<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:geo="http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos#" > <channel> <title>Hillary Clinton – THROUGH THE EYES OF JEFFERSON</title> <atom:link href="https://eyesofjefferson.com/tag/hillary-clinton/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://eyesofjefferson.com</link> <description>Presidential site adventures as told by a bobble head</description> <lastBuildDate>Mon, 04 Nov 2024 14:56:17 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1</generator> <site xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">167670250</site> <item> <title>290: I WAS THE STAR OF THE ‘TRUMAN SHOW’ IN KEY WEST’S LITTLE WHITE HOUSE</title> <link>https://eyesofjefferson.com/290-i-was-the-star-of-the-truman-show-in-key-wests-little-white-house/</link> <comments>https://eyesofjefferson.com/290-i-was-the-star-of-the-truman-show-in-key-wests-little-white-house/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Watson]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 20 Jun 2024 17:46:57 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Andy Griffith Show]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Bess Truman]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Bill Clinton]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Burdine's Waterfront]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Harry S Truman]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Hillary Clinton]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Key West Florida]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Margaret Truman]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Seven Mile Bridge]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Southernmost point in the continental United States]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Steve the Tour guide]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson bobble head]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Truman Little White House]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://eyesofjefferson.com/?p=41589</guid> <description><![CDATA[When my photographer’s alarm rang at 6:00am on Friday April 26, 2024, I was anxious for our second morning in Key West, Florida to begin. While the three of us didn’t do anything but relax after we arrived at the…]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">When my photographer’s alarm rang at 6:00am on Friday April 26, 2024, I was anxious for our second morning in Key West, Florida to begin. While the three of us didn’t do anything but relax after we arrived at the Parrot Key Hotel & Villas on Wednesday afternoon, we spent the entire day on Thursday touring Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas National Park. Although the fort where Dr. Samuel Mudd was imprisoned was awesome and had a shirt-tail Presidential connection because the doctor was convicted as a co-conspirator in Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, Friday morning’s first site was one that had been high on my bucket list for a while. For the past four months, once Tom had secured two tickets to tour Truman’s Little White House, I’ve had high expectations for the home where our 33rd President stayed for 175 days during eleven separate visits to Key West during his administration.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Once my companions had packed-up all of their belongings, including me, the three of us boarded their Jeep Grand Cherokee shortly after it had arrived at the hotel’s valet station. That early morning three-mile drive took us into the Old Town section of Key West where Vicki anticipated she’d have to pay righteous bucks to park near the Little White House. The previous day, while on the boat, we heard there was no place to park for free in Key West. But that information turned out to be incorrect as my photographer’s wife found a nice spot along Emma Street – and the free street parking was just over a half mile from the historic site. I knew Tom wouldn’t walk a mile for a camel, but he’d walk a half mile to see a Presidential home.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Tom carried me through the front gate and onto the property at 8:40am, even though the grounds didn’t officially open until nine o’clock. My photographer wanted an early start so he could capture all of his exterior images before other visitors got in his way. As we walked up the sidewalk towards the historic home, both of our jaws dropped – there was scaffolding and a tarp covering the north side of the building. To make matters worse, the grounds were swarming with contractors who were in the process of renovating the windows on the structure.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">For the next forty minutes or so, my photographer had me pose at numerous locations on the east and west sides of the house. At one point, he placed me on the ground where President Truman once sat as he entertained guests. With each image Tom captured, he did his best to keep the unsightly equipment, along with the even more unsightly contractors, out of his pictures.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-13.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41605" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-13.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-13.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-13.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-13.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-13.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-13.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This is the Truman Little White House in Key West, Florida. Although this side of the house faced Front Street, it was actually considered the back of the house. The opposite side, or the front, once featured an ocean view – although that view has since been obstructed by a large condominium.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-15.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41601" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-15.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-15.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-15.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-15.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-15.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-15.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I was very disappointed to discover scaffolding had been erected for an ongoing restoration project.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-17-1.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41602" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-17-1.jpg?w=1286&ssl=1 1286w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-17-1.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-17-1.jpg?resize=732%2C1024&ssl=1 732w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-17-1.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-17-1.jpg?resize=1097%2C1536&ssl=1 1097w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">President Truman first came to Key West in November 1946 at the suggestion of his doctor to combat his physical exhaustion. The President was invited to stay at this house, which was built in 1890 as a naval officer’s quarters. Truman loved the place so much he returned every November, and again in February, for extended stays throughout his Presidency.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-16.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41603" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-16.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-16.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-16.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-16.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-16.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-16.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">My photographer and I thought the coconut tree near the home was an interesting site. I wondered if that tree brought back haunting memories for JFK during his stay at the home in the early 1960s.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-12.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41604" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-12.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-12.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-12.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-12.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-12.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-12.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Today, the Little White House might be called Camp David South for its use as a Presidential retreat. The reason Truman loved the home so much was due to the fact he believed he got more work done in Key West than he did in Washington because there were less distractions.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-5-1.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41607" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-5-1.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-5-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-5-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-5-1.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-5-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-5-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">As I stood in front of the Little White House, I had hoped to get a clear look at the ocean, which was only a few hundred yards away. Unfortunately, the Harbour Place Condominium building blocked our view.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="653" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HARRY-S-1-1.jpg?resize=800%2C653&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41608" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HARRY-S-1-1.jpg?w=1623&ssl=1 1623w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HARRY-S-1-1.jpg?resize=300%2C245&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HARRY-S-1-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C835&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HARRY-S-1-1.jpg?resize=768%2C627&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HARRY-S-1-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1253&ssl=1 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Give ‘Em Hell, Harry was photographed as he walked with his Joint Chiefs of Staff during one of his visits to the Little White House.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-41.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41617" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-41.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-41.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-41.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-41.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-41.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-41.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Truman used the front lawn of the Little White House to relax and to entertain guests. I’m standing near the spot where the President sat with his wife and daughter for a 1948 photo-op with the press.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="649" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HARRY-S-2.jpg?resize=800%2C649&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41610" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HARRY-S-2.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HARRY-S-2.jpg?resize=300%2C243&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HARRY-S-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C831&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HARRY-S-2.jpg?resize=768%2C623&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HARRY-S-2.jpg?resize=1536%2C1246&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HARRY-S-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">President Truman, along with First Lady Bess Truman (left) and their 24-year-old daughter Margaret, posed for the reporters and photographers.