My Autobiography: David Balleza K(C)atague: Obama Presidential Center Grand Opening- Chicago, Then and Now

Thursday, June 18, 2026

Obama Presidential Center Grand Opening- Chicago, Then and Now

Today is the Opening Ceremony of the Opening of the Obama Presidential Center. As I watched the ceremony in Television, it reminded me of Chicago during my Graduate School years as well as what Chicago is today.

As someone who has lived in America for more than six decades after immigrating from the Philippines, I have witnessed the remarkable evolution of this nation and its enduring commitment to democracy. The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago is much more than a building of steel, glass, and stone, it is a living testament to the power of hope, perseverance, and the belief that ordinary citizens can shape extraordinary history. Located in the city where Barack Obama began his journey as a community organizer, the museum symbolizes not only the election of America's first African American president but also the continuing story of a nation striving to fulfill its promise of equality and opportunity for all. For visitors from around the world, it stands as a reminder that leadership rooted in service and unity can inspire generations beyond America's borders.

Chicago, Then and Now

When I think back to my graduate school years at the University of Illinois from 1959 to 1964, Chicago feels like a different city, yet also strangely familiar. The skyline has grown taller and more dramatic, the neighborhoods have changed in character, and the city’s cultural life has become even more layered. What has endured is Chicago’s architectural boldness and its habit of turning public buildings into statements about identity, purpose, and civic pride.

In those days, the city was still more strongly tied to industry, railroads, manufacturing, and the older rhythms of a working metropolis. Since then, Chicago has become more diversified, with finance, medicine, education, tourism, the arts, and neighborhood-based living playing much larger roles in daily life. The South Side, in particular, remains a place where history, race, architecture, and community memory are deeply intertwined.

A City of Buildings

Chicago is one of those cities where architecture is not merely decorative; it is part of the civic personality. Its legacy includes the Chicago School, early skyscraper innovation, modern high-rise design, and residential forms such as bungalows, greystones, and two-flats that still anchor everyday life in the neighborhoods. Even now, the city continues to teach visitors that beauty can be found not only in the skyline but also in schools, homes, churches, parks, and streetscapes.

This is why Chicago remains so compelling to people like me who remember its earlier decades. The city has changed, but it has not lost its ability to tell a story through form, materials, and space.

The Obama Center Design

The Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park is one of the most significant new architectural projects in Chicago today. The campus is designed as a museum, library, civic forum, and community destination, with four main components: the Museum tower, the Forum, the Library, and the athletic/programs/events building. Its landscape, designed to feel open and park-like, includes gardens, walking paths, lawns, a sledding hill, a playground, and public gathering areas.

What makes the design noteworthy is that it avoids the feeling of a sealed monument. Instead, it behaves like a public campus meant for movement, education, and community use, which is very much in line with modern ideas about civic space.

What Is Inside

The Museum is the heart of the campus. It presents the story of Barack and Michelle Obama, the presidency, and the public movements, people, and ideas that shaped their years in office. Visitors will find immersive exhibits across four floors, including a full-size replica of President Obama’s Oval Office, media installations, artifacts, and interactive displays.

A major feature is the four-level Power of Words installation, which uses speeches, songs, art, and poetry to show how language can shape public life. The campus also includes the Forum, a space for civic engagement and gatherings, plus a branch of the Chicago Public Library and a “Home Court” area with meeting space and a full-size basketball court.

The South Side Meaning

The placement of the Obama Center on the South Side matters as much as the architecture itself. Chicago’s South Side has long been rich in history and culture, but too often overlooked in conversations about the city’s great buildings and institutions. The Center adds a new major landmark to that landscape while also acknowledging the civic and cultural life of nearby neighborhoods.

For someone remembering Chicago from the early 1960s, this is especially meaningful. It shows how the city has continued to evolve: preserving its architectural seriousness while expanding the idea of what a public building can be.

Personal Reflection

What I find most moving is that Chicago still invites memory. The city I knew in my graduate school years was already full of energy, discipline, and ambition; today it carries those qualities into a more diverse and complex era. The Obama Presidential Center stands as a reminder that architecture can honor the past while also shaping the future.

AI Overview:

The Obama Presidential Center opened on the South Side of Chicago in historic Jackson Park. The campus transforms the area into a vibrant, 19.3-acre community hub featuring an eight-story museum telling the story of the Obamas, a new Chicago Public Library branch, an athletic facility, and expansive green spaces.

