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There
CHAPTER SIX/EXPLORING IDEAS
There wasn't a dry eye in the White House the day President and Mrs. Clinton
hosted the Adoption Event in November, 1998. The President had set a goal in 1996 of
doubling adoptions and permanent placements from the child welfare system, where
100,000 children are awaiting homes; over the next year, adoptions increased by ten
percent. At the event, held during National Adoption Month, the President was to
announce concerted new efforts to facilitate adoptions, to expand the use of the Internet
to share information, break down geographic barriers to adoption, and shorten the time
needed to find families for children and children for families. The honored guests were
twenty-four newly formed families celebrating adoptions made final that day, along with
other children's advocates, and adoption professionals and, among others, Dave Thomas,
Other attendees included
founder of Wendy's and one of adoption's great advocates, and Washington's mayor-
elect, Anthony Williams, himself an adoptee. The event was held in the East Room, which
grew silent that day when Mayor Williams rose to talk about how much his adoptive
When
family had meant to him, and what might have happened to him otherwise. As he finished,
he introduced 12-year-old Charday Mays, adopted that very day, who spoke with
emotional eloquence about what it meant to her to have found her family. She then
And so)
introduced the President. Thus was the East Room, a room that has so often welcomed
1
kings, queens, and illustrious heads of state, transformed by the primal power of familial
love, and the power of policy to foster it.
There
The White House hosts dozens of such events every year, honoring Americans
whose ideas and good efforts have made a difference, Americans who work, so to speak,
in the trenches of American life to contribute to a better life for us all. Naturally, the kinds
Mrs.
of events held and the breadth of policy, to say nothing of the kinds of ideas, celebrated
will vary from administration to administration, and in the case of the Clinton
than
III
they
administration, the ideas explored have ranged from children's, family, and health care
issues to violence against women, the needs of the disabled, and the essential importance
of religious authority as we face the complex challenges of life at the end of this century.
family.
How do such events come about? In some cases, they have a precedent in White
I am
sure
House history. First Lady Lucy Hayes, for example, whose husband, gathering Rutherford B. Hayes,
held
was inaugurated in 1877, was the first to introduce morning prayer\to the House; much
president ther
2 first
ladees
later, during World War II, the idea of a National Prayer Breakfast emerged, to discuss
and floor.
arayel
its
was
the problems of the War and pray for peace; this breakfast, which draws in members of
a
In
1877
Congress, is typically held annually at a hotel or large gathering place in Washington. Mrs.
ef they
Disea
Clinton, however, a devout Methodist, decided, with her prayer breakfasts to bring the
threats
press
idea closer to home. Because she strongly believes that our spiritual leaders are as
more
asd
important as our secular life leaders, she decided to invite the nation's spiritual leaders every
explanation
-ar
the
year in September, after the summer holiday, to pray, to bless the People House, and to
country
engage in a dialogue about the issues of the day. These nondenominational prayer
(nation)
hare
breakfasts held without the press invited in the State Dining Room, seemed to draw our
leader
to which the press are nor in viLed
wasnt hild in one
2
religious leaders together into our secular lives, and and also signal a new beginning, every
year. HAVE THEY ACTUALLY BEEN HELD EVERY YEAR?
Other events come about in response to the news of the day, either to celebrate a
received Pres.ed
national triumph such as man's landing on the moon (HAS THERE BEEN SUCH A
TRIUMPH CELEBRATED IN CLINTON YEARS?), or to share mourn a private moment or a
beth pulrically and prwately.
4yord of condolence with victimes of a national tragedy as the Clintons did with the
Denny family from Oklahoma City after two of their four children were seriously hurt in
L the Denny family
wathers
one of their
the bombing of the Murrah Federal Office Building in 1995. Because their injured children child
was having brain surgery, they Denny's had been unable to attend the memorial service over which
President Clinton presided after the bombing. Upon learning this, he invited the family to
Mn and
moon
the White House 5 at a later time, and the poignant meeting with the President and Mrs.
-Clintons also
Clinton was held some months later.
infice in
south lawn in memory of
aklahoma dead,
Most of the "ideas" events, on the other hand, are months in the planning, involve
this their-
dozens of staffers, and reflect Mrs. Clinton's longtime commitment to aparticular the cause at hand.
Take the White House Conference on Child Care held on October 23, 1997-the first time
that the White House had showcased this issue, which is SÓ important not only to our
and ourfutured
obr
children but also to our national prosperity Both President and Mrs. Clinton had worked
on the issue for years, as had the Domestic Policy team and the First Lady's staff, meeting
with childcare experts and dropping in on childcare centers; holding focus groups with
and
experts) setting up roundtable discussions with business leaders involved in childcaregand
many facers of
giving speeches on the subject. Yet the subject had never been tied together into one
a
cohesive conference, and Mrs. Clinton wanted it given the grave imprint of the White
3
House to broadcast the message to the nation--how far we've come, how far we still need
to go to assure available, affordable, safe, quality childcare nationwide. Everyone on her
worked to make The
staff, from policy experts to those in the social office, began to put together the
conference, 6 a reality.
that
If you talk to anyone who works closely with the First Lady, one word comes up
over and over again: inclusive. Mrs. Clinton is avid in her desire to bring as many people
to the White House as possible, and also to give credit where credit is due-in this case, to
childcare workers themselves. As the conference was organized two panels for which a
on
one
scheduled
wide variety of experts were asked to participate were set up, one for the morning session
Rutin
and one for the afternoon sessions the First Lady would host ed a lunch in the dining room in
time.
3
between, and a reception on the South Lawn after the afternoon session. In all, there were
to be 150 guests, including, among others, members of Congress, governors and other
course
Durt Them
state and local officials, experts, businesspeople, economists, and childcare providers
themselves, whose work is so vital to our nation. By now, Mrs. Clinton's Social Office has
happen.
did
an unbelievably wide network all over the country, and they were faced with the happy
of contacts
(albeit difficult) chance of choosing a number of childcare workers to invite (to a one, all
of whom were awed by their invitation to the White House, created with the same care
that goes into say, an invitation to a state dinner). Several hundred additional people were
invited to three Federal agencies to watch the proceedings by satellite, and the fonfere Conference
was also broadcast live via satellite to more than 100 locations in at least 48 states.
There is no better platform than the White House to elevate and celebrate issues
and ideas in this way and each event reaches out to America, and brings America in, in the
4
same way. Although, strictly speaking, policy is not enacted at an issues event, these
White House forums amplify initiatives to the public, sometimes further grassroots
movement in a given area, and draw attention to work that remains to be done. In this
#
way, Mrs. Clinton has highlightedsuch programs as Healthy Families America, which helps
at-risk mothers and mothers-to-be; publicized the work the Pediatric Aids Foundation has
done to reduce prenatal transmision of the disease; celebrated with a special ceremony the
signing of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; welcomed Health Security
Express participants and endorsed their work toward universal health insurance coverage;
hosted a breakfast to draw attention to advances made in breast cancer research; and
demonstrated, at a reception, this administration's commitment to reducing teen
pregnancy-among scores of other such events. This is democracy at work, welcoming
write
ideas to the People's House, and sending them back to the people.
sue ne has
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what ant an ofter englince ?
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trenind grew me scenes
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forev came F promote adoption i sitting al
adoptive mothers discussing marking of adophies
sometimes The power of a single storing - Deanna.
bill signing - marking Naty Adoptn Month
spous
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1993 : breast cancer advocates - allowed Them
to publicity present neir ideas & visin for
enchanced bc research l govaction - continued
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Mr. Ford / ERA - adv. for - used WH -
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Nicole P.02
Aug-31-99 03:48P c. M
Welcoming The world
THE PRESIDENT AND MRS. INTON REQUEST THE PLEASURE
If you've ever watched broadcast over C-SPAN the guests at a White House
you've seen
state dinner make their way gracefully through the receiving line, meeting President and
Mrs. Glinten and their guests, you TO seeing much more than world leaders, dozens of
familiar (and unfamiliar) faces passing through in their finest clothes, and the pageantry
also
that accompanies such a formal affair. You' refsecing the past-in two centuries of protocol
dad
in the making, and you're also seeing the future, as the President and his guests forge the
relations today that will take their countries together into tomorrow. What's And more, when
the Clintons welcome the world, you're seeing history, because every state visit, official
visit, working visit, and even private visits will be studied and analyzed by historians and
future Presidents forever.
guests moums through the receiving line behave
The line you see on television today moves flawlessly, everyone in the right place
some of
of the past
at the right time but it wasn't always this way-and the protocol faux pasmake for lively
history. During the winter of 1803-04, for example, Thomas Jefferson caused a scandal
at
when, for a planned ceremonial meeting, he greeted Great Britain's minister to the United
States assually, in the hallway at the foot of the grand staircase, wearing ordinary,
took Jefferson's casual beliviror and
everyday clothes. The minister, in full diplomatic dress, recorded it for history it as an
dress
insult. Later, at a dinner to which they were invited, the President also insulted the high-
1
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ranking minister's wife by neglecting to escort her to the table (he took Dolley Madison's
arm instead). Even worse, by the protocol standards of the day, was the fact that
Jefferson--the ultimate republican--didn't believe in seating charts, and the minister and his
claim The final atrage?
wife had to jostle among the other guests to 6L find a seat And it didn't stop there. Jefferson
had also invited the minister from France to the same dinner, at a time when France and
England were at war. The reports the minister sent back to England that winter, needless
to say, were not very favorable to the young country,
Clearly, democracy notwithstanding, adherence to prevailing social forms was
to establish
called for, and subsequent presidents and their wives began featuoning the kind of social
behavi or and guidelmes
C'ven so, There were
decurain they deemed appropriate for a democracy. even though the style of entertaining
shill unfortunate lapseso Prior to the advent of efficient
varied, as it varies roday, from administration to administration State visits by heads of overseas
state seldom took place in the last century, and our presidents didn't often go abroad the way
have
at The
they do now as a matter of course so the state dinner held for the princess of Spain during
begrane
Grover Cleveland's administration in 1893 for instance, was a rare event, and a social
ofthe
20m
highlight of his tenure. The princess and her consort were to join the President and First
centur
Lady upstairs in the residence, then proceed together to the East Room: protocol dictates
that one dignatary should never be kept waiting for another. While the President was
waiting upstairs, however, the princess made her way to the East Room alone, and all
the
ceremonial planning went out the window. By 1928, after a disastrous seating plan at
prowed to be disasterous [WHY?]
another state dinner the need for a Protocol Office was apparent, and President Coolidge
established one in the State Department. Today, some sixty people work in the office, on
behalf of American embassies abroad and visitors coming to America, They charged with
are
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welcoming and honoring the nearly two hundred countries of the world. It is almost
unheard of now that any detail governing the fine points of protocol for visitors from
abroad could be overlooked.
ceremones and boundarres
Even with much of the protocol now firmly in place, however, the manner in which
to the Which House
each President and First Lady welcome the world is distinctly their own. Like her
predecessors, Mrs. Clinton has distinctive ideas about ent official staining, for gatherings both
SOME
MENTION or
large and small, and from the beginning began to express them in her new home.
SIGNIFIGANC
or DINNER
Indeed, the Clintons waited until they'd been in the White House for eighteen
months before hosting a full-scale state dinner, for Emperor Akihito of Japan initially the Preside
and Mrs Cintory
on a
preferring to meet with world leaders and domestic policy makers in more intimate ways,
scale
and smaller settings, to fully understand the challenges ahead of them before inviting the
world in state-dinner style which the subsequently dene many times.
President and Mrs. cimton
This isn' to say that the lintons didn't entertain III those early months. in fact,
they learned their way around the House with every event they held. As First Lady. Mrs.
Clinton has wanted to open ed up the house more, and to move some of the events off the
state floor into other rooms and all over the grounds, in order to convey the sense that the
White House is open and accessible. In the same way that a Benaling actor' performance
fills an entire stage and the White House is in fast America's stage--Mrs. Clinton wanted
truly to inhabit her home, and invite her visitors into every room of its history.
Chief Usher
To Gary Walters' initial puzzlement, for example, Mrs. Clinton was enthusiastic
different rooms w
about using/the White House- virtually every room of the house to create intimate
be ses ed
settings for lunches and dinners. One day she suggested the a lunch in the Vermeille room b/3
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A at one now twas collection used to of
serene room on the ground floor that once displayed the House .R European vermeille piece
collection, until the curators and Preservation Committee agreed it could be put to better
SUCH A57
use displaying American artifacts and several of the collection's portraits of First Ladies.