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-8.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41616" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-8.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-8.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-8.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-8.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-8.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-8.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Although Harry Truman spent more time in this house than any other President, Franklin Roosevelt came to Key West before he was President in search of a cure for polio. FDR spent six winters in Key West, but only stayed five nights in this house – and never found a cure for the dreaded disease.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-11.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41613" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-11.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-11.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-11.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-11.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-11.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-11.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">As I stood on the porch window in front of the Little White House, it was though I could see former President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton during their weekend visit in January 2005.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="643" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/CLINTON-1.jpg?resize=800%2C643&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41644" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/CLINTON-1.jpg?w=1000&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/CLINTON-1.jpg?resize=300%2C241&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/CLINTON-1.jpg?resize=768%2C617&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Bill and Hillary Clinton listen as Executive Director Bob Wolz talked about the history of Truman’s Little White House. Wolz mentioned how Truman liked to play the piano, while Clinton preferred the harMonica.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-10.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41614" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-10.jpg?w=1286&ssl=1 1286w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-10.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-10.jpg?resize=732%2C1024&ssl=1 732w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-10.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-10.jpg?resize=1097%2C1536&ssl=1 1097w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I was shaking with excitement as I waited for our tour to begin. A minute or so after I posed on the front steps, my head shook with disappointment when Tom and I saw “The Sign of Despair”.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-18.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41615" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-18.jpg?w=1286&ssl=1 1286w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-18.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-18.jpg?resize=732%2C1024&ssl=1 732w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-18.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-18.jpg?resize=1097%2C1536&ssl=1 1097w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I stood beneath “The Sign of Despair” outside of the entrance to the Little White House. Less than five minutes after this image was captured, we met our tour guide Steve.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">But then it happened – as the clock grew closer to the time of our tour, which was 9:30am, Tom saw a sign posted near the entrance that made both of our hearts sink. The second rule on “The Sign of Despair” was ‘Still or video photography is prohibited’. The two of us were not only disappointed, but we were also completely devastated. Truman’s Little White House was one of the biggest anticipated highlights for both Tom and me; and since it was located within a mile or so of the southern-most point in the continental United States, we knew this might be our only visit to this remote Presidential site. We had finally made the journey all the way out to Key West, only to discover interior photography was outlawed. And to make matters worse, it appeared Tom, Vicki, and I would be the only ones on the tour, which would be problematic for my photographer to covertly snap an interior picture or two.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">A few minutes before the scheduled tour-time, the door opened, and a man walked out onto the brick steps. The guy looked at us and said, “My name is Steve and I’ll be your tour guide today. How are you doing this morning and where are you from?” This was Tom’s chance to deliver his usual spiel and if he worked his magic, maybe Steven would allow a single interior picture. “We’re from Michigan and I’m a Presidential historian. I travel all around the United States visiting Presidential sites with this Thomas Jefferson bobble head and I photograph him at each site. To date, I’ve travelled with the bobble head for over seventy-thousand miles and have been nearly everywhere – including the Oval Office inside the Big White House. Now we’ve made it all the way down to Key West to tour Truman’s Little White House, and I gotta tell you Steve, I couldn’t have been more disappointed when I saw your sign that said, ‘no photography’. I’ve taken pictures inside the White House; inside Monticello; inside Mount Vernon; inside the Hermitage; but now I won’t be able to take pictures here. I can’t remember a time when I’ve been more disappointed on one of our trips.”</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">As Tom finished his heart-felt speech, a huge smile filled Steve’s face. “Well today, I’m not going to pay attention to that rule. You’re on my tour and I’m going to let you take pictures inside; just don’t tell anyone. We have that rule listed because if a tour group is large, say fifteen to twenty people, it delays the timing inside as everyone wants to get their pictures. But since it looks like it’ll just be the three of us, you’ll be able to take all the pictures you want.”</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">At the last possible moment, just as Steve was about to lead Tom, Vicki and me into the historic home, two other couples arrived on the scene for a tour. I figured for sure our guide would have a change of heart due to the additional people, but he dispelled my fears when he mentioned they could take photos as well.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Now known as Truman’s Little White House, the seven-bedroom, 9,000-square-foot home was built in 1890 along the waterfront and was originally the first officer’s quarters at the U.S. naval station in Key West. The first Presidential visit to the home came in December 1912 when William Howard Taft stayed in Key West before he departed to Panama to inspect the canal. Thirty-four years later, another President came to Key West at the suggestion of his doctor to help combat his physical exhaustion. When President Harry Truman arrived in November 1946, he loved the place so much, he returned ten more time during his administration – spending a total of 175 days of his Presidency at the home. Truman’s philosophy became ‘wherever the President was, the White House was’, which was aided when technology became advanced enough to allow him to be away from Washington for a greater length of time.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">In the Spring of 1952, President Harry Truman walked through the doors of the Little White House for the last time, even though he returned to Key West five additional times after leaving office. Since Truman’s last visit, three other Presidents stayed at the historic home. While Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton spent time in the home after they left office, John F. Kennedy stayed there twice during his Presidency. JFK’s first visit came on March 26, 1961, and he returned on November 26, 1962, less than a month after the Cuban Missile Crisis ended. I guess Kennedy felt he needed to keep an eye on Cuba, which was only 90 miles away.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">When our entire group finally walked through the same doors President Truman had used, we saw the interior of the home had been renovated to the year 1949. A few minutes after we walked into the first room, I began posing for photos. Tom snapped images at a record pace, just in case Steve changed his mind. But that never happened. As a matter of fact, just the opposite occurred. As I posed for a photo next to Truman’s poker table in the bar area, Steve said to my photographer, “Why don’t you go ahead and set him on that table for a picture. As a matter of fact, you can set your bobble head on anything in this entire house.” I nearly pooped my breeches; we had gone from a ‘No Photography” rule all the way to me standing for pictures on all of the historic furnishings in the home – and in the span of about ten minutes.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">While the buck stopped here, Tom’s pictures are just starting. Please enjoy the photos from our tour of the Truman Little White House – which to be honest, wasn’t all that little.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-21.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41618" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-21.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-21.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-21.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-21.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-21.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-21.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">We began our tour in the room where President Truman began every morning while in Key West – in the bar. After waking up and getting dressed for the day, Truman walked up to the bar and asked the Navy bartender for his “heart starter”, which was a shot of Old Grandad bourbon and a glass of orange juice.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-20.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41619" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-20.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-20.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-20.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-20.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-20.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-20.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Roughly 90% of the furnishings in the home were original to Truman’s time there. Ashtrays were common inside the home as smoking was considered glamorous in the 1940s and 50s and it was very acceptable for people to smoke inside the home. As a matter of fact, the magazine on the table featured a full-page advertisement showing 1948 Olympic swimmer Jeanne Wilson smoking Camel cigarettes.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-23.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41620" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-23.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-23.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-23.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-23.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-23.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-23.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Truman loved to play poker and I’m standing on the poker table that was a gift from the Navy and made in the woodshop at the base. The table was constructed of four layers of Key West Mohagany and the ashtrays were fashioned from brass artillery shells.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-22.