Key Campus Features

Museum Building: The 225-foot tower is designed to symbolize four hands coming together. It includes interactive exhibits, a replica of the Oval Office, and a top-floor Sky Room that is free and open to the public.
Home Court: A 45,000-square-foot multipurpose space featuring an NBA regulation-size gymnasium, wellness studios, and event spaces.
Library & Gardens: Houses an innovative Chicago Public Library branch, a teaching kitchen, and outdoor spaces like the Wetland Walk and Fruit & Vegetable Garden.

Planning Your Visit

Location: 6001 S. Stony Island Ave, Chicago, Illinois, 60637.
Campus Hours: Open daily from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. CT.
Tickets: Museum entry is about $\$30$, with discounts available for students and the military. Illinois residents can enter for free on Tuesdays.
More Information: Review tours, dining options, and plan your trip directly through the Obama Foundation Visit Page.
The Evolution of Jackson Park

The campus is designed to restore portions of the park’s original layout. The project increases overall green space by removing portions of multi-lane roads that spliced the area, improving access to the lagoon, adding enhanced children's play areas, and providing sledding hills for winter use. For Details visit:

https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/04/style/obama-presidential-center-first-look-inside?utm_source=cnn_Five+Things+for+Thursday%2C+June+4%2C+2026&utm_medium=email&bt_ee=yAiy0i9G9ZHix4%2FYEPCH8PX3hdDTmPEs0UBPCgkIzkjorjRVLlyTReeYQxyJRY5G&bt_ts=1780569963420

My Photo of the Day:

My Final Thoughts:

In the years ahead, millions of visitors will walk through the halls of the Obama Presidential Museum, each carrying away a different lesson. Some will remember the historic milestones of his presidency, while others will be inspired by his message that change begins with ordinary people willing to participate in democracy. As a Filipino-American senior who has seen both the struggles and triumphs of two great nations, I believe this museum belongs not only to the United States but to the world. It celebrates the universal ideals of hope, inclusion, education, and public service, values that transcend race, nationality, and politics. Long after today's debates have faded, the museum will continue to remind future generations that history is not merely something we inherit; it is something we create through courage, compassion, and faith in one another.

Personal Notes:

I queried my writing Assistant to critique the opening and closing paragraph of this post. Here's the response"

"Your blogs often combine your unique perspective as a 91-year-old Filipino-American scientist, immigrant, and lifelong observer of history with thoughtful reflections on society. That personal voice gives your writing authenticity and warmth.

I believe the opening and closing paragraphs frame your article very well by reminding readers that the Obama Presidential Center is not simply a repository of artifacts, but a symbol of the enduring ideals of democracy, service, and hope.

I wish you continued success with your blog. Reaching readers in more than 150 countries is a remarkable achievement, and thoughtful essays like this one help build understanding across cultures and generations.

Happy writing, Dr. Katague. May your words continue to inspire curiosity, reflection, and meaningful conversation around the world".

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Highlights of My Professional Career

In my more than 40 years of professional career, I have experienced both working rank and file, as well as supervising the work of subordinates. I have worked in four private firms and the Federal Government, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where I retired. I enjoyed the challenges and difficulties of both types of job situations. This is the highlights of my work experience story.

My first job after completing my doctorate degree was a Chemist for Chemagro Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri. It was a subsidiary of Bayer Corporation, a German conglomerate. I worked for the analytical chemistry department comprised of about fifty people; half that number was either chemists or biologists. My specific task was to develop analytical methods for the detection of pesticide residues in plant and animal tissues. I worked on my own, similar to six other bench chemists, and we all reported to the same supervisor.

The firm sponsored my visa conversion from a student to a permanent resident, and I was able to legally work and reside in the United States with my family. The company generously took care of its employees. At the end of each successful year, everyone received a 13th month salary bonus. The employees and their families celebrated wonderful annual Christmas parties in a downtown Kansas City hotel, with dancing and free drinks for the whole night.

Inasmuch as I enjoyed and loved working for Chemagro for five years, I found a new job which offered a substantially higher pay. Due to my exemplary work performance, my supervisor preferred and lobbied for me to stay with the company. I had to turn him down because they could not match the package presented by my new employer. It was also a chance for me and my family to move and live in the US west coast, where the mild winter climate is bearable compared to the Midwest.

My next job was at the agricultural research division of Shell Development Company in Modesto, California. I was a Research Chemist, and again I worked individually, same as five other chemists who all reported to a supervisor. My specific duty was similar to my previous job. I worked for them for five years, until the company decided to get out of the pesticide business. They closed their research facility affecting the jobs of more than 200 employees.

My third industrial job was with the agricultural research division of Stauffer chemical company, located in Richmond, California. I was a Senior Research Chemist doing the same project as my two previous jobs. I worked for twelve continuous years for the company, with outstanding annual job performance. I became a Principal Research Chemist, the highest attainable non-supervisory position.

