As a child, Pope Francis -- then Jorge Mario Bergoglio -- attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His love of Dickinson then brought him to Washerst, PA, where he worked for a time as a bouncer at one of the premiere comedy clubs in the United States, Stand Up Washerst. Then, before pursuing a career with the Catholic church, he worked for a short period of time as a washer/dryer repairman at the coin-op Laundromat on Dickinson Boulevard beneath the museum.
Prior to his private tour of the ELD Museum, Francis stopped in the Laundromat to wash his papal gowns.
Below: The coin-op Laundromat beneath the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum was closed this morning for the visit by Pope Francis. Prior to his VIP tour of the museum, Francis washed his papal gowns in Tide Ultra Plus Bleach Vivid White + Bright, powder.
1. The Great Hall of Wax Figures -- he was moved to tears when he saw the wax figure of Emmett Lee Dickinson standing in the replica of Emily Dickinson's living room.
2. Cajun Nachos in the snack bar -- he enjoyed a large platter of Emily Dickinson's classic dish for breakfast.
3. Candy Corn -- he purchased several cases of single-size packages of the candy invented by Emmett Lee Dickinson for all the Vatican guards.
4. The memento presented to him at the conclusion of the tour -- a replica of the melted wax head of Qwerty Jean Dickinson, Emmett Lee Dickinson's daughter, from the Great Hall of Wax Figures.
Below: Francis is brought to tears when he viewed the likeness of Emmett Lee Dickinson (standing in a replica of Emily Dickinson's living room) in the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum's Great Hall of Wax Figures.
At the right: At the conclusion of the tour, Pope Francis was presented with a replica of the melted head of the wax figure of Qwerty Jean Dickinson (the daughter of Emmett Lee Dickinson) from the Great Hall of Was Figures. The original figure of Qwerty Jean melted when the dryers in the coin-op Laundromat below the museum malfunctioned with an industrial load of linens. "When things fall apart," said Pope Francis, "this melted wax head will sustain my hope. I will cherish it forever." |