Posted on 06/07/2009 9:42:36 AM PDT by JoeProBono
The usher in chief to seven presidents has cracked open the White House door -- dishing on the household lives of the "first families" he served. From Richard Nixon to George W. Bush, Gary Walters spent 37 years observing sitting presidents from the shadows, sometimes at their most vulnerable moments. Walters recalled the last President Bush lying on the White House lawn alongside his dying dog, Spot, to comfort him before he was put to sleep.
"I am getting emotional right now," Walters said, speaking to residents of a Virginia retirement home Friday, according to The Washington Post. "These are the kind of things people don't know about the president." In another anecdote, Walters recalled Nixon's final day in office, after he resigned over the Watergate scandal in 1974. Nixon insisted that in his final walk to the residence from his office, "he didn't want to see anyone," Walters said. The security officer was told to hide behind a pillar, "sort of like a squirrel does behind a tree," while the press corps was locked in a briefing room. Walters served as an assistant usher in 1976 and was appointed chief usher by Ronald Reagan in 1986, with duties ranging from running the White House residence with a staff of 100 to preparing state dinners and official ceremonies. He retired in 2007. Jimmy Carter was a bit of a stickler for keeping order, Walters admitted. Carter ordered that the White House thermostats stay at a chilling 65 degrees. Walters' drafty office became a freezer. So he had the thermostat cover removed and the thermometer painted red to look as if it were 65 degrees. "We didn't want to defy the president, but we didn't want to freeze," he chuckled.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Too bad he didn't show capitalism the same empathy.
That is a cute picture of Barney.
Another great photo of Barney. Hope you find one of Spot.
You really have great photos of Barney. Can we see some of Miss Beazley and also the dog in question, Spot?
-Jimmy Carter was a bit of a stickler for keeping order, Walters admitted. Carter ordered that the White House thermostats stay at a chilling 65 degrees. Walters’ drafty office became a freezer. So he had the thermostat cover removed and the thermometer painted red to look as if it were 65 degrees. “We didn’t want to defy the president, but we didn’t want to freeze,” he chuckled.-
and being the knucklehead Carter was he never picked up on it I’m sure...btw- weren’t there reports that zero, who wants us off oil and is a global warming lunatic, kept the thermostat at 78-degrees??
Thank you.
I am sure you were not trying to confuse anyone with all the photos of Barney.
Great photo!
Love the note about W and Spot. I miss President Bush.
No kidding. Very funny.
I’ve been tough on ol’ W, politically, and he deserved it at times. But that story makes him human again. I know the feeling. Been there, respect him anew and all the more for keeping it private all this time. The current occupant would milk it for all it’s worth.
What is with this particular picture, though? If I didn’t know better, it looks as if he dropped Barney. They all look shocked.
Insert "William Jefferson Clinton Library and Massage Parlor" reference here __________________________.
Bush bashers are going to hell
They are all Conservatives maybe, but their pesonalities are Liberal...whiny and angry without reality testing.
And its all about them,have to pop up on any thread that May hint at something positive about Bush.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.