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41621" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-22.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-22.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-22.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-22.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-22.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-22.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The dining room was located next to the bar and was where most of the meals were served. Unless, of course, the President decided to cook hotdogs and hamburgers on his brick outdoor grill.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-24.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41622" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-24.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-24.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-24.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-24.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-24.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-24.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">In 1947, during his second stay in this home, President Truman sat at this table with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and helped create the Department of Defense as part of the National Security Act.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-25.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41623" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-25.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-25.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-25.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-25.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-25.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-25.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Tom carried me upstairs where I visited the First Lady’s bedroom. In those days, the First Lady did not sleep with the President. I’m standing on Bess Truman’s bed, while the bed to my left was used by the Truman’s 20-year-old daughter Margaret.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-26.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41624" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-26.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-26.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-26.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-26.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-26.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-26.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The ventilated porch outside of Bess Truman’s bedroom was where she and Margaret went to relax away from the press.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-45.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41640" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-45.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-45.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-45.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-45.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-45.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-45.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Welcome to the large bedroom used by President Harry S Truman during his eleven stays at the home.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-27.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41625" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-27.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-27.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-27.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-27.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-27.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-27.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I’m standing on President Truman’s bed and next to one of his monogrammed blue pillows. Steve told us there was once two identical pillows, but shortly after he started giving tours of the home, one of the pillows was pilfered. I looked my photographer in the eye and thought, “Don’t you dare!”</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-28.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41626" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-28.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-28.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-28.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-28.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-28.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-28.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The President’s personal desk I’m standing on was located in his bedroom. While Harry stayed in the home eleven times, Bess only came to Key West five times. Missing his wife during those visits, President Truman sat at this desk and wrote 300 to 400 love letters to Bess.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-29.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41627" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-29.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-29.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-29.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-29.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-29.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-29.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Back downstairs, Steve led us to the final room of the tour – the living room. I’m standing on Truman’s personal piano that travelled with the President wherever he went.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1011" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-30-1.jpg?resize=800%2C1011&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41629" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-30-1.jpg?w=1425&ssl=1 1425w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-30-1.jpg?resize=238%2C300&ssl=1 238w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-30-1.jpg?resize=811%2C1024&ssl=1 811w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-30-1.jpg?resize=768%2C970&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-30-1.jpg?resize=1216%2C1536&ssl=1 1216w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">President Truman was photographed as he played the piano for Admiral Louis Kirn, also known as ‘Bullet Lou’ Kirn.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-31.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41630" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-31.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-31.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-31.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-31.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-31.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-31.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Harry Truman loved to play the piano. There was one occasion in 1945 when he tickled the ivories, but it didn’t tickle the fancy of his wife Bess.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="628" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-AND-BACALL.jpg?resize=800%2C628&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41641" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-AND-BACALL.jpg?w=1392&ssl=1 1392w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-AND-BACALL.jpg?resize=300%2C235&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-AND-BACALL.jpg?resize=1024%2C803&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-AND-BACALL.jpg?resize=768%2C602&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Only a few weeks after becoming Vice President, Truman played the piano on February 10, 1945 at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. for about 800 servicemen who were in attendance. Suddenly, 20-year-old actress Lauren Bacall perched herself on top of the piano and the publicity stunt was caught on camera. Needless to say, Bess Truman was furious and demanded her husband never play the piano in public again.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-48-1.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41635" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-48-1.jpg?w=1286&ssl=1 1286w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-48-1.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-48-1.jpg?resize=732%2C1024&ssl=1 732w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-48-1.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-48-1.jpg?resize=1097%2C1536&ssl=1 1097w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">During his stays at the Little White House, Truman never stopped working. As a matter of fact, hundreds of legislative documents over those six years were flown from Washington to Key West for the President to sign, which he did at this desk.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="651" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HARRY-S-3.jpg?resize=800%2C651&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41636" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HARRY-S-3.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HARRY-S-3.jpg?resize=300%2C244&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HARRY-S-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C833&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HARRY-S-3.jpg?resize=768%2C625&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">President Truman was photographed seated at the same desk in the Little White House living room.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-46.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41637" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-46.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-46.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-46.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-46.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-46.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-46.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">As I stood on the end table in the living room, I thought about Harry Truman and his Presidency. In my opinion, Truman was one of the most underrated Presidents in history. The fact was, Truman was honest and was very decisive – he never passed the buck when it came to making a hard decision, including dropping the atomic bomb on Japan.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-32.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41631" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-32.jpg?w=1286&ssl=1 1286w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-32.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-32.jpg?resize=732%2C1024&ssl=1 732w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-32.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-32.jpg?resize=1097%2C1536&ssl=1 1097w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">When it comes to effective Presidents, historians rated Truman as fifth best – behind Lincoln, Washington, FDR, and Teddy Roosevelt. That’s pretty good company in my book.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-33-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41639" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-33-2.jpg?w=1286&ssl=1 1286w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-33-2.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-33-2.jpg?resize=732%2C1024&ssl=1 732w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-33-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-33-2.jpg?resize=1097%2C1536&ssl=1 1097w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">President Truman used the living room as an office, his library, and every night, it became a movie theater.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-1.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41645" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-1.jpg?w=1286&ssl=1 1286w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-1.