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Nadine Wimmer ReportingGovernor Leavitt spent his final day in office meeting with state employees. He had a farewell luncheon with his staff members. Then he traveled around to various state agencies, formally thanking workers for their service and saying goodbye. That means his business in Utah is almost finished.
Governor Leavitt let KSL’s Nadine Wimmer sit in while he packed up his office and more than a decade of memorabilia.
Pictures from Jerusalem and the Great Wall of China are just a few of the keepsakes from more than a decade in office.
During his first inauguration speech, he told a story about things that are real and right, in a farming context.
Governor Leavitt: "And I have left it in my office as a symbol of the need to stick with things that are real and right."
He has bowls of acorns from Ground Zero and Olympia Greece....
Governor Leavitt: "I have a somewhat fixation on acorns, I love the fact that things grow from them. So whenever I go somewhere of historical significance, I have my gaze to the ground looking for my acorn collection."
There's one memento he won't be taking, his desk. It has a lot of memories. It was made from the trees that were uprooted when the tornado ripped through SLC in 1999. This will become part of the capitol's legacy.
Though the items go in boxes, the memories will follow him to Washington.
Governor Leavitt: "I'm not particularly attached to any pieces of the memorabilia. But the lessons they evoke, the memories they bring to the surface, all those things are dear to me."
He says his most treasured item is the decorative Neptune's head that burned in the Governor's Mansion Fire.
