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Contact: Matt Schaeffer, Hoover Presidential Library, 319-643-6022
On Constitution Day, September 18, four federal government agencies will collaborate in conducting the first naturalization ceremony ever to be held outside a courthouse in the northern district of Iowa. The ceremony is a unique collaboration between the U.S. District Court, the Citizenship and Immigration Service of the Department of Homeland Security, the National Park Service, and the National Archives and Records Administration. U.S. District Court Judge Linda R. Reade will preside at the naturalization of 75 applicants for U.S. citizenship in a 1:30 pm outdoor ceremony at the east front of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library on the grounds of the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site. It was on this very spot that Presidents Herbert Hoover and Harry S. Truman dedicated the library on August 10, 1962. The ceremony will begin with a presentation of the colors by American Legion Post 514 and a solo rendition of the national anthem by vocalist Jill Barnhart Henson. Following a motion to grant citizenship from the Citizenship and Immigration Service, the Clerk of the Court will lead the applicants in the Oath of Allegiance. Judge Reade will lead the applicants and the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance and deliver remarks on the occasions. Also delivering remarks will be representatives from the offices of Congressman Jim Leach and Senators Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin. The general public is welcome to attend and is encouraged to arrive on the site no later than 1 pm. The ceremony will begin promptly at 1:30 pm. Since seating is limited to the applicants and their guests, it is suggested that visitors bring blankets or lawn chairs. For more information on the ceremony, contact Matt Schaefer at the Hoover Library: 319-643-6022. Herbert Hoover National Historic Site and the Hoover Presidential Library-Museum are off of I-80 at exit 254 in West Branch, Iowa. Both are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time. |
Last updated: April 10, 2015