Over a seven-year period, Dick and Debbie Newbert visited all 50 U.S. statehouses.
By John Johnston, Associate Editor
August 2020
It was not only a capital idea — as in, an excellent, splendid, superb idea — it was also a capitol idea. Eight years ago, Dick and Debbie Newbert, F423423, began what would become a quest to visit every capitol building in every state capital in the United States.
“I’m fascinated with history, politics, and architecture,” Dick said. Touring the 50 state capitol buildings, and viewing the statues, memorials, and monuments on their grounds, allows visitors to delve deeply into those topics.
The Newberts, who have been married 54 years and have three children and seven grandchildren, are New England natives who now live in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. Both are retired. Dick described himself as a “serial entrepreneur” whose work has included manufacturing, consulting, finance, residential development, and commercial real estate. Debbie has been a homemaker, aerobic dance instructor, and inside sales manager for a bakery.
Back in 2012, someone asked whether they ever had seen the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, which is about two hours west of Langhorne. They had not. So, as they headed west on a cross-country RV journey, they stopped to tour the building, which was completed in 1906 in a Beaux-Arts style with decorative Renaissance themes. Because of its many sculptures, murals, and stained-glass windows, it’s been called a “palace of art.”
During the same trip, they stopped in Lincoln, Nebraska, which is home to one of four state capitols built with a tower design. Inside, unsure where to go, they struck up a conversation with a short, white-haired man who led them to the tour office. “Just a wonderful guy,” Dick said. The gentleman showed them a full-color, glossy magazine devoted to the capitol. It contained a photo, shot from high up in the dome, showing a small figure standing on the floor below. “That white-haired guy is me!” he told them. Later, the Newberts learned that the friendly fellow was William M. Connolly, the senior associate justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court.
The Newberts toured all 50 state capitols, capped by a visit to Connecticut’s in 2019.
Those first experiences motivated the Newberts to visit more state capitols. Especially Dick. “I got the bug,” he said.
Ironically, “We lived in New Hampshire for 18 years and never went to the state capitol,” Debbie said. “Never even thought about it.”
What Dick did think about back in 2009 as he approached the age that his father died was that he wanted to see more of the United States. He figured an RV — his parents had owned a couple — was the way to do it.
“I didn’t want to buy a motorhome,” Debbie said. “I suggested we rent one and see how we like it. The next thing I knew, he was telling me it was really cheaper to buy than to rent. I knew he was pulling my leg. I thought, ‘Fine, go buy one. If we don’t like it, we’ll sell it.’”
They bought a used coach and took it out for a test spin in the fall of 2009. “If anything could go wrong, it did,” Dick said. Undeterred, the following year they set out on a 10-week cross-country trip.
Then in 2011, the Newberts embarked on a five-month journey that included taking part in a caravan through the Canadian Rockies, the Yukon, and Alaska. On the way home, they bought a brand-new Type A motorhome, a 2012 Winnebago Adventurer, which now has more than 70,000 miles on it.
Debbie said she’s never regretted buying an RV. “It’s been a great way to travel, see the country, and visit family and friends we’d otherwise never see.” Added Dick: “RV friends tend to stay in touch. You build some interesting long-term relationships.”
For Dick, meticulously planning their trips is almost as much fun as taking them. State capitols weren’t necessarily the main focus of his itineraries. For example, the Newberts have visited every official presidential library and museum (14 sites in all), as well as nearly 40 U.S. national parks. “But every time he planned a trip,” Debbie said, “there was gonna be a capitol somewhere.”
“I think on one trip we visited 23,” Dick said.
At the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne, the Newberts poked their heads into the lieutenant governor’s office. The next thing they knew, out he came, throwing his arms around Dick and Debbie and posing while his secretary took their picture. In Sacramento, California, the governor’s secretary shared her lunch with them.
The Newberts can recall many other highlights, including the majestic marble columns that grace the interior of the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort; the beauty of Vermont’s state capitol, set against a backdrop of wooded hills in Montpelier; and the imposing appearance of the New York State Capitol in Albany, reminiscent of a gothic cathedral.
To see the capitol of Alaska, the Newberts drove across the country and took an Alaskan Inside Passage cruise to Juneau. Then they drove to California, flew to Hawaii, and checked out the capitol in Honolulu. Last year they checked off a visit to their final state capitol, in Hartford, Connecticut, just a mile from where Dick was born.
The dome of Minnesota’s capitol.
They had a hard time picking a favorite among the 50, finally deciding on the magnificent structure in St. Paul, Minnesota. The marble and granite building features graceful arches and the world’s second-largest self-supported marble dome.
Traveling to all 50 capitols meant the Newberts drove through a number of “flyover states,” a term used by people who perceive them as boring. The Newberts beg to differ.
“I think there’s a big difference in flying over the country versus seeing the country on the ground, where you get to meet the people and visit interesting but barely known museums, historic homes and buildings, and even cemeteries within many small towns,” Dick said. “We find that no matter where we go, we can find places that are interesting, whether it’s the textures and colors of the fields in the Plains states, or mountains, lakes, and rivers in other states. It’s just an awful lot of fun.”
And the fun continues. There are more national parks to visit. And an endless number of possible diversions to places they’ve not explored and people they’ve not met.
“People talk about a red and blue America,” Dick said. “I contend there are a thousand Americas out there. And nearly all of the people are decent and interesting, more than willing to help a guest. Whether it’s in the U.S. or Canada, we’ve found people are wonderful everywhere we went.”