2006 Programs & Events
Ambassador's Official visit to Tours
June 22, 2006
On June 22, Ambassador and Mrs. Stapleton went to Tours, gateway to the Loire Valley. Official calls included the Prefect of Indre-et-Loire Paul Girot de Langlade and the Mayor of Tours Jean Germain who was particularly appreciative as no US Ambassador had visited Tours for the last thirteen years. They discussed local administration and environmental issues, business opportunities in the region, Franco-American links and current cultural exchanges with Minneapolis as well as future exhibit on US Alexander Calder in 2007. The Ambassador laid a wreath on the WW1 US war memorial with National Assembly representative Pascal Ménage of Indre-et-Loire. He also visited the municipal library where medieval illumination books telling the story of Tours were specially displayed, the museum of Fine Arts which is a member of FRAME (Franco Regional American Museum Exchange) and Tours old quarters. The municipally had arranged a lunch with the local press club and representative of local business community. The event was widely covered by regional media La Nouvelle République (circulation 230,000) and Ambassador gave an interview to TV Tours.