You may ask why my first stop today was in Whitwell Tennessee. You know if you saw the documentary film “Paper Clips”. Whitwell is a town of about 2,000 people 25 miles west of Chattanooga (though after crossing a state forest on an extremely winding road, it felt like it was in another state). In 1998, the middle school social science class had a segment on the Holocaust. They decided to collect 6 million paper clips, as Norway, where paper clips were invented (who knew?) wore them during WWII as symbols of resistance to the Nazis and solidarity with the Jews. Then the school obtained a cattle car from Germany and installed all the clips and other exhibits inside the train. Check it out online and look for the film.
I walked along the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, seeing several bridges, murals of the Cherokee Trail of Tears, the headquarters of Unum (MetLife’s big rival in the disability insurance business) and the very sleek Hunter Museum of American Art. I planned to visit the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville Alabama, but was told it was closed by a secret service agent – I later found out that a guy named Pence was visiting. My consolation prize was the Huntsville Botanical Gardens. Then I had dinner with, did laundry and stayed over with my Uncle Mel and Aunt Barbara.
Mel and Barbara at their home in Huntsville 
All I got to see of the Space Center 
Hunter Museum of American Art 
The Tennessee River and surrounding hills 
Sheer rocks in a state forest 
Holocaust exhibits placed on top of millions of paper clips 
Children’s Holocaust Memorial, Whitwell Tennessee 
Home office of Unum Insurance Company 
Several bridges and walkways at the Chattanooga watetfromt 
Cherokee honored symbols, on the Trail of Tears
Today’s song is “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynrd Skynrd.
Mark's cross-country trip 