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-1.jpg?resize=732%2C1024&ssl=1 732w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-1.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-1.jpg?resize=1097%2C1536&ssl=1 1097w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">When our interior tour had finished, the three of us visited the small museum located adjacent to the gift shop. While we didn’t see anything outstanding in the museum, I did pose next to a fake President Truman, who was sporting what he once called the “Key West Uniform” – a Hawaiian shirt.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-34.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41646" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-34.jpg?w=1286&ssl=1 1286w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-34.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-34.jpg?resize=732%2C1024&ssl=1 732w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-34.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-34.jpg?resize=1097%2C1536&ssl=1 1097w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">When Tom carried me around to the back of the house, we saw Truman’s barbecue grill located on one corner of the grounds. During his stays, the President loved to cook hot dogs and hamburgers on this grill for his staff and visitors. The simple cuisine, which Truman preferred, was served on silver platters by the President himself.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-3-1.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41648" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-3-1.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-3-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-3-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-3-1.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-3-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-3-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Just before we left the grounds, my photographer snapped this image of a free-range Key West rooster. We were told by a staff member the rooster’s name was Bacon.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">For forty-plus minutes, Steve led our small group through the Little White House room by room. We began our tour in the bar where Truman began most of his mornings; we continued through the dining room where he developed the Department of Defense; and after visiting the upstairs bedrooms where the President and First Lady spent their nights, we finished our visit in the living room where Truman conducted most of his official business in Key West. Throughout the entire tour, my photographer and I were mesmerized by our tour guide’s style and storytelling. Steve painted a verbal picture of what life was like in that home during Truman’s administration; and he did it with a factual-yet-humorous flair. When the three of us walked out of the building and stood in the back yard near the barbeque grill, I heard Tom say to Steve, “I’ve been on hundreds of tours at different historical sites all around the country – some were good tours, and some weren’t as good. I’ll tell you one thing for certain, Steve, you just might be the best tour guide who’s ever led me through any historical site. You made every room in that home come to life, your stories and information were interesting and funny, and you’re one of the friendliest guys I’ve ever met on any trip. When it comes to tour guides, they don’t come any better than you.” </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">At that moment, the most unbelievable thing happened right before my painted resin eyes. My thrifty photographer attempted to tip our tour guide for a job well done – and Steve refused any money. As a matter of fact, the docent said just knowing how much a historian like my photographer enjoyed his tour was reward enough. And with that, we made the half-mile hike back to the Jeep.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The morning was rapidly slipping away as we made our way to our final stop in Key West, which was the marker erected close to the site of the southernmost point in the continental United States. Even though Steve told my photographer there’s usually hundreds of people flocked around that marker most every day, our bigger concern was going to be parking.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">After a short 1.2-mile drive south, the 12-foot-tall concrete buoy that had been erected in 1983 to mark the southernmost point came into view. Steve was right – an unbelievable throng of people were gathered around the gawdy, painted buoy. And to make matters worse, an endless line stretched along South Street where people stood for their turn in front of the marker. With no available parking within eyesight, Tom made the executive decision to not ask his wife drive around in search of a place to stash our Jeep. Instead, he asked Vicki to drive past the marker slowly and he’d photograph the marker while holding me up at the opened window. While it would’ve been cool for me to stand at the buoy instead of doing a drive by shooting of the tourist trap, the fact the marker wasn’t situated at the actual furthest point south in the continental United States made it easier for me to swallow Tom’s decision. There were technically a couple of locations on the island of Key West that were geographically further south by several hundred feet. And for us purists who strive for perfection, Florida’s Ballast Key, which was located ten miles south and west of Key West, was the actual furthest point south in the continental United States. </p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TJ-AT-BUOY.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41652" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TJ-AT-BUOY.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TJ-AT-BUOY.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TJ-AT-BUOY.jpg?resize=1024%2C730&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TJ-AT-BUOY.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TJ-AT-BUOY.jpg?resize=1536%2C1096&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TJ-AT-BUOY.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Tom snapped this image of me as we drove past the “alleged” southernmost point in the continental United States. Thankfully, I didn’t accidentally slip out of his hand and smash onto the street below.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">We were nearly halfway through the ninth day of our 16-day adventure, and we reached the furthest point south on the trip. It was eleven o’clock in the morning and time to begin the long journey home. I knew my companions were happy to be leaving Key West, at least with their credit cards still intact. While our stay on the paradise island was nice, and we accomplished our goal of visiting the two major historical sites, I heard both Tom and Vicki say they weren’t anxious to ever return to Key West, Florida.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Roughly an hour into our drive north, just after we crossed the Seven-Mile Bridge, my photographer and his wife decided it was time for their lunch, or early dinner. After making a quick search on the internet for a place to eat, the three of us ended up at a trendy, outdoor eatery called Burdine’s Waterfront – which was located along the Boot Key Harbor near the town of Marathon.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="181" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-39.jpg?resize=800%2C181&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41654" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-39.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-39.jpg?resize=300%2C68&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-39.jpg?resize=1024%2C232&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-39.jpg?resize=768%2C174&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-39.jpg?resize=1536%2C347&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-39.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">My photographer captured this wide-angle view of the Seven-Mile Bridge as we approached from the south.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-42.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41655" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-42.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-42.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-42.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-42.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-42.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-42.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">For the second time in just three days, Vicki drove our Jeep over the Seven-Mile Bridge.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-37.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41656" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-37.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-37.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-37.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-37.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-37.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-37.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Our final stop in the Florida Keys was at Burdine’s Waterfront in Marathon. While I figured my companions would enjoy some sort of seafood cuisine since we were so close to the sea, that never happened. Sometimes I can’t figure those two out.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-43.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41657" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-43.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-43.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-43.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-43.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-43.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-43.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">My photographer let me snap this image of him and his wife eating lunch. Vicki can be seen eating her usual patty melt, while Tom was about to devour an enormous Italian sausage sandwich known as ‘Joe Mama’s Big Biker Sausage’.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">When Tom and Vicki finished their meal, we sat in the parking lot of Burdine’s Waterfront while my photographer made reservations for an Everglades airboat ride scheduled for early the following morning. Unlike most of our other stops where we had advanced reservations, Tom wanted to see the weather forecast before obtaining the tickets for the hour-long Everglades tour.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Like it had been on Wednesday, the drive through the Keys was slow and steady, which surprised my two companions. They figured most people would be headed south for the weekend, but there seemed to be just as much traffic headed north on that early Friday afternoon.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Once we left the Florida Keys behind and were back on the mainland, the route through Homestead and along the west side of Miami wasn’t much better traffic-wise. And to add insult to injury, the south Florida countryside we passed wasn’t postcard-worthy either. As a matter of fact, the area in and around Homestead was very dirty, unkempt, and quite frankly, it looked like a dangerous place to be driving through. But once we had escaped that area with our lives intact, the remaining sixty miles of roadway along the eastern edge of the Everglades seemed a lot safer, as long as our Jeep didn’t break down out in the middle of nowhere.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">At roughly 5:31pm, we finally made it to our hotel when Vicki pulled into the parking lot of the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel near Sunrise, Florida. We were staying in the perfect location – the hotel was less than two miles from the Everglades, and the Everglades Swamp Tours where we had airboat reservations was only twenty miles to the west of us.