Lunch in the Vermeille Room? Although it had never been done before, with each new
idea the question asked is: Is there a way we can do this? Usually. the answer, as it was in
Mrs. Cimton
this case, was yes. She has also hosted guests in the East Garden Room, adjacent to the
Jacqueline Kennedy Garden; in the Library, to discuss her plans to update the White
House Library for the first time since TK and held dinners in the Cross Hall, which was
previously used only as a passageway, and the Map Room. At some of their dinners, the
Clintons have had one table set up in each of the ground and first floor state rooms, with
designated hosts for each table. The guests choose their table numbers from a goldfish
bowl, the President and First Lady visit every room, and there are no protocol
about who sits next to whoma
considerations Whatever.
Mrs Cinton
Tee she and the President began to invite more visiting dignitaries up to the
residence, even if protocol didn't require it, given the nature of the particular visit
El
hosted
of
Mrs. Clinton Lea with Bangladesh' Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed for example,
Musimes
from
7
met
her guest, a Muslim. was served a Ramadan breakfast given & meeting with the President,
surupto
sundown
and a visit to the Residence; the for tea was held in the Yellow Oval Room, the issues to
in the residences
clurine
zariadan-
discuss and to celebrate earefully worked out beforehand. where the Prime Mouster
is
thes
also
accurate?
A series of intimate lunches the President hosted paralleled the steps toward peace
in the Middle East; that they were held at the White House was truly historic. After the
signing of the Middle East peace agreement, which was attended by a huge gathering on
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Palestinian Tita)
the South Lawn. the President Yassar Arafat, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the late Tsraeli
Prime Minister Menachem Begin adjourned to lunch in the Family Dining Room of the
residence a lunch heard 'round the world. Subsequent visits marked the event as well.
The President also invited former Presidents Ford, Carter, and Bush, all of whom had
worked toward peace in the Middle East, back to the White House to demonstrate the
continuity of their work toward peace. The late Jordanian King Huessin, a special friend to
in the Middle East
the U.S. and instrumental in advancing the peace) and his American-born wife, Queen
Noor, were lunch guests as well (hamburgers and French fries on the Truman balcony, as
was King Huessin's son, King Abdullah who himself represented continuity in the work
Laward toward peace, as successor to nib father.
those
Although there are always naysayers who want the White House to look back to
has
Europe to define its style, Mrs. Clinton was also adamant that she wanted to demonstrate a
that American style--in cuisine, wines, furniture, art, entertainment-- has age truly come into its
own in every wayo and that this was is the style she wanted to express at the White House
Mrs. Cimton
elegant yet friendly, and also informal, both for formal and informal events. To this end,
has/ she's also tried to make the service, even for state and official dinners, as friendly and easy
as it could be. After about a year as First Lady, she noticed that not only did a lot of her
guests seem uncomortable with traditional French service, in which waiters pass the
platters with each dish for the guests to help themselves, but also that serving took much
longer that way. She thus changed the the service to American plated in which waiters serve
plates that have been warmed and beautifully composed for the guests by the kitchen staff.
however
(The exception here is dessert, 6 which is still served the traditional way, because the
bi
5
1-99;12 33PM CONSUMER TRADE
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P.07
presentation Cheb of Mesnier's desserts is 50 dramatic.) To combine the awe every guest feels
at any event at the White House and a respect for tradition with a comfortable, warm, and
easy style of entertaining has worked so well that performing artists have risen
spontaneously to sing at Mrs. Clinton's tables, and at one black-tie dinner, for Nelson
Mandela, a few of the guests formed a dance line--before the designated dancing.
and News of an upcoming state event doesn't take long to electrify all branches of the
government, as Mrs. Clinton and her staff were to learn as they began planning their first
state dinner invitations to the White House have been highly coveted since John Adams
took
was in residence. Technically, a "state" dinner is hosted by the President to welcome a
such a president or akmq
such as
head of state while an "official" dinner is one given for a head of government a prime
minister ssay, instead of a king On the other hand, the terms have been interchanged so
often (and also used casually: Lincoln considered his first state dinner to be one he gave
for his Cabinet) that the distinction is rarely made anymore. When Britain's Prime Minister
Tony Blair was entertained at the White House, no one split hairs over the terminology:
state dinner. Working visits and private visits, which the Clintons hosted more often in
their first months in office, aren't governed as strictly as state visits, but even there, certain
protocol
rules of protece] will always apply.
The Social Secretary filters the news of a state dinner first through the protocol
hote
office, who will contact the embassy involved, compile the embassy's guest list; discom
They also take into account any
any dietary restrictions, preferences, or allergies and cultural issues that may apply--white
flowers, particulaly chrysanthemums, signify mourning in most of South America, for
example, and would thus not be used in the flower arrangements, nor would one display
6
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Sep-01-99 09:19A C. M
P.02
for officies from
red flowers at a state event held for a Communist country. In addition, the protocol office
search further
(or sometimes Mrs. Clinton herself) will probe probe a little deeper. in order to uncover special
ways in which to honor a guest. The king of Morocco, who has ruled for more than thirty
a grest of one White House
years, had been to state dinners many times, and Mrs. Clinton was eager to have the state
dinner she and the President hosted in his honor be as special to him as the very first
dinner he ever attended. Once it was discovered that he was a huge jazz fan, the answer
The
wouldhe a performance,
fell into place: his evening's entertainment was jazz Dr a head of state might be partial to
a special flower. which Nancy Clarke will then incorporate into bouquets for the tables.
Always, though, a state dinner is an essasion not only to showcase American but also to
hener the guests.
The Social office request
Every am of government is asked to provide a suggested guest list) and everyone
invited has to have a reason to be invited to this particular affair Lists come in to the
Social Office from the Cabinet departments, from the Vice President's office, the State
Department, the National Security Council, the White House offices of political and
congressional affairs, the press secretary, and the Democratic National Committees if
suggested invittees accepted
every department had its wishes come true, thousands upen thousands of people would
Thouevers
probably be invited each timej-at best the East Room, which seats more people than the
State Dining Room and is the setting for many state dinners, can accommodate 240. The
Social Office winnows the lists, before presenting them to the President and Mrs. Clinton
This complicated process has been much simplified, as the various branches of government
by the use of computer
networkings
with each other by computer until this administration. The Social
Secretary's office has also computerized past guest lists for cross-checking, and, in order
7
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P.01
to be as inclusive as possible, compiled lists of members of Congress and other branches
of government who have never before been invited to a White House event.
and his spouse
Some guests are invited automatically.)the Vice President for example, the
Secretary of State, and up to a dozen guests in the visiting dignitary's entourage. Members
of Congress, people from the suggested guest lists, and certain staffers are also honored
with an invitation. From the corporate world, business leaders who do a great deal of
all
business with the country in question are asked to attend, along with people from a broad
spectrum of America-artists and writers, media people, people from the eniertainment
world. Regardless of who's in power, party loyalists have always been included, as have
guests with roots in the culture being honored.
Once the Social Office draws up the tentative list, the Social Secretary will submit
it to President and Mrs. Clinton, who then personalize it with ideas of their own. When
she thinks about her guest lists, Mrs. Clinton, an avid reader, often turns to a file she keeps
about interesting people she reads about all over America, people who are doing different
kinds of things, and one of these people might well receive, seemingly out of the blue, an
=
invitation to the White House. In any case, drawing ups such a guest list is a high art
weaving together a different tapestry of America to present to the world each time. Much
more art for perhaps you when
later, another high art. call it informed intuition, goes into play 19 the seating arrangements are
determined. social Secretary CamiatMarstarl on Tables uses
are executed on big boards, with all the guests' names attached to the boards with Velcro, to
The more Gapricia Marshall and her staff know about The Bach every guest's interests, then, the
better. (For security reasons, the FBI also has to know the birth date and Social Security
max and match the names until
she is satisfied
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number of every American guest, in order to run a background check. Before entering the
House, the guests will pass through security at the East Appointment Gate.)
Chief usker
of each While House event
Gary Walters is involved in the planning from the beginning. His years of
accumulated White House wisdom are invaluable, because state dinners always grow from
a respect for tradition, and the same question is always asked first: How has this been
7
done before? And then: How can we do it differently give it a fresh new twist? Even with
these events strictly bracketed by protocol, there's infinite room to vary the details, and all
of the twenty-five state dinners the Clintons have hosted to date have felt very different,
settengs
from the setting and the way the tables The looked to the meals and the entertainment that
followed. More than once, the President and First Lady have adjourned to the residence
after inviting the guests to continue dancing and stay as long as they like and stay they do.
To the three White House calligraphers, the invitations they send out for a state
dinner (or, for that matter, any White House event) act the stage for the cvent, and offer
the guests the first inkling of the care that goes into the planning. Every invitation is hand
engraved, every envelope hand-lettered, all feature the Presidential seal embossed in gold,
and many guests have commented that the very arrival of the invitation--on fine Crane's
made-in-America stationary-creates the first memory of the occasion.
In the earliest administrations, invitations were written in longhand often by the
nusclf
First Lady, who sometimes invited her friends over to help out By good luck, however,
was the first president to use a call grophes
President Ulysses S. Grant had on his state & man to manage the social and of the
presidency, whose hobby was calligraphy, and the invitations issued from the White House
it was the staffer who managed the social aspects The of
began to set a new tone of elegance. Today the scriptorium in the East Wing of the White
(Presiden
from That time on;
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w
House is an integral part of every event, supporting the Social Office with all its graphic
needs. Whether it's an event announcing a new public policy initiative or a state dinner,
the calligraphers are involved, designing and creating invitations. programs, menus, place
of these Things
cards, escort envelopes, and the art that distinguishes one event from anotherg all g+ which
A
even
are destined to become keepsakes, rarely does anyone leave so much as a menu behind
after a visit to the White House.
Chief Calligrapher Rick Paulus taught himself calligraphy when he was twelve, and
has never wanted to do anything elsorit's an art that's grounded in history he feels That but
In
also leaves room for innovation and ways to evoke the contemporary, even the future. He
and his colleagues always tailor the script to the occasion, choosing, for example, a strong,
dark script to announce a visit from the President of Germany, or a light, delicate, even
flowery script for an invitation to a springtime tea. One script he particularly likes to use is
the uniquely truly American Spencerian script, which dates to the late 1800s.
(Spencer taught the
script to Palmer, a railroad record keeper, who simplified it. Palmer's script, in upper and
lower case, was then posted, for generations, in every elementary school classroom, the
basis for teaching American schoolchildren to write script.) But the hierarchy of scripts
gives way to almost endless variation. This is painstaking work. Although Paulus can, in a
pinch, do a menu in ninety minutes, he prefers to spend ten to fifteen hours perfecting it
before it's engraved and then printed.
In the early planning stages of a state visit, the protocol office sends an advance
team to discuss the forms of address to be used, which always show the highest respect
to the guests of honor
(and standards If there is to be art embellishing. say, the program, one individual piece is
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created, and then reproduced. Paulus and his colleagues will then, in conjunction with the
Social Office, begin their design works invitations, menus, programs, and so OR, if possible
The
reflecting a particular interest of the guest work which continues until the day of the
event, when the place cards are finally laid on the tables. Any last-minute changes in the
it has
guest list (or worse, the menu or entertainment-and it s happened), and the work has to
be recast in order for the memories the calligraphers have helped create to be correst.
Meantime, throughout the rest of the House, and even as they're planning and
executing any number of other events the staff is also working full speed ahead on the
upcoming state dinner. Even though the ritual of a state dinner is essentially the same-the
arrival of the guests, the arrival of President and Mrs. Clinton and their gueststo the
sound of the Marine Band playing "Hail to the Chief," the receiving line, drinks, dinner,
and then the entertainmenttthere is nothing perfunctory about such an affair, and even the
most seasoned staffers are thrilled every time. Whether the guests emerge with their own
security from limousines or walk up to the gate to the East Wing on foot, the sense of
and excitiment
Smagie, of tradition off of the theer sense of America is palpable every minute of the evening,
and a state evening casts a glow over all who touch it that's almost impossible to describe.
It's the American spirit coming alive--and reaching out to touch the world. The spirit
behind every state event thus seems to build and, if anything. the enthusissm that goes into
the planning is redoubled every time, as if America herself is at stake, as perhaps she is.
Chief Horae Designer
topic
Some weeks before a state event, Nancy Clarke schedules an appointment,
Hungs
typically in the East Room to review with Mrs. Clinton the selection of tablecloths, and
flower arrangements she has been working on for weeks herself. Several tables are set up}
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Offer Clearor selech the tablesething for several events
w one of these session
(and there may be a few other tables as well, to help Mrs. Clinton select the tablecloths
casestfrem p.11 p.11
and flowers for other upcoming events) for the First Lady's perusal Tablecloths
for
state
affairs are rented, and different each time, it would be unheard of at the White House to
repeat them.) Clarke has staged her preview with great precision. By now, she knows, for
example, that the flowers for every table must be displayed at their fullest bloom, and she
has ordered them one, two, or three days ahead so that her sample displays will show them
at their full opulence. Amaryllis, roses, and hypericum take one day after they're delivered
to open fully, for example, and Rothschild lilies can take up to three days. Because Mrs.
