It's on the front page of the Midland Reporter-Telegram: Midlanders recall visits to White House as surreal, awe-filled moments by Kathleen Thurber, published on Sunday, January 18, 2009 3:09 AM CST.
Classmate memtioned: Robert and Barbara McCleskey, Pete and Evelyn Hogue, Susie Evans, Jan O'Neill, Cindy Klatt and Eddie Klatt. Click to read the whole thing. Or scroll down.
Midlanders recall visits to White House as surreal, awe-filled moments
by Kathleen Thurber
Midland Reporter-Telegram
Published: Sunday, January 18, 2009 3:09 AM CST
After President Bush's first inauguration, the McCleskeys learned the hard way that a side trip to the presidential kitchen is not supposed to be part of one's route back from completing business in the West Wing.
The two looked at each other and laughed slightly as they recalled their visits with the Bushes over the past eight years. They said they've had extraordinary experiences -- but mostly just fun with their old friends.
When they accidentally found the kitchen en route from the West Wing, they said, Secret Service first looked at them in surprise and then politely guided them back to the front of the home.
They and other Midlanders had the rare opportunity to visit or stay overnight in the White House, taking in the history and grandiose aura of the Pennsylvania Avenue residence as personal visitors rather than tourists.
While most Midlanders who had the opportunity couldn't pinpoint exactly the White House memory that would stick most in their mind, each agreed being treated as guests in the former Midlanders' Washington residence was something of dreams.
"You stand in awe, and it's almost like you're in a cloud," said Pete Hogue, who visited in 2007 for a class reunion with his wife Evelyn.
Whether sleeping in the Lincoln Bedroom as the McCleskeys did or admiring the collections of china acquired by each first lady, the home itself is a lesson in history and a glance at the administrations that have passed through its walls.
Laura Bush, her friend Jan O'Neill said, made a point to restore history to some of the rooms that had been neglected in the past.
Each president is able to bring in pieces of their choice that are otherwise kept off-site. Laura Bush had created a classic style to the areas she could personalize, Barbara McCleskey said, but had done so without making anything look overdone.
The Bushes' living quarters, Susie Evans said, especially reflected Laura Bush's personality. Evans visited last week to help the first lady pack for her return to Texas. She said the intricacies of each room made each segment of the house historically beautiful.
As far as favorite rooms to see, some named the Lincoln Bedroom where a signed copy of the Gettysburg address hangs. Others picked the Treaty Room for the decisions made there and still others the East Wing, one of the larger areas of the home that is often used for conferences. Last Spring it was filled with dancing couples from Midland, Lee and Carver high schools who had gathered for a reunion.
Some said being on the Truman balcony or looking at the rest of Washington from the lawn helped reinforce the magic of the experience by seeing the capital from such a unique perspective.
After her husband Eddie's recall of the historical significance of each area, Cindy Klatt leaned forward -- as if telling a secret -- to say the women's restroom was one of the neatest places she found.
Inside, she said, a woman works who had been in the home more than 35 years and tells stories of the interesting people she has met while passing out towels and greeting visitors. Plus, she said, there were luxuries like large paper towels embossed with the presidential seal to dry one's hands.
The people inside the White House, Evans agreed, were each lovely and part of what she will remember and miss most about her visits to Washington.
"I'd been in the White House several times as a tourist," Eddie Klatt said. "This was more like being a guest in someone's home."
Each guest talked of how they felt comfortable and at home, citing the Bushes' graciousness. Some remembered the President's light-hearted humor, which they said the public never saw. Others recalled the kindness of the first couple, who they say always were able to remain at ease, despite visitors.
After relating such sentiments, several paused to add that their visits were like staying in any friend's home except, of course, this particular home was the White House. And when that reality settled in, some said, even a normal conversation with friends became an experience in a class of its own.
"The first time is a surreal experience. The question is 'What am I doing here?'" Robert McCleskey said.
That feeling, he said, never does fade. But, he and his wife said, it also doesn't completely detract from the group's ability to relate, as any other friends do, to talk about hobbies or families.
Robert McCleskey pointed to a photo of himself, the president and another friend on the White House lawn during a Valentine's Day gathering. He recalled that they told Bush he should stand further away after the president complained the press follows him in case someone makes an assassination attempt.
"When we get up there with those guys we don't cut him much slack," he said. "That's why he invites us. Because we don't want anything."
The president's birthday also helped soften the majesty of the experience, O'Neill said, as the celebration typically included barbecue, fried chicken and fireworks just like a celebration might if it took place in a Midland backyard.
"They're just our buddies. They're just our friends," she said. "It's been a very interesting period of their lives that the Bushes were able to share."
Kathleen Thurber can be reached at kthurber@mrt.com.
Other Midlanders leave influence on White House:
- Susie Hitchcock-Hall of Susie's South Forty Confections has kept the president in supply of "Texas Trash," her candy mix of cereal, pretzels, pecans and white chocolate flavored coating. Since Bush took office she's named a version of the popular treat after the president's new home calling it "Beltway Trash," which she aptly describes as the only politically correct trash there is.
- Elisa and Tom Manning of Manning's Garden Center were part of the crew that helped decorate the White House for Christmas during the last few years. The couple used their expertise from their floral shop and nursery business to help tie the hundreds of bows used, to construct displays and to leave decorative touches on some of the trees, ornaments and other hangings throughout the house for December.
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