Governor John Engler

Monday, July 23, 2001

Thank you, Christie Brandau, our very distinguished state librarian.

I cannot think of a better opportunity to use a famous saying by Yogi Berra: "This is like deja-vu all over again."

This time, however, we meet under even better circumstances than we did on June 13^th, because we formally recognize the pivotal role of libraries in our state's historical, artistic, and cultural pursuits.

Since our libraries are the glue that holds the rest together, it is appropriate that our new state department be called the Department of History, Arts and Libraries.

Let me thank Christie and her colleagues from around the state for their support of the new department. I'd also like to thank legislators from both chambers and both parties who sponsored and voted for the 19 bills I am about to sign.

I applaud your vision.

Because our state library will reside in the executive branch of government -- and be unified with the other historical, arts, and cultural functions of state government --Michigan has the opportunity to cement its role as a national leader in this area.

I am very excited to see all that this new department can do.

The timing of its creation could not be more propitious. It comes as Detroit celebrates its 300^th birthday -- and what a celebration it has been.

We haven't seen anything this exciting since the Bicentennial in 1976.

As the festivities in the Motor City show, people from Michigan and other states and nations are hungry to learn more about our region's rich history and our contributions to American history.

I have an exciting announcement to make in just a few minutes, but first I'd like to tell you a little story that illustrates how strong feelings can run when it comes to moving a library.

It's a Texas story, but it's no tall tale -- my wife Michelle assures me that it is true.

Back in 1842, when the new Republic of Texas was being threatened with invasion, President Sam Houston thought the capitol in Austin was vulnerable to attack.

He ordered the library and archives removed from Austin.

The people of Austin would have none of it.

There wasn't a well thought-out plan.

So when Sam Houston's aides began moving the important papers, residents in Austin stopped them. Very persuasively.

They were led by a woman named Angelina Eberly who directed the aiming and firing of eight cannon shots against Houston's men.

The people of Austin won the fight that has come to be known as the "Archive War." True story -- you can read about it on an historical marker outside the State Library and Archives in Austin.

As Michigan has shown this summer: moving a library can be a major event, but it need not be a war! We worked together to craft a well thought-out plan that ensures that our libraries and history and arts functions are all strengthened because they are together, not scattered throughout state government.

And now, I have an exciting announcement to make: I have appointed a director of the new Michigan Department of History, Arts, and Libraries.

His background in higher education, as a historian, and as an author make him eminently qualified to head Michigan's new Department of History, Arts and Libraries.

His in-depth knowledge and love of history are evident to anyone who has met him or read his work.

He makes our history come alive.

I'm very pleased that he will head the newest Michigan department, a department dedicated to preserve, promote, and protect Michigan's heritage.

Please join me in welcoming the Department of History, Arts, and Libraries' first director, Dr. William Anderson.

Now, to tell us more about the importance of the new state department and the library's role in it, I turn the floor over to the president of the Michigan Historical Society, Representative Tom George.