Clinton prefers seasonal flowers. which are also more economical, Clarke will often order
her samples ahead of the season, knowing which ones will be in high season and perfect
form by the time of the event. Mrs. Clinton brings to these previews a sophisticated eye,
intuiting when the vases, the flowers, and the tablecloth work togther perfectly to seand
haromonize a table, and by now, she and Clarke speak in almost a shorthand; if there are
changes to be made, Clarke understands how to make them. Then the flowers for the
arrange
event--which M might take four people up to five days to swecute-are ordered.
It
Mrs. Clinton also chooses the china for every official or state event, which must
complement
blend well-with the tablecloths, the flowers, the food to be served, and the mood of the
event. What's more, there must be enough china for the event in question.
Whereas many First Ladies have left as a legacy a new set of White House china, but
Mrs. Clinton, like others among of her predecessors, decided instead to use the money
appropriated to her to replenish some of the existing sets of state china The collection of
pieces of wuechare
White House china, displayed behind glass in the China Room on the ground floor and
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stored elsewhere, includes china or glassware used by nearly every Presidenty but by no
means holds complete sets of all the china on display. In the nineteenth century, china was
routinely thrown out, auctioned off, or replaced, until 1889, when Mrs. Benjamin
Harrison, realizing the historic importance of the collection as a whole, began collecting
pieces from earlier administrations and putting together the collection. The choice of china
available
a complete service LA
place
for state dinners includes china from the Truman, Johnson, and Reagan administrations,
service
replexished
settings
Among the china(that Mrs. Clinton has filled out is that from the Wilson administration,
the first state service made in America, in Lenox, New Jersey. Gold-bordered, with a
cobalt blue banner and the Presidential seal in the center, the set now contains enough
service plates for a state dinner as well. Mrs. Clinton has sometimes used the Wilson
[DESCRIBE]
service plates, and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt china for the rest of the meal. When it
comes time for a state dinner, the curators will bring out the china from storage, then
inventory it before it's put away again after the event.
President Ulysses S. Grant and his wife replenished the Lincoln china and also
bought new china, as well they might have. They needed a lot of china. At their state
dinners, they served up to twenty-nine courses. They also introduced the custom
(discontinued immediately after they left office) of a break in the middle of dinner so the
guests could stretch and cleanse their palates with a lemonade, brandy, and rum punch,
before moving on to the second half of dinner, including a few rounds of dessert at the
end. It took more than a century to pare down the number of courses to the four served
a
a
under Mrs. Kennedy, and ever since: the first course, the entree, the salad course, and
dessert. Yet Yet E no one ever complains of leaving a state dinner hungry.
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waller
Early on in planning a state dinner Gary Walters, Chef Scheib, Pastry Chef Reranee
Social Secretary
Mesnier, and Capricia Marshall meet to discuss the menu in broad outline, and to look into
Walters' records to see what's been done before. Then Scheib and Mesnier begin to
research the country in question, and to plan a menu that's both thoroughly American and
yet pays tribute to the Clintons' guests. For the first state dinner for the Emperor of Japan,
created
for instance, Mesnier concected a dessert of cherry sherbet with almond ice cream,
WHAT'S Q
California "Berkeley" cherries, and wild strawberry sauce, served in a sushi basket. In
SUSHI BASKE
1995, for the Korean state dinner for President Kim Young Sam ginseng tea truffles
accompanied Mesnier's dessert, a pistachio and nectarine rose of sharon with strawberry
sauce. Out of deference to the English custom of a savory to end a meal, Scheib served
herbed cheese crisps with the salad course for the Great Britain state dinner for Prime
Minister Tony Blair, and also served kasha as part of the first course when the Clintons
hosted Russia's President Boris Yeltsin. There's a commercial kitchen on the ground
restaurent qualing
floor, in which Mesnier, and the extra kitchen staff hired for state dinners will
ches Scheib, his the chefs
cook the meal, and from which the extra butlers hired for the occasion, most of whom are
curf Mesnier works we the posny ketchen above the man
state dinner "regulars," will serve it. As the menus evolve, Mrs. Clinton, like her
Depende
predecessors, meets with the kitchen staff to sample the various dishes surely one of the
one on one me
great perks of the job. Imagine tasting your way through a state dinner, such as this one,
venue a
for Lieutentant Jerry John Rawlings, President of Ghana:
size of The even
other sooms w
The where House:
such os Old
Five Spice Roasted Duck over Marinated Pears and Papaya
Scallion and Vegetable Salad
Formes Dining Room
orne west Gareen Room
may be pressed who service
as staging and serving areas.
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Gingered Red Pepper Dressing
Grilled Yellowtail Snapper
Butternut, Celeraic, Gold Potato Hash
Truffled Lobster Fricassee
Roasted Pumpkin Sauce
Mache, Spinach, and Winter Greens Salad
Tumatoes and Herbed Goat Cheese Baked in Brioche
Basil Vinaigrette
Dessert?
Working with wine consultants Daniel Shanks and David Berkley.[Walt Walters and
caref
Scheib also choose the wine to accompany each course. Ever since the Carter
administration, all the wines served in the White House have been domestic wines, and
chef
wills each vrney and has to offer He leaksfor
Walters works with vintners all over the country to seek out the best and also wines that
for example a wine
TRU
might be specially suited to a specific state dinner, he once found an American vineyard
from the Russian reveyord for instance Just was as served American suisine ar is a now Ression world class, so, stare tee, is denner.
Valley
are? not surprisingly
the American wine industry thriving, with vitners particularly eager to work with the
White House, even designating special White House wines. (Thus no recent President has
had to resort to the tactics of President William Howard Taft. who sometimes served two
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wines at dinner. vintage wines for those he was ying to persuade to his causes politically,
and lesser wines for the other quests.)
of a state viset, but only one
The state dinner may be the highlight, but a state visit is comprised of a series of
su which
events, beginning with the arrival ceremony on the south lawn, and the first appearance by
the Marine Band the President's Own," under the direction, since 1996, of Lieutenant
Colonel Tim Foley plaip a large part in the acher Mr c)
the days
M he Marine Band, which celebrated its 200th anniversary on July 11, 1998, makes
6 three(hundred appearances at the White House a year, each one featuring different music
chosen especially for the occasion. There are 142 members of the band, and their
repertoire is literally universal, at a state arrival ceremony, they play SI the national anthem of
the visiting country, and over the years have so honored most of the nations worldwide.
source of The nursic
we Bance
At a state dinner, they're the bret sound you hear upon entering the house. Their music is
may
d (142 members shory)
incredibly varied they play as a group or break down into such smaller groups as a simple
flute and harp duo a string quartet, or a string ensemble and car change from administration
Inecr repitoirimez
to administration, depending on the musical tastes of the First Family in residence. Foley
at
remembers that for state affairs in previous administrations, there was usually a large
group of the band that played in the central foyer all through dinner and up until the
placed
entertainment. The Clintons prefer smaller, more intimate groups of musicians throughout
the house Or strolling musicians, with the men and women of the Marine Band moving
who softy play while guests
are folling or dining
throughout the house, playing sefuly, the women's A line skirts swaying like bells, as if
reinforcing the music.
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Foley, a clarinet player who joined band in 1968, researches the music for every
state dinner, with a musical salutation to the guest Kis first consideration. There are other
of nonor
selection
considerations as well. The kind of music will vary depending on the size of the room, the
must we
number of people attending, the number of members of the band performing. and withhe
planned, too, so as to be distinctly different from the entertainment scheduled for after the
dinner. The mood of the music also has to match the moment during the evening in which
it will be played. To play during President Yeltsin's state dinner, for example, among
chese to play
Foley's choices was a little known piece of Russian music by the composer Anton
Arensky, The piece was exactly twelve minutes long and just the right mood and tenor to
play as the receiving line was in progress.
The hand was playing in the southeast corner of the East Room now empty, and
Foley began the composition piece as the guests were moving through the receiving line in the Cross
The piece 70ley
Hall. Toward the end of he looked over his shoulder and saw to his amazement, found that
a single lis tener
he wasn't playing background music at all but directing a concert for one person only:
President Yeltsin, who had managed to slip away from the receiving line. With his jacket
over his shoulder, Yeltsin, who in fact did know the piece, was listening intently and, as
performance
the piece drew to its close, gave Foley and the band members a thumbs-up:
Music the universal language, has also played a diplomatic role many other times
occasions
during the Clinton administration. One of the the liveliest was at the dinner for British
Prime Minister Tony Blair, who had requested transatlantic rock 'n roll-Stevie Wonder
At state denner for President Kim your Sar
and Elton John. Another highlight was lyric soprano Hei-Kyung Hong who sang at the
of torea
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Korean state dirmer for President Kim Young Sam, introducine ed the music of European
composers to the guests from Korea, and Korean composers to the Americans assembled.
Most challenging, perhaps, was the question of how to honor not one but more than forty
April
countries, at the events scheduled for the 50th anniversary) in 1999 of the signing of the
North Atlantic Treaty forming NATO. [
surrounding The ensiversary celebration,
The series of events were months in the plannings think of the protocol and
security considerations alone for welcoming more than forty world leaders for a weekend.
There would be a lunch on Friday in the Yellow Oval Room of the residence hosted by the
First Lady for the spouses of the world leaders, followed by a dinner that evening for
about sixty leaders and diplomats held in the East Room. The following night, Saturday,
partion
April 24, there would be a gala dinner for 600 in a huge/tent erected on the South Lawn.
icea
For Mrs. Clinton, the first inkling of how she wanted the weekend to unfold came
the year before, in Santiago, Chile, while she was attending a hemispheric conference. The
First Lady of Chile had hosted an outdoor dinner in the courtyard of the Presidential
Palace sat at the same table, an elongated, crescent-shaped table, where all
fee the guests
everyone
the guests could see each other There was no head table and ther fere no protocol
problems, which groups of round tables sometimes present, and the table instilled di cozy,
intimate feeling into the occasion. That, she decided, was the kind of table she wanted for
Friday's dinner during the NATO weekend. Working with the First Lady of Chile
of rue table
Capricia Marshall got pictures from that night, along with the dimensions and proceeded
a similar At the Friday dinnest
to have d the table built. A year later, the table worked perfectly. President and Mrs. Clinton
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General
with
with the Secre tary of NATO and
sat in the center, in the bottom of the "smile," surrounded by world leaders all at the same
table equal footing.
Saturday's dinner was as expansive as Friday's was intimate, extraordinary in an
entirely different way. The setting was magnificent, a massive, beautifully decorated
parition
lent,
interior
interior shucture and
with porticos giving it a sense of permanence. "Versailles on the South Lawn," some
each oftne member countrus
called it. There were delegations for all the leaders, and, le represent the U.S., former
and
?
Presidents, Secretaries of State an unprecedented array of officials, each announced as
Representing the leveled Stal
(they made their way to designated tables. After the dinner, though baritone Thomas
Hampson and soprano Rence Fleming gave a performance they had created just for the
occasion, which took place in several different languages that acknowledged as many
countries as possible and somehow evoked the sphit of the event in a way that was both
serious and lighthearted, evocative, somehow, of the Universal, just like the event Itself.
NECD CLOSING HERE
American
people
she
would
read
Jops (sorry).
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Christmas at the White House: An American Tradition
[need opening]
Shiney's
rewrife
John Adams was the first President to
celebrate Christmas in the White House. Just a
month after moving in to the unfinished residence,
Abigail Adams hosted the first White House
Christmas party - a reception for members of
Congress. Unfortunately, even the blazing fires in
every fireplace were unable to rid the House of cold
and damp, and guests had barely crossed the
threshold before they departed. the cold did not
deter the guests at Mrs. Adams's second party, held
a few days later, however. This children's party,
held for the Adams' four-year-old granddaughter
was by all reports a lively and fesetive occasion.
Thomas Jefferson and many of the
Presidents who followed continued the Adams'
tradition of hosting children's parties at Christmas.
Andrew Jackson, who lost his own mother as a
small child, invited area orphans to one occasion,
and joined them for a mock snowball fight in the
East Room, using balls made of cotton.
Benjamin Harrison brought in the first
Christmas tree in 1889, but just a few years later,
Theodore Roosevelt banned Christmas trees from
the White House, believing the practice of chopping
down healthy trees for the holiday to be inconsistent
with his views of conservation. (Nonetheless, one
of the Roosevelt children smuggled a small spruce
into the attic and hid it until Christmas; touched, the
President relented and let the family keep the tree,
rationalizing that selective cutting was vital to
woodland conservation.)