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Tom unpacked the Jeep while Vicki registered in the hotel’s lobby. Once we were in our room for the night, my photographer placed me alongside the television set where we watched the second round of the NFL Draft, followed by a couple episodes of the Andy Griffith Show.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-44.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41659" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-44.jpg?w=1800&ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-44.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-44.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-44.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-44.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-44.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">“Hey Barney, is that a bobble head standing in front of the TV set or is Goober just goofing-off again?”</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">When my camera guy turned off the room’s lights at 9:45pm, I was alone in the darkness where my imagination ran wild. At one point, shortly after my photographer began to snore, I envisioned the three of us were out in the middle of the Everglades when Tom held me over the edge of our airboat while a hungry alligator approached. My careless camera guy wanted to capture an action shot, when suddenly, he accidentally dropped me into the water. I was in full-blown panic mode. Luckily for me, I landed on a large clump of sawgrass, which kept me from sinking to the bottom of the swamp.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">I wasn’t too concerned about my dream or premonition, as it was highly unlikely we’d see any alligators during our morning’s one-hour tour, let alone get close to one. My reasoning was justified because I overheard Tom tell his wife he might have seen the tail of a gator on his airboat ride in 1977, but he wasn’t totally sure if it was an alligator or not. It might have been a large fish.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">With nothing to fear, or to keep me from wanting to board the airboat in the morning, no alligator was going to hinder my next adventure. In the words of the late, great Bill Haley, “See you later alligator, after ‘while crocodile. Can’t you see you’re in my way now, don’t you know you cramp my style. See you later alligator, after ‘while crocodile. See you later alligator, so long, that’s all, goodbye.”</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size"><strong>** This post is dedicated to Steve, the most amazing tour guide I’ve ever crossed paths with. When it comes to keeping his audience engaged, the buck stops here with Steve. ** </strong></p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-35.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-41662" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-35.jpg?w=1286&ssl=1 1286w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-35.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-35.jpg?resize=732%2C1024&ssl=1 732w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-35.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TRUMAN-35.jpg?resize=1097%2C1536&ssl=1 1097w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></figure></div> <p></p> <p></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://eyesofjefferson.com/290-i-was-the-star-of-the-truman-show-in-key-wests-little-white-house/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">41589</post-id> </item> <item> <title>244: IN SEARCH OF THE SICKLY RAT-FACED MUCKER OF CHOATE</title> <link>https://eyesofjefferson.com/244-in-search-of-the-sickly-rat-faced-mucker-of-choate/</link> <comments>https://eyesofjefferson.com/244-in-search-of-the-sickly-rat-faced-mucker-of-choate/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Watson]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 27 Jul 2023 22:46:55 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Andrew Mellon]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Andrew Mellon Library]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Archbold Building]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Barbara Bush]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Bill and Hillary Clinton first home]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Bill Clinton]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Choate infirmary]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Choate Rosemary Hall]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Emmett Brayton]]></category> <category><![CDATA[George H.W. Bush]]></category> <category><![CDATA[George W. Bush birthplace]]></category> <category><![CDATA[George Washington]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Graves-Gilman House]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Hillary Clinton]]></category> <category><![CDATA[JFK]]></category> <category><![CDATA[John F. Kennedy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[New Haven Connecticut]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Nicole Thomas]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Payne Whitney Gymnasium]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Skull and Bones]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Squire Stanley House]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Muckers Club]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Tomb at Yale]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson bobble head]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Vanna White]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Wallingford Connecticut]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Wheel of Fortune]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Yale New Haven Hospital]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Yale University]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Yale University Art Gallery]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://eyesofjefferson.com/?p=15324</guid> <description><![CDATA[The three of us arrived in the town of Wallingford, Connecticut around 12:15pm on Friday June 9, 2023. Tom had made special arrangements with Nicole Thomas, the Communications Office Coordinator at Choate Rosemary Hall School, for a 1:30pm tour of…]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The three of us arrived in the town of Wallingford, Connecticut around 12:15pm on Friday June 9, 2023. Tom had made special arrangements with Nicole Thomas, the Communications Office Coordinator at Choate Rosemary Hall School, for a 1:30pm tour of the grounds, as well as any historic buildings associated with John Kennedy. The future 35th President attended the private, upscale, all-boys prep boarding school from 1931 until he graduated in 1935. Since we had arrived in the Wallingford area with extra time to spare, my photographer and Bob Moldenhauer found a Jersey Mike’s Subs shop within a few miles of the school where they ate lunch and discussed our upcoming visit. At some point during their 45-minute feed bag, however, the threat of a severe storm in the area had become imminent – our only hope was for Mother Nature to give us a break and send the storm around the Choate campus. However, just as Tom found a public parking lot behind Choate’s Hill House, we saw the flash of lightning and the crash of thunder. The storm was nearby – we had no time to waste.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Once we rendezvoused with Nicole, who introduced us to the Community Safety Officer Emmett Brayton, the five of us headed across the grounds to a historic building that had a George Washington connection. It turned out the building was known as the Squire Stanley House, which was built in the 1690s, and it’s the oldest building on the campus. During his trip to Cambridge in 1775, General George Washington purchased gun powder from a nearby store, then he spent the night in what the General described in his diary as “The big house on the hill.” Over one hundred years after our first President slept in that very building, the Choate School began with six boys attending the fall term there in 1896.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-1.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15327" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-1.jpg?w=1500&ssl=1 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-1.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I’m standing directly in front of the Squire Stanley House, which was where General George Washington stayed in 1775.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-3.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15328" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-3.jpg?w=1500&ssl=1 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-3.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-3.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Built in the 1690s, the Stanley Squire House is the oldest building on campus. George Washington referred to the building in his written diary as “The big house on the hill.”</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The lightning in the area grew more intense while I posed near the exterior of the Squire Stanley House. At one point, while I stood on a concrete barrier near the front of the historic structure, I felt a vibration following a loud burst of thunder. There was no doubt about it, the storm was upon us. Then, just as Tom captured his final image of “The big house on the hill”, the sky opened up and the rain came down in sheets. Thankfully, my companions had anticipated the potential of rain during our walking tour, so they packed a couple of umbrellas – and let me tell you, they came in handy. Although I admit, it was hilarious to see four adults and a bobble head huddled beneath two small umbrellas.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">During the deluge, Nicole quickly led us across a small stretch of the grounds to the Archbold Building where the four of us congregated beneath the portico to stay dry. That impressive building, which was erected in 1928 and opened the following year, served as Choate’s infirmary, which at the time was the largest school infirmary in the entire country. For 45 years, sick students were treated in the Archbold Building before it was transformed into a girl’s dormitory in the 1970s once Choate had become a co-ed school. Just before the turn of the 21st century, Archbold was renovated and currently hosts administrative offices on the lower floors, including the office of Nicole Thomas – our tour guide.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">As the rain let up a bit, Tom and I ventured out from beneath the portico where I posed for several photos in front of the historic building; all the while Emmett held an umbrella over the two of us. Mother Nature made it very difficult for my photographer to capture the images of me and the infirmary, but I knew the importance of the site and I wasn’t about to give up. After all, when John Kennedy was a student at Choate, he was very sickly and spent a lot of time in that very building. Young JFK suffered from a battery of illnesses, including chronic fatigue, numerous intestinal issues, allergies, urinary tract infections, jaundice, and bronchitis. In his third year at Choate, Kennedy spent time in the hospital because his doctors believed he had leukemia, although they later ruled that out. During JFK’s childhood, his siblings often joked about their brother’s chronic health issues, saying: “A mosquito took great risk in biting him – with some of his blood, the mosquito was almost sure to die!” At that moment, I wondered if Kennedy ever caught pneumonia while standing in the rain outside the infirmary.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-2.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15331" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-2.jpg?w=1500&ssl=1 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-2.