From 1970 to 2007, I was honored to serve seven presidents and their families, witnessing life as lived in the White House from a vantage point few have experienced, behind the scenes.
I began my White House career as a uniformed officer of the Executive Protective Service, White House Division, a part of the U.S. Secret Service, where I served during the last years of the Presidency of Richard Nixon and the early years of the Gerald Ford Presidency. I joined the Usher’s Office in 1976 and was promoted to Chief Usher in 1986 serving in that role until my retirement in 2007.
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In my nearly 40 years of service, I witnessed some of the best and worst days in American History. I was present when President Nixon resigned, when America celebrated its Bicentennial, when the Iranian hostage crisis weighed heavily on President Jimmy Carter, when a would-be assassin nearly took the life of President Ronald Reagan, when the Gulf War began and ended, and when the events of 9/11 changed all of our lives. I met Popes and Queens and world leaders, I played ping pong with President Carter and caught a football from “the Gipper” (a.k.a. Ronald Reagan). I rescued first cats from trees and held newborn puppies, and I assisted in facilitating the renovations of historic rooms throughout the Executive Residence and the unveiling of official presidential portraits. I helped find the right jar for President Reagan’s jelly beans. I witnessed First Lady Barbara Bush’s hair accidentally turn green.
In late July 1999, I retrieved a golf ball from a water pipe in the South Fountain. It was found lodged in the pipework during a renovation of the fountain. I said I would ask President Bill Clinton if he had been hitting balls toward the fountain.
In 2006, I saw President George W. Bush take a bike ride around the State Floor. The bike had been a gift from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan. It was a fold-up bike of a new design. The president immediately got on it and rode it down the Cross Hall.
These experiences taught me lessons big and small about what it takes to lead our country. I learned that pets, especially dogs, bring comfort to first families, and that accommodating the president’s needs for exercise and sport is key to making the White House a comfortable home. I learned that during difficult times, we all lean on our trusted loved ones and that the events which occur within the White House can change the course of history.
Of the many historic events that I witnessed, the most poignant for me was the visit of Soviet Union General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev and his wife, Raisa, to the United States and the White House in early December 1987. The president’s negotiators had come to an understanding with the Soviets on nuclear weapons. Although agreements had been reached and documents were to be signed, tensions remained high, but once the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was signed in the East Room I felt there was truly a hope for world peace. For me, the most moving and memorable event took place after the treaty signing. The president escorted Gorbachev out of the East Room to the State Dining Room for an address to the world. In all my years at the White House this was the first time a fire was lit in the State Dining Room fireplace, and it provided a wonderful glow and warmth for the serious speeches by the two world leaders. As the two leaders delivered their remarks, I started to quiver as I truly got the impression that the Cold War, in this intimate setting, was thawing.
I’m often asked what I liked most about my job and work at the White House. Without hesitation I say it was getting to know and interact directly on an almost daily basis with the presidents who, as President Kennedy famously said, “were real people who ate and slept and worked and suffered.”
The decision to write my memoir was nearly 20 years in the making, but my hope is that it will help the American people to understand that the White House is first and foremost a home, the home of the president of the United States of America. I chose to publish my book with the scholarly press of White House Historical Association to support its mission, as envisioned by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, to preserve the history of the White House and those who have lived and worked within its walls.