Fast forward to 1929, the year of the stock
market crash. That Christmas Eve, despite the
worry and fear in the air, President and Mrs. Herbert
Hoover lit up the White House and hosted a
children's party at which guests were serenaded
with carols by a group of Girl Scouts. As they were
having their dinner afterwards, the West Wing
caught fire. The men attending the party ran to save
what they could - and in a true Christmas moment,
retrieved a puppy in a cardboard box that one of the
President's secretaries had hidden away in his office
so his son wouldn't see it until the next morning.
The President himself had remembered the little dog
and ordered its rescue.
Perhaps the Christmas tree that shone as the
brightest beacon of hope was the one lit by
President Franklin Roosevelt in 1941, just after
Pearl Harbor and the American entry into World
War II. The plan had been for the President to light
a Community Christmas tree in Lafayette Park,
across the street from the White House, but the
Secret Service was opposed to the planRoosevelt
insisted upon having his tree, however, and the
Secret Service finally agreed that a tree could be lit
on the south grounds of the White House. [note -
this makes no sense - if the lit up tree is the
problem, why would the Secret Service find it
more palatable to have one closer to the House?].
On Christmas Eve, the Roosevelts, along with
Winston Churchill who was there to work on Allied
strategy, stood on the south portico and signaled for
the tree to be lit. A crowd of 15,000 had gathered to
watch, and burst into spontaneous song as the
electricians lit the tree The words of Winston
Churchill that night capture the spirit of Christmas
in the White House well: "Therefore we may cast
aside for this night at least the cares and dangers
which beset us, and make for the children an
evening of happiness in a world of storm."
Many of today's holiday traditions date
from the Eisenhower era. Mamie Eisenhower
ordered the decorating of the entire house, using a
record 26 Christmas trees. She held the first party
for White House staff, and began the practice of
mass-mailing Christmas cards to friends and
supports alike.
However, it was Jacqueline. Kennedy who
initiated the idea of using a decorating theme. She
chose "The Nutcracker Suite" as her first theme, for
the benefit of her young children. Also during the
Kennedy years, television began to beam the White
House decorations into nearly every American
home, bringing the House closer to the people than
ever before.
Hillary Clinton is a First Lady who loves
Christmas. Even so, she was surprised to discover
than no sooner is Christmas over at the White
House than the planning begins again. Barely had
she learned her way around her new home when,
just weeks after the President's first inauguration in
1993, Gary Walters and then-Social Secretary Ann
Stock approached her to discuss the holidays and
decide on a theme for the upcoming Christmas.
The planning for a holiday celebration of
this scale is almost unimaginable. Every Christmas
is entirely different from the theme of the
decorations to the colors that will predominate in
every room. The White House has displayed the
talents of many different designers, from Ralph
Lauren (1994) to Robert Isabell (1998). Except to
those executing the First Lady's vision, the holiday
theme is a carefully guarded secret. In previous
years, themes have included Santa's Workshop
(1997), Winter Wonderland (1998), The Nutcracker
(1996), and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
(1995). [note association partners who help?]
For their first holiday in the White House,
the Clintons chose to commemorate the Year of
American Craft by calling on craftspeople from
across the country to help execute the holiday
theme, "Angels." With the assistance of Michael
Monroe, Curator in-Charge of the Smithsonian
Institution's Renwick Gallery of the National
Museum of American Art, the White House
contacted over 3,000 American crafts artists -
working in wood, glass, metal, fiber, and clay - who
contributed approximately 7,500 ornaments and
decorations, to be used during the holiday season.
Submissions included a Bill Clinton playing the
saxophone, a cherub with Chelsea's long hair, and
Socks in ice skates. To compliment the ornaments,
Mrs. Clinton initiated the creation of a green velvet
handmade tree skirt designed by individuals from
each of the 50 states, territories and the District of
Columbia.
To add to the experience of White House
visitors during the holiday season the Social Office,
throughout the year, accepts tapes and applications
from musical groups of all backgrounds who are
interested in performing at the White House over
the holidays.. The more than 2,500 school children,
senior citizens, policemen, church choir members,
pianists, and others who are chosen through this
process will create a tapestry of American music,
adding to the festive air of every room.
In May [?], Pastry Chef Roland
Mesnier and his assistant, Franette McCullough,
begin their holiday baking. Chef Mesnier's
responsibilities include constructing an elaborate
and totally edible gingerbread house whose design
remains a surprise for the Clintons, baking more
than 100,000 cookies and pastries for holiday
parties, and preparing 250 dried fruit-laden
fruitcakes, which are covered and marinating in the
White House walk-in refrigerators by July. The
pastry chefs use approximately 500 pounds of sugar
and 300 pounds of chocolate for holiday baking,
which occurs throughout the year, whenever there is
a slow day. Cookies are frozen as dough so they
can be baked and served fresh in December. Like
most bakers, Mesnier always prepares his classic
favorites, like his Cherry Yule Log, but also tries a
few new things each year.
Chief Floral Designer Nancy Clarke is
keeper of the official Christmas record, a 25-page
plan for the decorations that delineates what must
be done and how it much be done year after year,
regardless of the theme. She too begins holiday
preparations a year in advance, as does the Social
Office, which coordinates the execution of the
theme and all of the events that occur throughout
the season. Menus and guest lists are prepared
months in advance. Volunteer associations - from
the Knitting Guild of America to the American
Institute of Architects - must be recruited to help
with theme-related decorations. And an artist must
be selected to design the First Family's holiday
card, 300,000 of which will be sent in early
December.
Mrs. Clinton carefully oversees every aspect
of these preparations - deciding the theme, selecting
the artist for the card, approving the schedule of
holiday events, contributing menu ideas and other
items to make the holiday as meaningful and festive
as possible.. [What else can we say about HRC's
role - should this go earlier?]
Just a day or two after President Clinton is
presented with the official Thanksgiving turkey, the
Christmas season begins in earnest. The first public
Christmas ritual is covered by the news media: the
18 1/2-foot high Official White House tree,
designated for the Blue Room, is delivered to the
White House on a horse-drawn cart, accompanied
by the donor and representatives from the National
Christmas Tree Association, and received by Mrs.
Clinton. Then the White House closes its doors to
public tours for the next three days.
The "elves" responsible for transforming the
White House during the holidays wear jogging
shoes. They're a group of [sixty] volunteers who
come, at their own expense, year after year to
decorate the People's' House, under Clark's
direction, and for three intensive days they work
incredibly hard. Everyone has assigned jobs - a
certain tree, a certain room, a specific garland on a
specific mantle.
The focal point of the East Room becomes
the traditional White House creche, made in Naples,
Italy in the 18th century, which has been part of the
White House Christmas every year since it was
donated in 1967. In the Blue Room, the chandelier
comes down to accommodate the tree, which is
wired to the ceiling and hung with 2700 lights. The
furniture is removed from the room, plywood is laid
down to protect the floor, and scaffolding is erected
around the tree so it may be decorated from the top
down. The ornaments are carefully unwrapped
from their packing boxes and wired to one of the 18
trees or nestled into a garland on a mantle. More
than 300 wreaths are hung and 720 lengths of
garlands strung. The smell of evergreens begins to
permeate the house, and the volunteers move about
quietly on their rubber soles as every corner of the
house is made perfect.
There are other smells, too. Pastry Chef
Mesnier is still baking, and now Executive Chef
Walter Scheib is cooking as well, making holdiay
delicacies that will grace the tables for the many
receptions ahead. Scheib is also responsible for the
285 gallons of eggnog, which will be served at
receptions during the holiday season. With
decorations complete and the kitchen overflowing
with treats, the House is ready. It's officially
Christmas at the White House.
Mrs. Clinton hosts the first party - a
reception to thank the volunteers who once again
have decked the White House halls for Christmas.
Next, the Clintons host a reception for those
attending the Kennedy Center Honors.
Only then are the decorations - the holiday theme;
the surprise gingerbread house - unveiled to the
public at the press preview. [Note - when is the
Pageant of Peace - does it need to be mentioned?]
During the holiday season, 150,000
thousand visitors tour the White House, including
5,000[x] who take the special candlelight tours, a
tradition begun by Mrs. Nixon in an effort to enable
the working people of Washington to see the White
House at Christmas. Mrs. Clinton expanded the
candlelight tours to include early evening times
preferred by many senior citizens.
An additional 15,000 thousand people attend
one of the dozen or more holiday parties - including
the traditional Congressional Ball, parties for the
Secret Service, press corps, and White House staff,
and [any other that needs to be mentioned?]. The
Clintons have also started a new tradition, a public
version of a family ritual. The President always
read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to
Chelsea when she was a little girl. Now children
from the Washington, DC, area are invited to the
readings and the President, comfortably seated in a
rocking chair in front of one of the threes and
accompanied by the First Lady reads the story to the
young children. Then there's singing of Christmas
carols, a visit by Rudolph and Frosty, and a visit by
Buddy and Socks.
The Clintons began another new holiday
tradition, lighting a Hanukah menorah in the West
Wing lobby. The first menorah, lit in 1993, was
crafted by metal artist Zach Oxman and is now
traveling as part of the White House Crafts
Collection. In subsequent years, menorahs have
been loaned by the Gomez Mill House in Marlboro,
New York, the earliest surviving Jewish homestead
in North America, and by Mayrim Baram, a father
who lost his young son in the 1973 Arab-Israeli
War. Public parties end the weekend before
Christmas so the staff and First Family can enjoy
their own private celebrations. The White House is
where the Clintons celebrate their own family
Christmas. They decorate the tree in the family
quarters with the ornaments they've collected over
the years There's the excitement of having a child
home from college for the holidays, and the joy of
having young nieces and nephews join in the
celebration. On Christmas Eve, the President does
his last minute shopping, and Mrs. Clinton and
Chelsea bake cookies, a tradition started by Mrs.
Clinton's mother in order to give Dad time to set the
tree up, with overenthusiastic children out of the
way. The family reads the Christmas gospel
together and sings carols, acting out the parts. In
the morning, like many American families, the
Clintons attend church services and open gifts,
followed by an elaborate brunch - one time that
health conscious cuisine is definitely not on the
menu.
Just after New Year's the White House is
closed again for another three days as the ornaments
are recorded and packed up and the rooms are put
back to their pre-holiday state. What you hear then
is the hum of vacuum cleaners, picking up the stray
traces of pine needles. Holiday topiaries and
poinsettias are replaced with colorful traditional
arrangements.
[need closing].
Nicole
CHAPTER FOUR/CELEBRATING AMERICAN ARTS AND CULTURE
President
When the Lewis and Clark expedition returned from the West in 1806, Thomas
Jefferson, who as President had followed their exploits with keen interest, promptly took
the souvenirs they brought back with them--pelts, Indian costumes, stuffed animals, and
the like-and displayed them in the White House, which he'd opened up to the public for
(
visitors to see. The next year, when Lieutenant Zebulon M. Pike returned from his own
exploits out West, Jefferson again put the artifacts, including, incongruously enough,
examples of the arts of Hi the Spanish missions and two caged grizzly bears, out for display.
None of this was high art, to be sure, but it exemplified American culture as it was
interesking
evolving, and showcased it in the White House. In another 6 curious footnote to history,
one administration later John Quincy Adams danced the Virginia reel at his son's wedding-
-a dance that(still 6L turns up in most White House histories. Why? Because our culture now
chronicled
each
had a dance to call its own, and it had been danced at the White House. Ever since, every
administration has made it a mission to bring America home, to the People's House.
showcase
At the end of this century, there's more of American culture to bring home than
ever before. The America that President and Mrs. Clinton see is rich, diverse, unique,
drawing in flourishes from all over the world, and thriving. And that's the wide range of
outdoor sculpture
art and culture-from crafts to gospel, from ballet to rock, from educational programs of
exhibitions
all kinds to the unique Millennium Evenings, which, via the internet, bring the immediacy
the
of a White House event all over the world-that Mrs. Clinton has brought to her White
1
House, events designed to usher us into the future and make the People's House even
more accessible to more people both in America and beyond.
Mrs. Clinton has taken an energetic role in pursuing the more than twenty-five
important paintings, prints, and engravings have been acquired since 1993, including
"Sand Castles at Sunset, Atlantic City" by Henry Ossawa Tanning (c. 1885), the first
painting by an African American artist to be part of the permanent collection of the White
House, and Georgia O'Keefe's "Bear Lake, New Mexico" (1930), the first painting by a
twentieth-century American woman artist to be exhibited in the state rooms. She also
assembled the White House Crafts Collection to celebrate the diversity of this American
art form and the breathtaking collection, which has toured all over the country, became
the basis for the White House Historical Association's newest book, The White House
Collection of American Crafts.