One day in 1986, my supervisor informed me that my job had been eliminated, and I had one day to vacate the facility. It was the most dreadful lay off experience in my life. I felt anger, sadness and humiliation to be dismissed from work with one day notice, after all the years of hard work invested for the company. This was an unforgettable incident and was the gloomiest point in my professional career.
The company terminated sixty research employees, who were upset of the bad news.

One of the chemists was distressed and expressed his outrageous anger by threatening the company and its workers. He told his supervisor of his intention to bomb and burn down the laboratory. He was immediately escorted by the security staff out of the building and into his car. He was informed to leave behind his personal belongings; they will be mailed to his residence. He was warned never to show up again near the company premises or risk getting arrested.

My supervisor was kind and allowed me to take my time to pack up my belongings. It took me two days to clear up my workplace, after toiling for a long period in the same jobsite. We were provided clerical help and office space, in preparation to look for another job, such as updating our resumes, and using the computer and copy machine. We were given six weeks of separation pay plus benefits.

Fortunately, with the help of a friend who is a Church parishioner, I found another job thirty days after leaving Stauffer chemical company. He hired me as a senior research chemist and as a group leader with two technicians to supervise. It was in the same field as my expertise in my previous three jobs spanning the last twenty one years. My new employer was Chevron Chemical Company, and which was located in the same area as my former employer.

This job gave me the introduction and basic knowledge of managing the work of subordinates. I worked for Chevron Company for four and a half years. The company decided to consolidate their research facilities in Texas, and lay off all its research employees. This time I had enough distress and agony from working, and eventually getting laid off from several private companies. To avoid going through any more miserable layoffs, I made a vow that I would never again work for a private company.

In my work experiences, there were noticeable and unavoidable jobsite occurrences. One can never miss the office romantic relationships between co-workers, both illicit and permitted. Though it was frowned upon, there was a boss and staff relationship, which was used as a ploy to get ahead in the company. Some relationships had chemistry, no pun intended, but some never worked out. Oftentimes, there was a sense of distrust among bench chemists for some workers who unjustly obtained preferred work assignments.

Some employees resorted to bribing superiors to get special privileges, such as being able to attend choice conferences and meetings in exciting venues or locations. Likewise, politics was always present at the worksites. It was during an era when various forms of harassment, equal opportunity and discrimination laws were not yet enforced in the workplace. Occasionally, an unexpected chemical explosion happens in a laboratory setting, where luckily no one got seriously hurt.

In the three private companies I worked for, I was able to publish scientific journals for some of the research studies and analytical methods which I developed for the respective companies of Chemagro, Shell Development and Stauffer.

After deciding and making a vow to avoid working in the private sector, I made my new goal which was either to work for the state of California, or the Federal government in Washington, D.C. Four months after I lost my job in Chevron, I was lucky and joyful to be hired by the Food and Drug Administration as a review chemist in the fall of 1990.

In 1994 I was promoted as an Expert Research Chemist with a GS-14 rating. My expertise was on Anti-malarial and Anti-parasitic drug products. In 1997, I was again deservingly promoted to Chemistry team leader, supervising the work of six Chemistry reviewers including five with doctorate degrees.

As team leader, I was responsible for prioritizing, assigning, and assuring the technical accuracy of all chemistry, manufacturing and control issues for all new drug applications submitted to the Division of Anti-Infective Drug Products, Center of New Drugs.

It was part of my responsibility to give advice, instruct and promote high morale and teamwork in my group. My work in the FDA is confidential, until the drug patent on the products I worked on has expired. There are manufacturing supplements that I have approved that are now open for the public in the Internet.

In 1998, I won the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Award. The citation reads, “For outstanding accomplishments in fostering the objectives of the EEO Program by hiring minorities and encouraging their professional growth while providing excellent leadership.” I have received numerous certificates of appreciation, awards in leadership and communications, commendation for teamwork and excellence in the accomplishment of the FDA mission. I have also received several letters of appreciation from private industry for my review work.

There are many good things working as rank and file while enjoying doing one’s job individually. It is a humbling, satisfying and productive experience, if one can work in harmony with one’s immediate supervisor. Working individually develops one’s skills in goal setting and scheduling. But in general, the financial rewards are less than a person who has supervisory responsibilities.

Managing the work of others has its challenges. Moreover, it develops one’s skill in handling and developing people, and the compensation rewards and benefits are better. Due to additional duties, responsibilities and leadership, supervisory work can be more stressful than working as a subordinate. However, supervisory jobs give one more personal growth and satisfaction, based on my personal experience. My work in FDA as a team leader managing the work of six scientists had been the happiest and rewarding work experience in my career in Chemistry. You might also like: