knew their father didn't enjoy going to silly museums and tacky tourist sites. But he went along with the rest of the family and was always a good sport. The family hadn't gone anywhere just for him since their short trip to the Bonneville Salt Flats, way back in Utah. Dr. McDonald drove back on Route 71 South