During the Clintons' two administrations, literally hundreds of performing artists
have been invited to perform at the White House (and it's a sign of what an honor it is to
be asked that so many of them get an acute case of stage fright: "But this is the White
House!"). Mstislav Rostropovich, Isaac Stern, Jessye Norman, Pinchas Zukerman,
Kathleen Battle, and dozens of others have graced White House stages, including Van
Cliburn, who has performed before every President since Truman. Mrs. Clinton has also
showcased young artists and dancers, drawn attention to the central role the arts play in
children's lives, and initiated new awards to honor artistic achievement by those whose
contributions to our cultural life have made a difference. It's the First Lady's belief that
2
arts are not a luxury, but as central to us all as the air we breathe, and she has brought this
belief with her to the White House.
SCULPTURE GARDEN
Mrs. Clinton still remembers her first date with the President well, down to the
sculpture that brought them together--British sculptor Henry Moore's "Draped Seated
Woman," then on exhibit in the sculpture garden at the Yale University Art Gallery. The
furilie
two had gone to the gallery to find it closed, the result of a labor dispute, but the First
Lady's quick-thinking date managed to gain their entry into the empty gallery by
volunteering to pick up trash. Inspired perhaps, by echoes of the memory, along with her own
love of sculpture, she was determined to bring twentieth-century American sculpture to
the White House, and set the plan in motion the first year she arrived.
There's a long-standing rule at the White House that no art can be exhibited in the
state rooms until the artist has been dead for twenty-five years (or ten years? I have heard
Query-
answer P
two versions), both to insure the enduring quality of the work and also so as not to affect
a place
a living artist's market values, as display in the White House surely would. Thus the idea
of exhibitions by contemporary artists was innovative-and a suitable location on the
grounds had to be found. Working with designer Kaki Hockersmith, the Committee for
then
Preservation of the White House, and J. Carter Brown treasurer of the White House
Historical Association, the idea began to take form, and enthusiasm for the program began
to builds here was another new way to showease America at the People's House.
3
The grounds of the White House encompass eighteen acres, but Mrs. Clinton
wanted to make sure that as many visitors to the White House as possible would be able
to see the sculptures, not have them tucked away somewhere out of sight. The perfect
place--the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, named after another First Lady to whom the arts
meant so much--presented itself at once. This graceful, formal space is one of the first
things that every visitor sees on his or her approach through the polished brick-paved East
Colonnade, the windows of which overlook the garden in which Mrs. Clinton had spent
ru tue Garden
many peaceful hours it's a favorite spot of hers, and one where she has often entertained.
The simple lines of the garden and its classical rectangular form seemed perfectly suited
for displaying sculptures, which otherwise might be lost in a bigger or less well defined
space. Framed by boxwoods, which are evergreen, the garden also keeps its lines
throughout the winter months, assuring that the sculptures would be anchored in their
settings regardless of the season, for visitors to admire.
Any "extra-curricular" program like this requires the energy, patronage and efforts
of any number of people, in a kind of pitch-in American spirit, and Twentieth Century
American Sculpture was no exception. Iris Cantor and the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor
Foundation generously supported the project. Museums all over the country were eager to
participate, and it was decided that the first four exhibits would have a regional focus,
each
highlighting sculpture from public museums representing the regions. Unbelievably,
considering the logistics involved, the first exhibit opened in October, 1994. Today, it is
hard to envision the garden without sculptural embellishment.
4
By creating each exhibit around a theme, the curators succeeded in creating an
experience in which the works can be viewed individually, and then in a larger context, as
6 a whole. Even the regional exhibits-demonstrating the vitality of the Midwest, the
Southeast, the Southwest, and the Northeast--conveyed the remarkably different ways in
which artists approach and absorb their native landscapes. The fifth exhibit drew together
pieces from the public collections in Washington, D.C., so that they could be unified in the
garden, rather than viewed in isolation in their usual sites; the visual impact was striking.
Honoring Native America was the theme of the sixth exhibit, which opened to the
NC Z Piescel 7
traditional blessing offered by Phil Minthorn, a Nex Perce Indian. For the seventh exhibit,
Mrs. Clinton and her collaborators turned to first to France, then back to America.
Auguste Rodin's work, late in the 19th century and early in the 20th, has influenced
contemporary American sculptors in ways both subtle and dramatic and, under the
direction of Arnold L. Lehman, Director of the Brooklyn Museum of Art, those influences
including his "The Thinker")
were realized in the garden. (Three of Rodin's works were included as well.)
By now, some 7 million visitors to the White House have begun their tour before
the tour, by admiring these pivotal contemporary works, and the response has been
extraordinary-convincing affirmation that this century's complex sensibilities, like those
of the two centuries before, have been recorded for all time by the skill, grace, and passion
of our artists.
IN PERFORMANCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE
5
Mrs. Clinton, who claims to have no musical talent whatever, has a great
appreciation for music even so, enhanced, no doubt, by her husband, (whose knowledge of
music has become legend, even among the members of the Marine Band While/in her
tastes she leans toward the classical she also likes popular music, the Americana of the
a
last two centeries, and the best show tunes of American musicals. Music is thus the
activities of
constant accompaniment to the Clinton White House, but Mrs. Clinton wanted more--she
wanted music to emanate from the White House as well, to all of America.
The White House has always invited musicians to perform, but until recently, the
included only those revited to the House fora per formances
guest list didn't include all of America. President and Mrs. Nixon were able to entertain
people,
three hundred at a time in the East Room, in a series they called "An Evening at the White
House." The format that excited Mrs. Clinton, however, was begun by President and Mrs.
Carter, and was already in place, a series called In Performance at the White House--
another means of bringing more people to the White House, in this case to celebrate
music. Working with WETA, the public broadcasting station in Washington, D.C., the
and
White House stages a musical event which is then taped to be broadcast over all the PBS
or months
stations some weeks later. There is no cast-in-stone number of such events held each year,
and the series has sometimes languished, but Mrs. Clinton was so enthusiastic, she vowed
to do several every year. She began working with Sharon Rockefeller, the president of
WETA, and Americatech, the company that agreed to underwrite the programs.
From the beginning, Mrs. Clinton wanted to use the series to reflect the diversity in
American music, and open up the White House to that diversity as well. (In so doing, it's
fair to guess that the series also brought new audiences to PBS.) Early performances
6
included "A Salute to the Newport Jazz Festival," "Cabaret," "Aretha Franklin," "Women
of Country," and, performing together) Grammy winners Linda Ronstadt and Aaron
Neville, accompanied by the mariachi band Los Camperos De Nati Cano.
Mrs. Clinton's Social Secretary, Capricia Marshall, remembers the night, after one
stunning performance, when she knew that In Performance was going to take a decidedly
unconventional turn. At the end of a stellar evening, after rounds and rounds of applause,
the President and First Lady turned to Ms. Rockefeller and said, "Okay, we want to do
gospel." Gospel at the White House? Gespel on PBS? This was going destined to be a first.
As with all events, the Social Office reached out to all of America for this one with
the question: Who should be invited to hear gospel at the White House? And the House
was opened up.
Parission
This In Performance was to be held and telecast in a huge tent so Ms. Marshall's
office scheduled it around a series of White House events that were also to be held in
the Pavillion
tents. (For reasons of economy. tents are erected at the White House, during the warmer
months, to coincide with clusters of events for which the same tent is used.) The Clintons
have many friends who are ministers, preachers, religious leaders, many of whom were
invited. Further digging revealed journalists who write about gospel music, and a
magazine devoted to gospel music, and these people were issued invitations to the White
House as well. There was corporate America, Congressional America, and cultural
America drawn together in celebration of this indigenous American music
form.
The word "gospel" comes from the word Godspell, or glad tidings and that was
the spirit that evening, the spirit of glad tidings. The level of talent, combined with the
7
level of emotion, and surely heightened by the setting, the White House, had people
waving their arms, tears running down their faces, rising from their chairs spontaneously--
a uniguely art form
and, for many of them, participating in the American experience in an entirely new way.
sever months
And they were able to relive the experience E6 a few weeks later, along with all of America,
on PBS. The show was a stunning success.
WE ARE A LITTLE SHORT HERE IN WORD COUNT IS THERE
Skerley
PERHAPS A MILLENIUM CONCERT TO BE TELEVISED? OR SOME FUTURE
HIGHLIGHT PLANNED?
MILLENNIUM EVENTS
When the year 2000 is ushered in, the American people will have more to celebrate
than simply the birth of a new century. The year 2000 also marks the 200th anniversary of
aswell as
the completion of the White House and the Capitol Building, and 6L also the opening of the
Library of Congress: seminal events in the life of our country: To commemorate these
milestones of history, in 1997 Mrs. Clinton launched a multifaceted set of initiatives to
celebrate the accomplishments of this American century and to usher us into the century
before us. Under the auspices of the newly formed Millennium Council, headed by Ellen
Lovell, Mrs. Clinton, who serves as the council's Honorary Chair, has asked all Americans
to "honor the past-imagine the future,"
And provided ways for us all to do so. It was Mrs. Clinton's idea, for example, to
initiate Save America's Treasures. She and Lovell had long been concerned, for example,
8
that the original Star Spangled Banner needed painstaking (and expensive) restoring -ation if it
would survive into the millennium. They began to learn, too, of other historic artifacts,
poor conditions
sites, and documents that were in dismal Fepair. Save America's Treasures, a
public/private partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation on the public
was
side, and private and corporate donors on the private side) in order to establish a
concerted program of preservation. In a parallel project, the National Archives has
proposed a three-year preservation plan to ensure that such irreplaceable documents as the
Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights survive the next century.
To draw attention to the program, the President and Mrs. Clinton hosted a
reception at Washington's Museum of American history, announcing a gift from Ralph
Lauren and other private donors that would ensure the repairs to the flag, which inspired
Francis Scott Key to write The Star Spangled Banner. The First Lady then began a highly
toucks tones of
publicized bus trip, the first trip in her series of touring sites that are Vital to our national
heritage and also the monuments to the religious, artistic, and literary pioneers who have
Her first stopwas
shaped our history. She began the trip at Thomas Edison's laboratory in West Orange,
New Jersey, where she announced $5 million in funding for the lab from the General
Electric Fund. On subsequent trips she visited such sites as the home and archives of
American jazz legend Louis Armstrong in Queens, New York, where again she announced
a gift to enable the arehives to continue to preserve the music, so central to our heritage,
and Boston the home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and the African Meeting
House, also central to our culture. Crisscrossing the nation's landmarks, she also visited
9
the Breed Street Shul in Los Angeles, California, to announce further endowments for
America's treasures bestowed by the J. Paul Getty Trust.
One grassroots movement proposed by the committee and embraced by
communities nationwide is competing for the Millennium Council awards, an honorary
designation awarded by the White House to recognize communities who have acted upon
the millennium in a committed way. How does a community become involved? By
honoring the past, or imagining the future. By saving a monument, for example; recording
the stories of the people who shaped a community; organizing volunteers to improve the
library or assemble a group of tutors for local schoolchildren. To announce another
millennium initiative, the First Lady also traveled to Severna Park, Maryland, to draw
and
more
attention to the B&A Trail there. The creation of new Millennium Trails nationwide will
in/ormation
reinforce the connections between people, their land, their history, and their culture.
Perhaps the most extraordinary--and electrifying--events to have emerged from the
Millennium Council are the Millennium Evenings, a series of lectures and cultural evenings
hosted by the President and First Lady to highlight the creativity and inventiveness of the
American people and others from around the world. Held in the East Room, these
evenings have truly transformed the way in which the White House can be used to reach
out to all of America, and beyond.
Just as Franklin D. Roosevelt's legendary fireside chats, broadcast from the
Reception
then
Diplomatic Room, used radio the latest available technology available to him to broadcast
his messages from the White House, Mrs. Clinton has also relied on technology to bring
the White House to America. State dinner receiving lines are broadcast over C-span, for
10
like what?
example, sporting events over ESPN, In Performance over PBS, and the Kennedy Center
evenings over CBS. Yet to see the unmistakable glare of computer screens refracting their
light over the classical lines and fixtures of the East Room, so that, with the help of Sun
Microsystems, these interactive evenings could be broadcast over the internet to the
world, crystallized the concept of the millennium->honor the past, imagine the future-in a
way that was nothing short of thrilling.
