The George W. Bush Childhood Home is a historic house in Midland, TX that was home to former U.S. Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush from 1951 to 1955. Inside this museum boasts a new exhibit that showcases the Bush family’s friendships with Midlanders during their time there, with a focus on their friendship with Dottie and Earle Craig. Ashley Spears, a current MLS student, who is completing an archival internship with the museum, created the exhibit.

“The most exciting part of this internship was getting to see the exhibit I created go from items found inside boxes to being on full display in glass cases inside the master bedroom of the historic George W. Bush Childhood Home, ” said Spears.

The exhibit is called a “Friendship for a Lifetime, the Earle and Dottie Craig Collection”, and has pieces that date back all the way to the 1960’s. Ashley spent months gathering the collection of pictures and letters exchanged between the couples.

In addition to her internship, Spears works as an Administrative Coordinator at UT Permian Basin in Odessa, TX.  She is set to graduate in May of 2020 with a MS in Library Science with a concentration in Archival Studies & Imaging Technology, and a Graduate Academic Certificate in Archival Management. She also has a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Texas A&M University. Spears is happy to have gained this experience as she says it has built her confidence, provided her with hands-on experience building an exhibit, and has helped prepare her for a career in information science.

Her goal after graduation is to work in a curating or archiving capacity for a special collections library or museum.

For more about Ashley’s work, visit the CBS7 News and Newswest9 websites, where the exhibit has been featured.