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This is the Archbold Building at Choate Rosemary Hall, which from 1929 until 1974 served as the school’s infirmary. Had I stayed out in the rain much longer, I might have needed a room in the infirmary as well.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-8.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15332" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-8.jpg?w=1500&ssl=1 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-8.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-8.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-8.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Even though Emmett Brayton held an umbrella over my photographer and me during our time in front of the Archbold Building, we still managed to get wet – and so did the lens of Tom’s camera.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">During John F. Kennedy’s prep years at Choate, from 1931 to 1935, he tried unsuccessfully to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Joe – who graduated from Choate in the Class of 1933. While Joe excelled in all the sports he played and was considered an elite athlete, JFK was sickly, thin, and underweight. As a matter of fact, he was so scrawny, his classmates tagged him with the nickname “Rat Face” because of his appearance. Even though JFK wasn’t able to make a name for himself through athletics, he found another avenue that paved his way at Choate – and it wasn’t with his academic prowess. Don’t get me wrong, John Kennedy was a brilliant child, and he excelled in the subjects he was interested in, but he was more interested in playing pranks rather than studying. Because of his antics and rebellious demeanor, JFK became very popular at the school; especially after he blew up a toilet with a powerful firecracker. After the headmaster said the prank was carried out by “Muckers”, which was a derogatory term used to describe Irish immigrants who shoveled horse manure from the streets, Kennedy adopted the idiom for a club he formed with his friends to mock authority. “The Muckers Club”, which consisted of JFK as the leader and 12 of his most mischievous friends who served as his disciples, became notorious at Choate for wreaking havoc whenever they could. One of their cleverer schemes, which was thwarted by the headmaster before it came to fruition, was the plan to move a pile of horse manure into the school’s gymnasium. That hair-brain idea nearly got the entire group expelled from school; and who knows, it could’ve altered the course of American history.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="537" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/JFK-MUCKERS.jpg?resize=800%2C537&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15333" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/JFK-MUCKERS.jpg?w=834&ssl=1 834w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/JFK-MUCKERS.jpg?resize=300%2C201&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/JFK-MUCKERS.jpg?resize=768%2C516&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Four members of “The Muckers Club”, including John Kennedy on the right, posed for this image in 1934.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Since her clothes had become wet during the intense rainstorm, Nicole returned to her office located in the Archbold Building, while Emmett Brayton escorted us to the next site. Before we parted ways with our original tour guide, Nicole shared a photo with my photographer that featured JFK with one of his friends goofing around at the school. When I looked Nicole’s image, the first thing that popped into my mind was: “Well, there’s no doubt they’re a couple of Muckers!” She said she believed the image was captured on the north side of the Andrew Mellon Library, which was where we headed next. Tom always tries his best to use historic photographs as a guide so he can place me in the precise spot where a President once stood. But when we reached the Library, which was several hundred feet south of the infirmary, that’s when we ran into problems. Not only did it start to rain hard again, but we had trouble finding the spot where Kennedy had been photographed.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Even though Emmett tried to share Bob’s umbrella, the Safety Officer decided it was time for the four of us to go inside the Library and wait until the rain subsided a bit. I figured Emmett wasn’t a Mucker, and it turned out he wasn’t a Mudder either – which wasn’t a bad thing. Getting inside the historic Library was an awesome experience, especially when I posed in front of a large portrait of Andrew Mellon, for whom the building was named after. I figured even though JFK was a slacker when it came to his studies at Choate, he likely spent some time in the Library – even if it was only to conjure-up another evil scheme for the Muckers Club.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The historic Library was built in 1924 as a gift from U.S. Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon, whose name now graces the front of the building. It turned out Mellon was the only cabinet member to serve under three consecutive Presidents – Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover. After the Great Depression engulfed Hoover’s administration, Mellon’s cabinet post ended at the same time FDR was inaugurated as President in 1933.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">We had hunkered down for about ten minutes when the rain once again stopped. Tom, Bob, and I followed Emmett back outside where he led us to the spot where he believed the photo of JFK had been taken. But when we got there, the architecture of the building didn’t match the picture. For the next twenty minutes or so, we walked around the exterior of the Library as we searched for the original “JFK site”, but we couldn’t find it. What had been a potential exciting moment for me, which was to stand in a Mucker’s footsteps, turned out to be a disappointment; mainly because Tom and Bob were forced to give up our lengthy search in lieu of time.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-5.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15336" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-5.jpg?w=1500&ssl=1 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-5.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-5.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-5.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">During my time inside the Library, I wanted to believe JFK once looked up and saw the same portrait of Andrew Mellon that hung behind me. But since there wasn’t a green mustache painted on the subject’s face, or the initials ‘JFK’ weren’t carved into the wooden mantel, I figured maybe Kennedy was never in the building after all.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-6.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15338" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-6.jpg?w=1500&ssl=1 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-6.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-6.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-6.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Emmett Brayton, our new tour guide, figured the spot where JFK was photographed outside the Andrew Mellon Library was close to the wild boar statue behind me. Or was it off to the side of the building?</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-AGAIN-AND-AGAIN.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15339" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-AGAIN-AND-AGAIN.jpg?w=1500&ssl=1 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-AGAIN-AND-AGAIN.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-AGAIN-AND-AGAIN.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CHOATE-AGAIN-AND-AGAIN.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Emmett thought the JFK site was possibly near the corner to my left. However, the windows of the Library and the corner of the building didn’t match up with the original photograph.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="590" height="825" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/JFK-AT-CHOATE.jpeg?resize=590%2C825&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15340" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/JFK-AT-CHOATE.jpeg?w=590&ssl=1 590w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/JFK-AT-CHOATE.jpeg?resize=215%2C300&ssl=1 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 590px) 100vw, 590px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This was the image Nicole had shared with my photographer. After a long search, we were never able to find the exact location where this photo of JFK was taken. Let me ask you – were those two guys smitten with each other, or were they just mucking around? “Not that there’s anything wrong with that!”</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Even with his on-campus exploits and his disdain for following the strict rules at Choate had caused him to butt heads with most of the faculty there, John F. Kennedy graduated in 1935. Most would think his extremely high IQ would help JFK graduate with honors and at the top of his class, but he didn’t. As a matter of fact, he finished 65th out of the 112 graduating students in his class. However, because of his clever wit and his individual way of looking at things, Kennedy was voted “Most likely to succeed” by his fellow classmates. I imagined some of his teachers voted him “Most likely to blow up a toilet in the White House!”</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">By the time Emmett led us back to the Explorer, it was nearly 2:40pm. Thankfully the rain had moved on and the sun once again tried to shine through the cloud cover. I was grateful to Nicole for making the arrangements with my photographer that got us onto the school’s property, but I left Choate Rosemary Hall with an unexplained empty feeling. In my resin mind, I figured there had to have been additional buildings on the campus that were once occupied by John F. Kennedy. And even if those other buildings had all been demolished in the past 88 years, there was still the unfinished business of finding the site where JFK was pictured goofing around with his buddy. At the end of the day, I didn’t blame our two escorts for cutting the tour short; the weather would’ve definitely dampened most everyone’s enthusiasm. Everyone, that is, except for my two companions and me. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Our school day wasn’t over when we left Choate Rosemary Hall and Wallingford behind. Located just 14 miles to the south, in the city of New Haven, Connecticut, was a larger school known as Yale University – and there were a handful of Presidential sites there. A total of five Presidents attended school at Yale, including William Howard Taft, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush and his son George W., and Bill Clinton.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Once we made it into town at a few minutes past three o’clock, we began our New Haven Presidential tour just off-campus first. Since the three of us knew that Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham met each other at Yale and their romance blossomed there as well, Tom figured we should start our late afternoon tour with a visit to Bill and Hill’s early 1970s “love nest”. That’s right, their first place together was a small apartment on Edgewood Avenue where they lived while attending law school at Yale. The couple lived on the ground floor and paid $75 per month rent, which got them a living room with a fireplace, one small bedroom, a third room they used as a study and dining area, a tiny bathroom, and a primitive kitchen. Even though they purchased their first furniture from Goodwill and a Salvation Army store, Hillary said she loved their first home – even though the floors were so uneven their plates would slide off the dining room table if they didn’t keep wooden blocks under the table legs to level them.