The first evening, at which the featured guest was historian Bernard Bailyn of
Harvard University, was a nod to history; the subject was "The Living Past-Commitments
cybercast
for the Future." The format was untested. The guest list had, as always, been carefully
chosen, in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Humanities, who co-
sponsors the evenings, and the Department of Education, which promotes the events. For
this first evening, there was perhaps the largest gathering of historians ever assembled at
the White House. Mrs. Clinton would introduce the speakers or, in this case, speaker, who
would then make his or her presentation, not to last more than thirty minutes. After the
presentation, the President would make a few unprepared remarks in response, and then
Lovell would moderate the discussion--fielding questions from the guests, and also
everyone's
questions that arrived over the internet. She remembers their nervousness that first
evening: What if no one in cyberspace responded? As it turned out, questions came in, for
this and all the subsequent evenings, from all over the world. Following this
unprecedented worldwide dialogue, there would be a reception in the State Dining Room,
though no one could have guessed just how late the receptions would run, nor how high
the level of excitement would be.
11
Having met Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel in Switzerland, Mrs. Clinton invited
him to be her guest for another Millennium Evening, and to speak on the subject of "The
Perils of Indifference," and the lessons to be learned from a violent world. Here, too, the
e-mailed queries that came into the White House were extraordinarily moving, and
reflected the universal concern for victims of oppression and genocide everywhere. One
woman from Canada e-mailed a question at once simple and profound: "Elie Wiesel, Mr.
President, First Lady," she wrote, "I am the mother of a three year old daughter and my
question to you is 'How, in your view, is the best way to teach our young people to love
each other, when there is so much violence in the world?" Perhaps the best answer to that
is dialogues such as these.
FAPE, KENNEDY CENTER, PRITZGER TK
12
MAKING THIS HOUSE A HOME
When the President, Mrs. Clinton, Chelsea, and Socks moved into the White
House after the President's first inauguration in 1993, Mrs. Clinton wanted her new house
to echo not only with the resonance of history, but also with a true sense of home (and
some measure of privacy against the echoes).
The work of maintaining, renovating and restoring the White House is an on-
going project. The Clintons spent their first several years living alongside scaffolding,
raised during the Carter years to help workers remove some forty coats of paint, restore
the stonework, and repaint the exterior of the House. This work is now complete, except
for a small patch of plaster where burn marks remain from the War of 1812. The
President decided to leave those scars as they were, a reminder of history.
Perhaps the biggest change a visitor who knew the residence would notice is the
bookcases on the third floor. Whereas other recent Presidents moved into the residence
while leaving parts of their lives at the homes to which they would one day return, the
Clintons left nothing behind in the Arkansas Governor's Mansion. This was to be "home
home", as the First Lady puts it, not just the place they were living because her husband
was President. And to the President and Mrs. Clinton home means books, thousands of
books reflecting their eclectic tastes in everything from history to popular fiction to art.
And not just put away on shelves, either, but referred to and read, often loaned to friends.
Left to their own devices, if the President and Mrs. Clinton aren't reading, they're very
happy playing librarians in their own library.
Even in the more formal rooms of the residence-the Yellow Oval Room, for
example, where state visitors are hosted-the First Family has found places for personal
collections and keepsakes. The President and First Lady love having framed photographs
around them. Family photographs of Chelsea growing up, of earlier Christmas
celebrations, of their nephews, and clusters of these memories are displayed all over the
House. They also have a fondness for whimsical turtles, pretty boxes, and the needlepoint
pillows Mrs. Clinton has been give to commemorate her moments in the White House.
One of her prized possessions is a pillow on which the jacket for her bestselling book, It
Takes a Village, is replicated in needlepoint. Over their years in office, the Clintons have
had the opportunity to personalize the residence with gifts they've received. The
President and First Lady have also surrounded themselves with American crafts from the
White House collection, as well as paintings and furniture on loan from several museums
and from the collection that reflect their taste.
From the beginning, there was every evidence that a child was in residence.
Chelsea Clinton was twelve when she moved in, the first child to live in the House since
Amy Carter. Mrs. Clinton had chosen Chelsea's quarters during her first visit to the
White House after the election, when Mrs. Bush had invited her to tour the residence and
have tea. Working with Chief Usher Gary Walters, she had made sure that Chelsea's
rooms would be ready, with some of her familiar things in place, when she arrived at her
new home on Inauguration Day. That night, Chelsea was treated to an inaugural party of
her own. A few of her friends from Arkansas and new acquaintances from Washington
went on a "History Mystery Tour", a scavenger hunt to find historic treasures all over the
House.
The Clintons wanted to be able to eat informally as a family, so they turned what
had been a butlers' kitchen on the second floor into a family kitchen. Until the time
President and Mrs. Kennedy were in residence, the First Family had usually dined on the
State Floor in the Old Family Dining Room. Mrs. Kennedy created President's Dining
Room in the residence, and the butlers' kitchen. By removing a big butcher-block serving
station, the Clintons were able to add a kitchen table, and use their own pitcher to pour
the lemonade. When Buddy joined the Clinton family, a bed was placed in the kitchen for
him.
Working with designer Kaki Hockersmith, the Committee for the Preservation of
the White House, and with private funding, the Clintons also refurbished a number of
rooms in the residence. These projects included the sitting room in the Lincoln Bedroom
suite, several guest rooms on the third floor, the Treaty Room, which serves as the office
and setting room for the President and the President's Dining Room. The dining room
was originally papered with a mural of a battle of the Revolutionary [?] War which had
historic significance but was a little grim. In order to preserve the integrity of the mural,
Hockersmith and Mrs. Clinton hung the celadon moire silk wallpaper on battens which
can be removed without damaging what is underneath. One Christmas, as a surprise for
her husband, Mrs. Clinton created a music room to house his collection of old albums,
CDs, musical instruments, sheet music, and photographs of composers. A little room with
a staircase and a balcony leading go to the roof, (in other administrations people have put
on plays there) it works perfectly as a music room. The President has entertained guests,
including state visitors, there for hours. In addition, there is now a piano on every floor of
the White House.
Another favorite gathering place for the family is the solarium, a beautiful
sunroom on the third floor with expansive views on all three sides. There is a balcony just
outside the room, where Mrs. Clinton grows tomatoes in the summers. Decorated in
cheerful blue, raspberry, and white floral prints, this room, along with the new kitchen, is
perhaps the most lived-in room of the residence. Buffet breakfasts are set out when there
are guest, and occasionally buffet supper. It is the setting for games, like Scrabble,
Boggle, Upwards, and cards. If Chelsea is home from college there is often an unfinished
jigsaw puzzle that she and her father are working on.
The Clintons love to entertain, and have held many private parties for friends and
family celebrating birthdays, reunions, baby and wedding showers. The wedding of Mrs.
Clinton's brother, Tony Rodham, to Nicole Boxer, daughter of Senator Barbara Boxer,
took place in the Rose Garden. The President and Mrs. Clinton also love theme parties
and costume parties. The First Lady's staff and friends have surprised her with costume
parties, which are paid for privately, every year: a '50s sock hop complete with poodle
skirts, a French Revolution party, a country and western party. There was a party
everyone dressed up in all the guises of the First Lady they could think of; reading, as a
young lawyer, a new mother, a bride, and their interpretation of Mrs. Clinton as First
Lady.
The President shares a summer birthday with Tipper Gore, and they've often
celebrated together. Often with parties held on the White House grounds. The guests
include celebrations for these political appointees and many of the White House
employees, along with friends and family. One year the them was nostalgia, and Motown
group the Four Tops was invited to play. They were accompanied at one point by the
President and his saxophone and Mrs. Gore on the drums. Another time the theme was
Western, with all the chiefs of staff attending mounted on horseback. And Pastry Chef
Mesnier honors each milestone with a birthday cake.
The President and Mrs. Clinton also like to entertain with movie nights. These
evening make take place in the White House screening room which can hold up to sixty
people, often with an informal supper afterward. One of the smallest such gatherings held
there was the night of the 1996 election, when Mrs. Clinton elected to watch a movie
with a couple of friends rather than the earliest election returns.
Living among the artifacts of history as its stewards, the Clintons, like the First
Families that came before them, have also made this house their home. They've watched
their daughter grow up in the residence, marked births in their family, and deaths, come
to feel a part of the larger, extended family of the White House, and a part of its history as
well. When the Clintons depart the White House for their next home, and the next
occupants move in, they'll also leave a part of themselves behind for history.
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CHAPTER SIX/EXPLORING IDEAS
There wasn't a dry eye in the White House the day President and Mrs. Clinton
hosted the Adoption Event in November, 1998. The President had set a goal in 1996 of
doubling adoptions and permanent placements from the child welfare system, where
roughly 100,000 children are awaiting homes; over the next year, adoptions increased by ten
percent. At the event, held during National Adoption Month, the President was to
announce concerted new efforts to facilitate adoptions, to expand the use of the Internet
?
to share information, break down geographic barriers to adoption, and shorten the time
needed to find families for children and children for families. The honored guests were
twenty-four newly formed families celebrating adoptions made final that day, along with
and
Other attenders included
other children's advocates, adoption professional and, among others, Dave Thomas,
founder of Wendy's and one of adoption's great advocates, and Washington's mayor-
elect, Anthony Williams, himself an adoptee. The event was held in the East Room, which
grew silent that day when Mayor Williams rose to talk about how much his adoptive
When
family had meant to him, and what might have happened to him otherwise. As As he finished,
he introduced 12-year-old Charday Mays, adopted that very day, who spoke with
emotional eloquence about what it meant to her to have found her family. She then
And so)
introduced the President. Thus was the East Room, a room that has so often welcomed
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PAGE 03
was
kings, queens, and illustrious heads of state, transformed by the primal power of familial
love, and the power of policy to foster it.
The White House hosts dozens of such events every year, honoring Americans
whose ideas and good efforts have made a difference, Americans who work, so to speak,
in the trenches of American life to contribute to a better life for us all. Naturally, the kinds
of events held and the breadth of policy, to say nothing of the kinds of ideas, celebrated
will vary from administration to administration and E in the case of the Clinton
administration, the ideas explored have ranged from children's, family, and health care
issues to violence against women, the needs of the disabled, and the essential importance
of religious authority as we face the complex challenges of life at the end of this century.
How do such events come about? In some cases, they have a precedent in White
House history. First Lady Lucy Hayes, for example, whose husband, Rutherford B. Hayes,
was inaugurated in 1877, was the first to introduce morning prayer to the House; much
later, during World War II, the idea of a National Prayer Breakfast emerged, to discuss
the problems of the War and pray for peace this breakfast, which draws in members of
th
Congress, is typically held annually at a hotel or large gathering place in Washington. Mrs.
Clinton, however, a devout Methodist, decided, with her prayer breakfasts to bring the
idea closer to home. Because she strongly believes that our spiritual life leaders are as
is
important as our secular life leaders, she decided to invite the nation's spiritual leaders every
year in September, after the summer holiday, to pray, to bless the People's House, and to
engage in a dialogue about the issues of the day. These nondenominational prayer
hare
breakfasts held without the press invited in the State Dining Room, seemed to draw our
to whech the press are nor in viLed?
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PAGE 04
religious leaders together into our secular lives, and and also signal a new beginning, every
year. HAVE THEY ACTUALLY BEEN HELD EVERY YEAR?
Other events come about in response to the news of the day, either to celebrate a
national triumph such as man's landing on the moon (HAS THERE BEEN SUCH A
TRIUMPH CELEBRATED IN CLINTON YEARS?), or to share maurn a private moment or a
both pulrically and prwakely.
yord of condolence with victimes of a national tragedy as the Clintons did with the
Denny family
Denny family from Oklahoma City after = two of their four children were seriously hurt in
overftuein
the bombing of the Murrah Federal Office Building in 1995. Because their injured children child/
Denny's
was having brain surgery, they had been unable to attend the memorial service over which
President Clinton presided after the bombing. Upon learning this, he invited the family to
the White House at a later time, and the poignant meeting with the President and Mrs,
Clinton was held some months later.
Most of the "ideas" events, on the other hand, are months in the planning, involve
a particular
dozens of staffers, and reflect Mrs. Clinton's longtime commitment to the cause at hand
Take the White House Conference on Child Care held on October 23, 1997-the first time
that the White House had showcased this issue, which is so important not only to our
and ourfutures
children but also to our national prosperity Both President and Mrs. Clinton had worked
on the issue for years, as had the Domestic Policy team and the First Lady's staff, meeting
with childcare experts and dropping in on childcare centers; holding focus groups with
and
experts) setting up roundtable discussions with business leaders involved in childcaregande
many facets of
giving speeches on the subject. Yet the subject had never been tied together into one
a
cohesive conference, and Mrs. Clinton wanted it given the grave imprint of the White
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PAGE 05
event
House to broadcast the message to the nation-how far we've come, how far we still need
to go to assure available, affordable, safe, quality childcare nationwide. Everyone on her
worked to make The
staff, from policy experts to those in the social office, began to put together the
conference a reality.
If you talk to anyone who works closely with the First Lady, one word thar comes up
over and over again: inclusive. Mrs. Clinton is avid in her desire to bring as many people
to the White House as possible, and also to give credit where credit is due-in this case, to
childcare workers themselves. As the conference was organized two panels for which will a
on one of
scheduled
wide variety of experts were asked to participate were set up, one for the morning session
parents
and one for the afternoon sessions the First Lady would host a lunch in the dining room in
between, and a reception on the South Lawn after the afternoon session. In all, there were
to be 150 guests, including, among others, members of Congress, governors and other
of course
state and local officials, experts, businesspeople, economists and childcare providers
themselves, whose work is so vital to our nation. By now, Mrs. Clinton's Social Office has
an unbelievably wide network/a all over the country, and they were faced with the happy
of of contacts
7
(albeit difficult) chance of choosing a number of childcare workers to invite (to a one, all
of whom were awed by their invitation to the White House, created with the same care
that goes into say, an invitation to a state dinner). Several hundred additional people were
invited to three Federal agencies to watch the proceedings by satellite, and the Conference
was also broadcast live via satellite to more than 100 locations in at least 48 states.
There is no better platform than the White House to elevate and celebrate issues
and ideas in this way and each event reaches out to America, and brings America in, in the
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PAGE 06
same way. Although, strictly speaking, policy is not enacted at an issues event, these
7
White House forums amplify initiatives to the public, sometimes further grassroots
movement in a given area, and draw attention to work that remains to be done. In this
way, Mrs. Clinton has highlightedsuch programs as Healthy Families America, which helps
when
?
at-risk mothers and mothers-to-be; publicized the work the Pediatric Aids Foundation has
done to reduce prenatal transmision of the disease; celebrated with a special ceremony the
signing of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; welcomed Health Security
Express participante and endorsed their work toward universal health insurance coverage;
hosted a breakfast to draw attention to advances made in breast cancer research; and
demonstrated, at a reception, this administration's commitment to reducing teen
pregnancy-among scores of other such events. This is democracy at work, welcoming
ideas to the People's House, and sending them back to the people.
5
CHAPTER ONE/PRESERVING THE HOUSE FOR HISTORY/INTRO
Why should the Blue Room be blue?
If you were to eavesdrop on a meeting of the Committee for the Preservation of
the White House, this is precisely the kind of question you'd hear debated among the
Committee members, a distinguished panel of historians, curators, interior designers, and
experts on every aspect of American furniture, art, and the decorative arts. You'd learn
that, in fact, the Blue Room was originally crimson, once had yellow draperies, and
wasn't predominantly blue until 1837, when Martin Van Buren chose the color by which
the room would be known. Redecorated any number of times since (in various shades of
blue), this formal oval room once even featured lion-skin rug, a gift to Franklin
Roosevelt. So when Mrs. Clinton and the Committee set about refurbishing the Blue
Room, which badly needed it, their starting-point question was: which Blue Room do you
go back to use as?
It's a question that resonates with every change proposed for the State rooms of
the White House, and it's only fairly recently that the process to answer it has been firmly
in place. When Jacqueline Kennedy arrived at the White House in 1961, she was
concerned that the history of the White House, as reflected in its furnishings, art, and
artifacts, wasn't being protected, the way it would be in a museum. Indeed, early
presidents had routinely auctioned off unfashionable furnishings and, until Mrs.
Kennedy's arrival, there was no curatorial staff to catalogue and maintain what was, in
fact, priceless collection of American art and furniture, and decorative objects. At her
urging, in 1961 Congress passed a law to preserve the museum quality of the public
rooms; that same year, again at her urging, the White House Historical Association was
formed, to enhance appreciation of the house nationwide, and to publish a guidebook.
Since then, the Association has created a thriving publishing program, the proceeds of
which are poured back into the White House. In 1964, under executive order, the
Preservation Committee was established as well. In this way, the systems for restoring
and renovating the White House, as well as making it home for the future, were set in
place.
Working closely with the Committee, Mrs. Clinton has immersed herself in the
history of the House, and the related history of American furniture, fabrics, wallpaper, art,
and interior design--a steep (and sometimes daunting) learning curve, the gleaming
results of which will leave a lasting legacy throughout many of the historic rooms in the
White House. In 1995, she oversaw a complete renovation of the Blue Room, the first in
more than twenty years, replacing the worn carpet with an new carpet of 19th century
design, and replacing the soiled, worn, and sun-damaged draperies and upholstery in
sapphire blue, replicating fabrics from the 1800s. In addition to her work in the formal
rooms in the residence, she has also overseen the restoration of the Entrance Hall, Cross
Hall, and Grand Staircase, their first redecoration since 1973, of the State Dining Room,
and of the East Room-achievements that are meant to last for the next twenty-five years.
Endowment Dinner
Such improvements as these are funded by publishing proceeds from the White
House Historical Association, and also from private donation; collectively, these funds
comprise the White House Endowment Fund, founded in 19TK under the Johnson (I
THINK) administration. The Fund's goal had long been to reach $25 million, and stood
at $12.5 million when Mrs. Clinton began serving as honorary chair in 1993. Under her
passionate leadership that goal has been met-by all accounts, a stunning achievement.
Today, with all the recent restorations and improvements, including the completion of
those begun in earlier administration, the White House stands prouder than it has in years.
Only those deeply involved in caring for this living museum can truly understand
the hundreds of details that must be considered before contemplating any change. In a
room like the State Dining Room, for example, the carpet must be chosen to withstand
the 50,000 invited guests who will dine there (some of whom will also, inevitably, spill
there) every year. The carpet chosen has to be historically accurate, in keeping with the
colonial revival style of the room. Because the function of the room comes into play with
design decisions, and the room is often used during the day, the carpet can't be too dark,
which would make the room appear gloomy. And it can't be too light--consider the
traffic. While it might be historically correct to feature a medallion design on the carpet,
that won't work, either, because tables have to be arranged in many different ways,
depending on the event being held there. The pattern must also be forgiving of spills and
stains. The new carpet ultimately chosen, a field pattern in warm colors, satisfies all these
needs. The new carpet for the East Room had to meet these standards, plus an additional
condition: Because events in the room often open to the press and television cameras, this
carpet one would often have to be rolled up. The size of the room made the task of rolling
up and removing a carpet a daunting task. The solution? Three carpets, only one of which
needed to be removed at a time.
When the Endowment reception and dinner were held to celebrate the Fund's
having reached its goal, Mrs. Clinton wanted to include everyone involved from previous
administrations, regardless of their affiliation, since the Fund's inception-and she did.
Bolts of fabric from the Blue Room and other decorating projects (later packed away, to
be used, as needed, for mending), decorated tables, and three former Presidents chatted
with President Clinton in the Treaty Room in the residence. The evening was metaphor
for the White House itself, bringing the past and present together, always on behalf of the
future.
Nicole
CHAPTER ONE/PRESERVING THE HOUSE FOR HISTORY/INTRO
Just why should the Blue Room be blue?
If you were to eavesdrop on a meeting of the Committee for the Preservation of
the White House, this is precisely the kind of question you'd hear debated among the
Committee members, a distinguished panel of historians, curators, interior designers, and
experts on every aspect of American furniture, art, and the decorative arts. You'd learn
A
wasn't
^
that in fact, the Blue Room was originally crimson, once had yellow draperies, and didn't
predominantly
the
become blue until 1837, when Martin Van Buren chose its color for the ages. Redecorated
bywhich theroom would known be
any number of times since (and in various predominant shades of blue), this formal oval
room once even featured ap-incongruous lion-skin rug, a gift to Franklin Roosevelt. So
when Mrs. Clinton and the Committee set about refurbishing the Blue Room, which badly
use as
needed it, their starting-point question was: which Blue Room do you go back to?
It's a question that resonates with every change proposed for the State rooms of
the White House, and it's only fairly recently that the process to answer it has been firmly
in place. When Jacqueline Kennedy arrived at the White House in 1961, she was
concerned that the history of the White House, as reflected in its furnishings, art, and
artifacts, wasn't being protected, the way it would be in a museum. Indeed, early
presidents had routinely auctioned off unfashionable furnishings and, until Mrs. Kennedy's
1
arrival, there was no curatorial staff to catalogue and maintain what was, in fact, a
(art; furniture and decorative objects.
priceless collection of Americana. At her urging, in 1961 Congress passed a law to
preserve the museum quality of the public rooms; that same year, again at her urging, the
White House Historical Association was formed, to enhance appreciation of the house
nationwide, and to publish a guidebookin which Mrs. Kennedy took a great interest.
the
Since then, the Association has created a thriving publishing program, proceeds of which
are poured back into the White House. In 1964, under executive order, the preservation
committee was established as well. Thus was the White House at last ganetified for
≡
history, and the systems in place for restoring and refurbishing novating it, and making it as well a
as
well
as
home for the future, were set in placeo
Working closely with the Committee, Mrs. Clinton has immersed herself in the
history of the House, and the related history of American furniture, fabrics, wallpaper, art,
and interior design--a steep (and sometimes daunting) learning curve, the gleaming results
of which will leave a lasting legacy throughout many of the historic rooms in the White
n more than
House. In 1995, she oversaw a complete renovation of the Blue Room, the first since
twenty years
replacing the worn carpet with a new carpet of 19th century design, and replacing
the woiled, worn, and sun-damaged draperies and uphostery in sapphire blue, replicating
fabrics from the 1800s. In addition to her work in the formal rooms in the residence, she
has also overseen the restoration refurbishment of the Entrance Hall, Cross Hall, and Grand Staircase,
their first redecoration refurbishment since 1973, of the State Dining Room, and of the East Room--
that are
literally monumental achievements, and meant to last for the next twenty-five years.
2
ENDOWMENT DINNER
Such improvements as these are funded by publishing proceeds from the White
House Historical Association, and also from private donations; collectively, these funds
comprise the White House Endowment Fund, founded in 19TK under the Johnson (I
THINK) administration. The Fund's goal had long been to reach $25 million, and stood at
$12.5 million when Mrs. Clinton began serving as honorary chair in 1993. Under her
passionate leadership, that goal has been met--by all accounts, a stunning achievement.
restorations and incorovements
Today, with all the recent refurbushments, including the completion of those begun in
earlier administrations, the White House stands prouder than it has in years.
carmgfor
Only those deeply involved in refurbishing this living museum can truly understand
the hundreds of details that must be considered before contemplating any change. In a
room like the State Dining Room, for example, the carpet must be chosen to withstand
millions of visitors over the next twenty five years, not to mention the 50,000 invited
guests who will dine there (some of whom will also, inevitably, spill there) every year. The
carpet chosen has to be historically accurate, in keeping with the colonial revival style of
the room. Because the function of the room comes into play with design decisions, and the
make the room
room is often used during the day, the carpet can't be too dark, which would not only be
appear gloomy but would also absorb light, not refract it. And it can't be too light-consider the
traffic dirt tracked in. While it might be correct to feature a medallion on the carpet, that won't
historically
design
the many different ways
work, either, because tables have to be arranged every which way in the room, depending
also
on the event being held there. Too, the pattern must be forgiving to new
of spills, and The stains carpet
3
ultimately chosen, a field pattern in warm colors, satisfies all these needs. In the same way,
also had to meet these standards, puss on addinonal conditio
the new carpet for the East Room had an extra criterion. Because events in the room often
opento the press and carpet
permit television cameras, this one would often have to be rolled up. Given the size of the
[dimension
made and Cemoving a carpet a dounting tasko
reded
room, and the task of rolling up a rug to fit it, the perfect solution presented itself-three
carpeb, only one of which needed to be removed 5 an
rugh rugs, so that one for the cametas could be rolled up at a time.
atime
When the Endowment reception and dinner were held then, to celebrate the
Fund's having reached its goal, Mrs. Clinton wanted to include everyone involved from
previous administrations, regardless of their affiliation, since the Fund's inception--and she
aud other decorahing projects
did. Bolts of fabric from the Blue Room (later packed away, to be used later, as needed,
for mending) decorated the tables, and three former Presidents mingled with President
Clinton in the Treaty Room in the residence E which also has been refurbished. The evening
was a metaphor for the White House itself, bringing the past and present together, always
on behalf of the future.
4
Nicole
И
2000
CHAPTER TWO: BEHIND THE SCENES
to Making House The X
Home
If there's any doubt that the White House is, above all else, the First Family's
home, then Buddy's playful barking, echoing up and down the halls after his daily walks
and
on the grounds, will convince you otherwise. To the Clintons' brown Labrador, to Socks,
their cat, as much as to the Clintons themselves, this is home And there's the domestic
hearr of the White House: the First Family always comes first. At the same time. however,
the White House opens its doors to America and the world with tours and special events
nearly every day of the year, and the behind-the-scenes effort, not to mention the public
scrutiny, that goes into every such visit is almost unimaginable. Despite the pressure, and
the pace
perhaps surprisingly, the White House is as remarkably friendly and happy a place to work
as it is awe-inspiring to visit. "How can I put it?" reflects Gary Walters, Chief Usher since
1976. "I just love coming to work every day." Indeed, most people who sign on to work
stay until Returnent
on Walters' staff sign on Tife, and their reverence and affection for the House, its
history, and its occupants is thrilling-and contagious. You can feel it.
