Packard Mural

This large mural (top photo) is one of many interesting displays at the C.R. Smith Museum in Ft. Worth, Texas. The pictured automobile is a specially-bodied 1939 Packard 8-door limousine used by American Airlines at the airport in St. Louis, Missouri.

The illustrious leader of the Ark-La-Tex Packard Club, Nelson Bates, appears to be mesmerized by former astronaut Buzz Aldrin who gave a 30-minute lecture at the museum prior to signing copies of his new book, "Magnificent Desolation." Aldrin was a member of the Apollo 11 crew and the second man to walk on the moon following Neil Armstrong twenty minutes after the latter made his "one small step" and "one giant leap for mankind" on July 20, 1969. Bates at that time worked for General Electric and was assigned to the Apollo program.