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">My photographer carried me up close to the Edgewood Avenue apartment building, which was when the two of us noticed the building had several different entrances for individual apartments. Since we had no way of knowing for sure which entrance led to Bill and Hillary’s first place, I posed close to all of them. As I stood next to the historic building, which appeared to have been recently renovated, I envisioned the long-haired, bearded, 25-year-old Clinton holding hands with Hillary as they walked down the sidewalk towards the nearby Elm Street Diner.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="987" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-NEW-HAVEN-1.jpg?resize=800%2C987&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15346" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-NEW-HAVEN-1.jpg?w=1135&ssl=1 1135w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-NEW-HAVEN-1.jpg?resize=243%2C300&ssl=1 243w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-NEW-HAVEN-1.jpg?resize=830%2C1024&ssl=1 830w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-NEW-HAVEN-1.jpg?resize=768%2C947&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">In the late summer of 1971, Bill Clinton and his girlfriend, Hillary Rodham, moved into a ground floor apartment in the building behind me. It was their first home together, and where they began a relationship that’s been going “strong” for over 50 years.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-NEW-HAVEN-2.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15347" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-NEW-HAVEN-2.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-NEW-HAVEN-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-NEW-HAVEN-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-NEW-HAVEN-2.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">As I stood alongside the Lynwood Place side of the apartment building, I couldn’t help but notice a large sign affixed to the exterior wall of the house. I laughed to myself because the sign featured a small written biography of Noah Webster. Even though Webster lived in New Haven for most of his adult life, President Bill Clinton lived in that very house. Color me green and call me a pickle, but why did that sign, on that particular house, not feature a biography of William Jefferson Clinton?</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="600" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-NEW-HAVEN-3.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15348" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-NEW-HAVEN-3.jpg?w=1500&ssl=1 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-NEW-HAVEN-3.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-NEW-HAVEN-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-NEW-HAVEN-3.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-NEW-HAVEN-3.jpg?resize=120%2C90&ssl=1 120w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">From this view, I saw the entrances to apartments A, C, and D. If I ever get a chance to talk to Bill and Hillary in person, like my photographer did on April 12, 2019, I’ll ask them which one they lived in. After all, inquiring resin minds want to know.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Following our visit to the place where a President first shacked-up with his girlfriend, the three of us headed south for about a half-mile where we found the place where a President took his first breath of air. Upon our arrival, Tom quickly discovered parking near the Yale New Haven Hospital was as scarce as grass around a hillbilly hog trough, unless my cheap companions wanted to pay to park in an expensive public parking garage. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, my photographer found a spot along the street that was within walking distance of the hospital.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Jimmy Carter was the first President born in a hospital; Bill Clinton and every President after him were also born in hospitals as well. But only one saw his first light of day at Yale New Haven Hospital, and that was our 43rd President, George Walker Bush. Actually, when Bush was born on July 6, 1946, the hospital was known as Grace-New Haven Hospital, until its name was changed in 1965.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Although it had been nearly 77 years since that historic day when Barbara Bush gave birth to little Georgie, Tom and Bob knew there would be no reason to try to gain access to the room where the President was born. And since it was a working hospital with thousands of patients, my travel mates wouldn’t be allowed to go sightseeing inside the building anyway. The last time my photographer tried that stunt was in 2016 in the Kansas City Research Hospital where Truman died. During that memorable occasion, a large, and extremely mean nurse axed Tom to get out of her hospital “wiff all your camera equipment and take that bobble head wiff you before I call the po-leece.”</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">After a two-block hike, the three of us made it to the front of the Yale New Haven Hospital where we had the exterior to ourselves. Okay, there were dozens of people coming and going all the time, and always too soon – at least for me to pose without others in the image. But that’s expected at a huge hospital in the third largest city in Connecticut – people are virtually dying to get inside. As I stood near the front of the birthplace of our 43rd President, I said to myself: “This was where brilliance was born.” Then I realized we weren’t at Shadwell, so I shut my resin mouth and thought about the man they call ‘W’.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GWBUSH-BIRTHPLACE-2.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15350" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GWBUSH-BIRTHPLACE-2.jpg?w=1500&ssl=1 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GWBUSH-BIRTHPLACE-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GWBUSH-BIRTHPLACE-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GWBUSH-BIRTHPLACE-2.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">George Walker Bush was born on July 6, 1946 somewhere in the huge hospital behind me.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GWBUSH-BIRTHPLACE-1.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15351" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GWBUSH-BIRTHPLACE-1.jpg?w=1500&ssl=1 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GWBUSH-BIRTHPLACE-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GWBUSH-BIRTHPLACE-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GWBUSH-BIRTHPLACE-1.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">For a fleeting moment, I wanted my photographer to fake a seizure to gain access inside the hospital. But since that likely wouldn’t get the three of us into the delivery room where ‘W’ was born, I scratched that idea faster than a flea-infested pooch with Tourettes.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">A few days following George W’s birth on August 6, 1946, his parents took him home to the converted mansion that was located next to the Yale President’s house. The George W childhood home is officially known as the Graves-Gilman House, as it was built in 1866 for Daniel Coit Gilman, a science professor at Yale University. In 1946, around the time of young George’s birth, Gilman’s mansion was converted into apartments for married Yale students. During the first two years of his life, ‘W’ lived in that house with his parents George and Barbara Bush, along with about 40 others who shared the kitchen and bathrooms. Today, the mansion is home to the Yale Department of Economics.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">When we arrived at the Bush childhood home, the first thing I noticed was how tranquil and quiet the neighborhood was on Hillhouse Avenue. And why wouldn’t it be? After all, the President of Yale lives next door and the entire street appeared to be lined with huge mansions, each likely linked to the University. During my visit to the same home in 2017, my photographer had an awkward encounter with an Economics student near the front door of the building. The preppy and pompous student seemed to be put-off when he saw me posing near the front door. But that all changed on this second trip to W’s childhood home, we had the place to ourselves – and I liked that a lot.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BUSH-YALE-HOUSE-1.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15353" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BUSH-YALE-HOUSE-1.jpg?w=1500&ssl=1 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BUSH-YALE-HOUSE-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BUSH-YALE-HOUSE-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BUSH-YALE-HOUSE-1.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I’m standing on the porch of the Graves-Gilman House on the campus of Yale University. This mansion was built in 1866 but became the home of George W. Bush and his parents after the place was converted into apartments for married Yale students with kids in 1946.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="880" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GEORGE-W-2.png?resize=800%2C880&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15358" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GEORGE-W-2.png?w=931&ssl=1 931w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GEORGE-W-2.png?resize=273%2C300&ssl=1 273w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GEORGE-W-2.png?resize=768%2C845&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This photo of George, Barbara and Baby W was taken in 1947 when the youngster was a one-year-old and still living in New Haven.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BUSH-YALE-HOUSE-3.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15354" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BUSH-YALE-HOUSE-3.jpg?w=1500&ssl=1 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BUSH-YALE-HOUSE-3.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BUSH-YALE-HOUSE-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BUSH-YALE-HOUSE-3.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">George W. Bush lived in this house for two years before his parents packed up and moved to Texas. Today, the mansion is home to the Yale Department of Economics.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BUSH-YALE-HOUSE-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15355" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BUSH-YALE-HOUSE-2.jpg?w=1071&ssl=1 1071w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BUSH-YALE-HOUSE-2.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BUSH-YALE-HOUSE-2.jpg?resize=731%2C1024&ssl=1 731w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BUSH-YALE-HOUSE-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1076&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I’m standing in the same place I was in 2017 when my photographer and I had our uncomfortable encounter with an arrogant Economics student who thought his fecal matter smelled like daffodils.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The entire time I posed near the exterior of the Graves-Gilman House, I couldn’t help but think about the kinder and gentler George H.W. Bush, living in the mansion with his young wife Barbara, little W, and a thousand points of light that wouldn’t be prudent. Then, just as I was about to get squeamish over the thoughts of broccoli, Tom snatched me off the porch and we headed further onto Yale’s campus so I could stand in the footsteps of a long-haired hippy, who may have smoked pot, but didn’t inhale.