The notion of a chief usher (or any usher, for that matter) would surely have
relieved John and Abigail Adams, the first occupants, who moved in with their two
Write House
servants from home late in the autumn of 1800. The place was unfinished, sparsely
furnished, and bitterly cold, with firewood scarce, Mrs. Adams was forced to string the
East Room with clotheslines, and use it to dry clothes. Even so, both President and Mrs.
Vt was
Adams felt the promise of the place, and the power it would one day represent. Like every
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John sdams who said
family that followed, they left an Imprint on the House, fittingly in Adams' well loved
benediction: "I pray Heaven to bestow the best blessings on this house, and on all that
shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof!"
President and Mrs sdams departed
Ever since their departure $ short four months after their arrival, Adams having lost the near
but continuedto grow
election to Thomas Jefferson, the House has Been growing in stature and splendor, its
routines and
systems being developed, tested, fine-tuned, updated, and, finally sanctified as White
House ritual.
Ritual that changes with each administration, that is. It's the staff's job first and
foremost to adapt to the needs and preferences of the First Family is residence, and those
preferences change with the arrival of every newly elected President. President and Mrs.
Clinton remembers, example, a on door at 5:30 the morning after the
being for auaksied knock by their
President's first insuguration, and after they'd attended some thirteen inaugural balls. It
was a butler bearing coffee. The Bushes, notoriously early risers, had always had their
coffee at 5:30, while watching the earliest news programs, and then walked their dog out
on the grounds. The Clintons, however, prefer breakfast a little later) Another time early
recalls a early in their residence and Mrs.
on, Mrs. Clinton 6 remembers that one day when Chelsea wasn't feeling well, she wanted
scrambled
(Cimto.
to make her daughter some eggs and applesance, to ask if the
ingredients could be sent upstairs to the residence. More accustomed to making egys and
applesauce than to delivering the saw ingredients, the kitchen staff went on full alert and
red,
pagient Capricia Marshall, then the First Lady's personal assistant asking asking was anything
wrong? Why would the First Lady want eggs and apples? Marshall assured them that all
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was fine; the First Lady was simply more accustomed to the more informal atmosphere of
the Governor's Mansion.
It may come as a surprise learn how many people actually work in the house itself,
but when you consider its size and the functions it serves in American life-home to the
First Family; guest quarters to visiting dignitaries; a museum open to the public true repository
the
of a major collection of American furniture, art, and artifacts; site of up to a dozen events -1-2
2 ended by any rere from to greesh
( week; and office of the President and First Lady-then the ninety people who tend the
house, tucked away in offices just out of public view, seem a modest staff indeed
Ushers,
in
butlers, housekeepers, electricians, plumbers, painters, curators, calligraphers, florists, and
the chefs bring the house to life every day as they go about their business, which is
keeping the nation's home in perfect order At 50,000 square foot be per floor, and four
a ways filled with people
stories tall, this is a house that could easily echo-but it's simply.too-busy. The First
Lady's social office, located in the East Wing, and the offices of her national security and
domestic policy staff, two buildings away in the Old Executive Office Building, are also an
integral part of the White House, and these people-who research policy and plan the
myriad events to highlight it--are regular fixtures as well in Walters' office, a paneled
room, with the feel of a captain's stateroom, right near the kitchen with a study behind
(OR IS IT UPSTAIRS?) it: White House central.
thesest SA
From early morning on, this household is arguably the busiest in the world. On one
given spring morning well before eight, for instance, a butler awaits the elevator in the
kitchen to take him upstairs to the residence, bearing 1 cart with breakfast for Mrs. Clinton
and her guest, Kaki Hockersmith, a longtime associate from Arkansas and member of the
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A
The Chief Usher's job combines the duties of running a
home, a hotel, and a museum all at the same time. From
the moment President Clinton was elected (even as he
continued to oversee the Bush White House) Walters worked
with Mrs. Clinton, reviewing the White House briefing book
to help her choose the paintings, desks, carpets, and other
furnishings she would choose for her new home. He
supervised setting up rooms for Chelsea, reviewed the
Clinton's dietary preferences, and found out everything he
could to assure their comfort from the moment they moved in
after the inauguration.
That the House looks perfect every day, down to the
neatly aligned grids of logs in every fireplace, for the
tours is his Chief Usher Walter's responsibility, and he is
involved in every event that takes place in the White
House. His encyclopedic knowledge of how things have been
done before is essential to planning how things might be--
or can be--done next time.
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and decoration
who has P layed a major now we The renovations The Hous
Committee for the Preservation of the White House. The hallway carpets on the state floor
are being rolled up, as they are every day, in readiness for the tours; some 30,000 visitors
pass through the House each week during the busiest season, 1.24 million every year. This
particular day, as it happens, another carpet has just arrived, the beautiful, long anticipated
decorated
carpet for the newly refurbished State Dining Room which weavers in Grand Rapids,
Michigan, have been working on)for a year and a half) this It one, overseen by Ms. Hockersmeth
the curpet
and head
Hockersmith, will be rolled out later this morning.
compact Executive
In his gleaming (and amazingly timy) kitchen, Chef Walter Scheib, the first
American-bom White House chef to have trained at the esteemed American Culinary
Institute in Hyde Park, New York, is talking on the phone. He's been here since six, Cuef Schub
estimates that he serves ten or fifteen thousand dinner and reception guests a month (not
supervises
including Christmastime, when he serves far more), and also does all the First Family's
private meals dining and entertaining. When Mrs. Clinton hired him in 1994. among the
out of
thousands of chefs who applied for the job, her goal mandate was to make the food as good,
and as American, as that in the best American restaurants, reflecting the ascent, in recent
decades, of American food to world class cuisine.
decesion
This was almost a revolutionary (and, at the time, controversial) mandate,
particularly since White House custine offer mgs had traditionally defered to the French but it's
been heave influenced cuisme
been an astounding success. Chef Sheib's offerings, again at Mrs. Clinton's request, are both
lower in fat and lighter in sensibility, and the cuisine, like America itself, draws its
inspiration Beurishes from cuisines all over the world-yet remains thoroughly American. To Scheib's
to the challenge
delight, growers and purveyors all over the country have responded, and are cager to
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products and produce,
present the White House with their best creations, often before they're presented to the
Chef Mesnier has
rest of the country. Thus 6 has the thef initiated a culinary dialogue (not to mention
(tastings) with all of America, and been able to track down such indigenous boutique
for salads
ingredients as American caviar, is the first miniature greens) seasonal fish and foods of all
wild
kinds, American "Tapaness" mushrooms, specialty cheeses, even American-bred bison.
In the pastry kitchen, a truey mezzanine space just above Chef Schelb's and tinier
Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier and his assistant, Franctte McCullough, are researching the
dessert for a state dinner some months off-every dessert for a state occasion is an original
creations some raspberry tarts are already baking in the even, for a small dinner the
President is hosting this evening In the White House, which epitomizes all that's
a
American, Mesnier, down to his accent, is the one decidedly French grace note, and a
beloved member of the household. He started as an apprentice baker at age fourteen, and
came to the White House during the Carter administration; Mrs. Carter hired him after just
one interview. The first pastry chef in America to receive France's prestigious Pastry Chef
simples
of the Year Award, Mesnier is utterly gifted, and the desserts he creates aren't just baked,
They're built or sculpted or spun or molded or crafted, combining textures and the subtle
distinctions in sweetness and usually they're prepared in honor of someone; these
creations tell a story, and the honer is always apparent. Mrs. Clinton's "lighter fare"
While House Kitchens,
mandate extends to dessert as well-sometimes. Mesnier often prepares enticing fruit
and
tye
sorbets or light pastries garnished with fruit, with just a drizzle of sauce Other times,
For MRs Cleaton's Chef Mesner megar
dessert is dessen and for an all-out all birthday celebration, for example, the lighter fare
mandate prepare doesn't Ia apply. luscious Mocha Cale. displayed
on an exquisite stand crafted enterely
of sufaro
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As she does every morning, Nancy Clarke, the Chief Floral Designer, is passing
through each of the state rooms, checking the flower arrangements the public will see
when the tours begin Spent blossoms are removed and replaced fresh water added; the flowers
A
recycled and the arrangements made to last as long as they can. Clarke and depending on
M
the occasioniat hand,Tup to three other White House florists work from a fully equipped
located
flower shop down a maze of hallways on the ground floor, where a poster on the wall
reads: LINE, MASS. FORM, ROSE, FILLER, the principles of floral design. The shop (a
far cry from the lavish conservatories and greenhouses the White House used to have,
which were torn down to accommodate the West Wing) is wonderfully functional, with
room=sized flerest's refrigerator filled from well= to=
drains in the cement floors and a huge, chilled 100m to hold the flowers as they arrive. wall ani
and her S tab
Clarke, who first signed on as a volunteer during the Carter administration
floor to
are
feeling ur
responsible for all the flowers in the state rooms, the residence, the West Wing. and the
flowers that adorn every event held at the White Houses flowers that sometimes serve
The The arrangerhip
edorfree.
fragres
ceremonial purposes, arrangements they to honor the visitors and guests, and to complement
flower
the rooms, not serve as a distraction. With every upcoming event, she works very closely
with Mrs. Clinton, who tends, she says, whether it's a state dinner or a press picnic, "to
prefer a very American arrangement, one of sophisticated simplicity, not as rigid or
complicated as an old master's look, which years ago defined White House style." Over
and airshepping has made a greater varien
the years, 48 Americans have taken increasingly to the garden. she has seen the availability
Each First Lady puts her indur dual
of fresh flowers increased wholesalers nationwide, enger to help the White House
available of flowers
stamp on the While House flowing
in any they can. Whereas Barbara Bush leaned toward blues, pinks, and lavenders,
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and Nancy Reagan before her toward red and white, Mrs. Clinton tends to prefer flowers
and arrangements in a warm color range: peach, pale yellow, shades of orange, and rusts.
Throughout the House, too, representatives from the National Parks Service care
for the potted plants, and the White House gardeners look after the extensive gardens,
where the Clintons, perhaps more than their recent predecessors, especially like to hold
outdocrs
111
parilion
events in the warmer months. Indeed. a tent)will be set up later today, and used to host
about five different events and ceremonies in the coming week. When potted plants or
shrubs are used to decorate the tents, to give them the enclosed sensibility of a besutiful
is responsible
room, the Parks Service is behind it, while Clarke and her staff supply the accompanying
flower arrangements that decorate The to Greso
Reception
Downstairs on the ground floor, in the Diplomatic Room (known as the "Dip
Room" to staffers), one of the House's three curators turns is turning an early nineteenth-
century chair upside down, as he did when Mrs. Clinton first arrived and asked for a
guided tour from the curatorial perspective. Looking closely, you can see dozens of tiny
nail holes on the square frame supporting the seat, indicating how many times the chair has
been reupholstered. Because the frame is weakened every time a chair is reupbolstered,
most museums would have upholstered this chair in period fabric long ago, then placed It
in perpatuity behind protective glass to prevent wear, tear, and fading. Because the White
House is a living museum, however, and these chairs are used every day (particularly in
this room, the first room that visiting dignitaries see upon being welcomed to the White
House), curators had to devise a means to protect the frames. Thus, ingeniously, these
is
is
chairs are supported either by copper plating, as on this chair, or canvas webbing, as OH
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the facing chair. Similarly, the valuable nineteenth-century table between the chairs has a
protective glass top on it which enables the "living" to enjoy, and live in the "museum."
whosedutes were
The curatorial staff, whielr was formalized under Mrs. Kennedy, oversees the
possessions in the House that belong to the American people, everything from the ushandiscare
collection of White House china to the Gettysburg Address that hangs in the Lincoln
bedroom. Closely involved with the Committee for the Preservation of the White House,
as well as with Mrs. Clinton, they, too, are involved with preserving the past as well as
bringing the future into the mansion, all the while keeping the perspective of the past alive.
Up until sometime in the Eisenhower administration, the White House was
virtually closed down between Memorial Day and Labor Day the season over. Today, the
senson is never OVER Even when President and Mrs. Clinton are traveling on state business
or on holiday, the House is alive, with planning, with the next scheduled event, with the
maintenance of the house that, more than any other emblem of our democracy, holds pride
of place in the hearts of every American.
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