White House M&M’s

 

President George H.W. Bush’s favorite candy was M&Ms, or so I remember the story. Moreover, he gave them out in “White House”-emblazoned boxes, in lieu of the cigarettes I had been told were once available to reporters in the hallway outside the White House press briefing room. At least that’s my memory of the matter. I’ve still got the box (sans the candies — I ate those at the time). I’ve also still got an official White House folder with the prepared briefing notes, and a paper napkin with the presidential seal on it. I also still have the little American flag I waved from the South Lawn while Marine One landed, and President Bush disembarked.

In 1990, I was in 8th grade and that was the year of our class field trip to Washington DC. It must be a rite of passage all over, as I remember encountering other 8th-grade school trips, and have chaperoned my eldest daughter’s own 8th-grade trip. The school I went to was rather well off and some of the parents had connections. What sort, I never found out, but they did get us a behind-the-scenes tour of the Capitol building, then a White House tour.

The White House was the usual tour, nothing out of the ordinary there. We saw a lot of the various presidential portraits, the antique furniture, and heard the tour guide refer to Mimi Eisenhower with a vulgar term as he described how she had sold off irreplaceable accumulations of chairs, tables, and sundry plates, all so she could bring in 1950s modernist junk. Jackie Kennedy, by contrast, received hagiographic treatment for then buying a lot of it back (sometimes with her own funds). Much of the tour now is a blur, but those things stand out.

The memory sharpens, though, with what came next. We did leave the White House by the usual tour group entrance, but then were escorted on the sidewalks back around, past the front, and on to the Old Executive Office Building next door. From there we walked up a grand spiral staircase, up to what I think was the 5th-floor hall, and there laid out were trays with refreshments. We were offered drinks (milk or juice, probably — I know the adults got coffee), and boxes of M&M’s. Then we were issued briefing folders and shuffled into an auditorium.

I recognized it right away as the blue-curtained press briefing room I had seen on TV. In there, a series of suited young men came out and introduced themselves. One by one, each spoke about things the President was working on. I don’t remember now much of what was said. We were 8th graders and most of this was over our heads. Plus, this was a field trip after all, and none of us had really slept, instead spending the nights watching TV in the hotel rooms, playing cards, fighting, or trying to slip the notice of the parents and teachers to do a bit of exploring. In short, we were all exhausted and these speakers were (and I’m trying to be kind here) not exactly engaging.

I’m ashamed to say that the one section I remembered best was the guy talking about the Thousand Points of Light initiatives, and the reason I remember that one so well is because I was in the front row and fighting desperately to stay awake against the tender whispers of Morpheus. In glancing around I could see even the adults were losing that argument.

But when I was certain I too was losing my grip on the waking life, a tall black-suited African-American man, wearing an earpiece, ducked into the room and said “Hey! Would you all like to see something special?”

We were all very awake, all at once. “Come on, the President is going to be landing on the South Lawn in a few minutes. Let’s go wave him in!” The speaker at the podium looked relieved as I think he was putting even himself to slumber, and grabbed our coats and folders and pushed our way out the back door of the room — the door the President and his aides use. We were now in private territory, walking briskly and noisily down the stone hallways where we could see offices branching off on either side. Our Secret Service guide stopped for one moment in front of the largest office. Its lights were on and its door open but it was empty and roped off. “This is Vice President Dan Quayle’s office. It’s basically the Oval Office for the VP. He’s not here today, but you can take a quick look.” One by one we glanced around. “OK, it’s time to move.”

We were almost jogging by this point, and I’m still surprised nobody tripped as we ran down the back stairs towards the ground floor. We reached a small foyer with windowed doors. Looking out, we saw the side of the White House. “Ok, as you go out, each of you will receive a flag. When the chopper lands, and the President disembarks, wave them and cheer.”

“Will he say “hi” to us?” someone asked.

“Don’t know. Better hurry.”

And soon there we were, shivering and shuffling our feet on the gravel path as we heard the very loud and low burr of two twin-rotor helicopters approaching. They came in quickly, and low, and one plunked down on the lawn while the other hovered not far above it. From the first one, a man in a dark suit came out. Then another. Then another… Oh! Wait! That’s him! That’s President Bush! We started cheering and waving our flags. I don’t know if he heard us over the loud chopper engines, but he did see us and wave as he walked towards the building we had just left. But that was it, the tour was over, and soon we were back on the street, back on our tour bus, and on to another stop.

I do still have the box and the folder. Pretty sure the autographed photo is really auto-penned. But what a visit! And it was long before Desert Shield, Desert Storm, The Recession (the way the news would talk about that, you’d have thought the US was dying and doomed), or Ross Perot. Just an overcast, cold, and windy March morning when the world still seemed fresh, and the ugly politics of the ’90s had not yet intruded in my life or my mind.

I don’t know who pulled the strings to get us where we got to, but thanks to them, and thanks to the hospitality of President Bush for putting up with a bunch of sleep-deprived 8th graders. The candy was a nice touch too.

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There are 7 comments.

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  1. Jules PA Inactive
    Jules PA
    @JulesPA

    Great story. I think the Capitol tour can be arranged with the house member for your district, but in advance.

    The helicopter part was cool, and kind of providential. 

    As for the press room, what better way for interns to get their press briefing crews than to practice on sleepy children. Kids and chaperones get a break, and the interns get to realize the work they need to do!

    • #1
  2. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    What a beautiful story. Thank you so much. 

    • #2
  3. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    President Bush attracted my attention with his (Peggy Noonan’s actually) metaphor for Americans being a Thousand Points of Light.

    In 2013, he was honored by President Obama (trigger alert: if you can’t stand Obama, you won’t like the video) and the Points of Light organization on the occasion of the 5,000th Points of Light Daily Award. Again, if you hate Obama, you won’t like this either, but I have always admired the speech that Obama gave in awarding 41 the Medal of Freedom.

    • #3
  4. Jules PA Inactive
    Jules PA
    @JulesPA

    MarciN (View Comment):

    President Bush attracted my attention with his (Peggy Noonan’s actually) metaphor for Americans being a Thousand Points of Light.

    In 2013, he was honored by President Obama (trigger alert: if you can’t stand Obama, you won’t like the video) and the Points of Light organization on the occasion of the 5,000th Points of Light Daily Award. Again, if you hate Obama, you won’t like this either, but I have always admired the speech that Obama gave in awarding 41 the Medal of Freedom.

    Obama was not incapable of doing good things. And his honoring Bush is one of his greater acts.

    I guess I knew GHWB was awarded the Medal of Freedom, but I relish capturing that memory clearly today. 

    After his Presidency, Bush seemed to go on and do good things, out of the spotlight. For the benefit of others. Whatever he lacked as a presidential executive was probably rooted in his refusal to give up decency. 

    Every nay-saying word about him can be countered with numerous accolades. 

    President Bush, you did your job here on earth. Ask G-d to help us mold more men and women to be like you.

    • #4
  5. Nanda Panjandrum Member
    Nanda Panjandrum
    @

    Thank you, Skip!  (Semper Fortis and Rest easy, ’41’.)

    • #5
  6. Cow Girl Thatcher
    Cow Girl
    @CowGirl

    GREAT story! What a memorable way to “do” the D.C. tour!

    • #6
  7. Boss Mongo Member
    Boss Mongo
    @BossMongo

    RIP, 41.  Whatever I thought about his politics (later), he was definitely and definitively my Commander and Chief during the first Gulf war.  I remember it was like a gut-punch when he didn’t get reelected. 

    Good man.

    • #7
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