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">As the final day of classes wound down in the spring of 1971, Bill Clinton crossed paths with Hillary Rodham at the registrar’s office where the pair were signing up for the following semester’s classes. They talked with each other, then talked some more as the smitten pair went for a long walk that ended up at the Yale University Art Gallery. When they attempted to get inside the art gallery building because Hillary mentioned how she enjoyed the Mark Rothko exhibit there, the two discovered a labor dispute had closed the museum’s doors. But Slick Willie had a plan – he said if they volunteered to pick up litter in the gallery’s courtyard, they’d get inside and have the place virtually to themselves. And his plan worked to perfection, which impressed Hillary when she saw his persuasiveness in action. They walked around the gallery alone for a bit, just talking, before they ended up in the courtyard. Once there, Hillary performed her first lap dance for Bill. Well, she sat in the large lap of a bronze sculpture called the Draped Seated Woman, which was created by Henry Moore. According to Hillary, she sat in the lap of the sculpture and talked with Bill until dark. Not too long after that first date, Bill and Hill became inseparable.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">When the three of us arrived at the Yale University Art Gallery at 4:35pm, I couldn’t wait to get inside. Not only had I never been inside an art gallery before, but I had never performed a lap dance either. There was no doubt in my mind Tom would set me in the lap of the Draped Seated Woman. We had no time to waste as the gallery closed at five o’clock; we needed to find that sculpture and find it fast. But moments after Tom and Bob attempted to find out where the Moore sculpture was located, my lap dance career ended before it began. The young man at the information desk said the statue was not currently on display, and he said the same for the Clinton’s other favorite works of art as well. The three of us headed back outside where I posed near the exterior of the art gallery. After all, that was the building where the magic all began for Bill and Hillary Clinton.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-ART-GALLERY-2.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15362" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-ART-GALLERY-2.jpg?w=1500&ssl=1 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-ART-GALLERY-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-ART-GALLERY-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-ART-GALLERY-2.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Fifty-two years ago, Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham walked up the steps to my right during what became their first date. Did they know how to party or what?</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-ART-GALLERY-1.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15363" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-ART-GALLERY-1.jpg?w=1071&ssl=1 1071w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-ART-GALLERY-1.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-ART-GALLERY-1.jpg?resize=731%2C1024&ssl=1 731w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-ART-GALLERY-1.jpg?resize=768%2C1076&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Yale University Art Gallery looked ancient, but construction on the building began in 1947 – one year after Bill Clinton was born in Hope, Arkansas.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">While I wasn’t able to stand in Bill Clinton’s footsteps at the art gallery, or on Hillary Rodham’s butt prints for that matter, there was a site several blocks away on Yale’s campus where I could pose on the spot where the future Power Couple once stood. As a matter of fact, one of the earliest known photos of Bill and Hillary together was captured on the site we were headed to next.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">It was just a few minutes before five o’clock when my photographer found a parking spot along Tower Parkway and not too far from Yale’s Payne Whitney Gymnasium. After we made the short walk to the south side of the historic gym, Tom went to work as he tried to position me in the footsteps of the future President. One of the hardest aspects of duplicating the image was Clinton is 6′ 2″ tall and I stand at only eight inches in height. But after several minutes of confirming the precise spot with Bob, my perfectionist camera guy set me down on the sidewalk alongside the Payne Whitney Gym where Bill and Hillary had posed in January 1972. That’s when another issue arose – it was difficult to capture our photos without other people in the image. Not only did it become very frustrating due to the never-ending stream of pedestrians passing by the gym, but I was worried one of those careless people would step on me or accidentally kick me to the curb.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1208" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-HIPPIE-SPOT-AGAIN.jpg?resize=800%2C1208&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15370" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-HIPPIE-SPOT-AGAIN.jpg?w=993&ssl=1 993w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-HIPPIE-SPOT-AGAIN.jpg?resize=199%2C300&ssl=1 199w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-HIPPIE-SPOT-AGAIN.jpg?resize=678%2C1024&ssl=1 678w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-HIPPIE-SPOT-AGAIN.jpg?resize=768%2C1160&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Since the trees behind me were added in the past 50 years, the background changed slightly from when Bill and Hillary were photographed at this site in January 1972.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1119" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BILL-AND-HILL-4-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1119&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15367" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BILL-AND-HILL-4-2.jpg?w=1072&ssl=1 1072w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BILL-AND-HILL-4-2.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BILL-AND-HILL-4-2.jpg?resize=732%2C1024&ssl=1 732w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BILL-AND-HILL-4-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This image, taken in January 1972 just outside of the Payne Whitney Gymnasium, featured Bill Clinton, sporting his long hair and “Viking” beard, as he gazed at the camera while Hillary Rodham talked with her friend Marylouise Oates.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-HIPPIE-SPOT-2.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15368" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-HIPPIE-SPOT-2.jpg?w=1500&ssl=1 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-HIPPIE-SPOT-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-HIPPIE-SPOT-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-HIPPIE-SPOT-2.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A little over four years after Bill and Hillary were photographed standing at this location on Yale’s campus, they were married in Fayetteville, Arkansas.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1140" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BILL-AND-HILL-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1140&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15369" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BILL-AND-HILL-2.jpg?w=1032&ssl=1 1032w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BILL-AND-HILL-2.jpg?resize=211%2C300&ssl=1 211w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BILL-AND-HILL-2.jpg?resize=719%2C1024&ssl=1 719w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BILL-AND-HILL-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1094&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Not too long after this image of Bill and Hill was captured, Clinton knew he was going into public service. And sure enough, just five years later, Bill was elected as Attorney General of Arkansas. Two years later, he was elected as the Governor of Arkansas. In January 1993, which was only 21 years after this photo was taken, Bill Clinton was inaugurated as our 42nd President.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-HIPPIE-SPOT-3-1.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15443" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-HIPPIE-SPOT-3-1.jpg?w=1500&ssl=1 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-HIPPIE-SPOT-3-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-HIPPIE-SPOT-3-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CLINTON-HIPPIE-SPOT-3-1.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">It was another awesome experience to stand in the footsteps of a President, especially at such a prestigious school as Yale University.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="735" height="493" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BILL-AND-HILL-3-2.jpg?resize=735%2C493&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15372" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BILL-AND-HILL-3-2.jpg?w=735&ssl=1 735w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BILL-AND-HILL-3-2.jpg?resize=300%2C201&ssl=1 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Bill and Hillary in January 1972</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="495" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BILL-AND-HILL-TODAY.jpg?resize=800%2C495&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15373" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BILL-AND-HILL-TODAY.jpg?w=934&ssl=1 934w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BILL-AND-HILL-TODAY.jpg?resize=300%2C186&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BILL-AND-HILL-TODAY.jpg?resize=768%2C475&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Bill and Hillary in May 2019</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">We returned to the Explorer after we dilly-dallied outside the Payne Whitney Gym for a while. The entire event took a lot longer than anticipated due to the endless stream of pedestrians who walked past us. And I was surprised – not one of those people recognized me as the most famous bobble head in the country, nor did they look at my photographer and say: “Hey, it’s that Bobble head guy!” Maybe someday we’ll be recognized.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The clock on the vehicle’s dashboard read 5:08pm when my companions decided to make the short drive over to Grove Street Cemetery, which was only a thousand feet from where we had parked. Although there were no Presidents of the United States buried in that historic cemetery, there was a very historic Patriot resting in peace there. And when I say, “Historic Patriot”, no other person in American history penned his signature onto all four of the great state papers of the United States. I’m referring to Roger Sherman, who signed the Articles of Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution. When Sherman died on July 23, 1793, he was originally laid to rest in New Haven Green. However, when that cemetery was relocated in 1821, the famous Signer’s remains were reinterred in Grove Street Cemetery.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Just as we arrived at the front gates of the cemetery, located along Grove Street (hence the name), the three of us were slapped in the face with a heavy dose of visual bad luck. There was a sign posted on the closed iron gates that read: ‘GATES ARE LOCKED 4:00pm DAILY’. I knew my companions believed the cemetery would be open until at least six o’clock, or perhaps even as late as dusk – like most every other cemetery we’ve visited in the past. Bob Moldenhauer was furious. And quite frankly, I was a bit upset myself. Had we known Grove Street Cemetery closed at four, we would have made it our first destination upon our arrival in New Haven at three o’clock. Then I heard Mongo verbally express his anger over the situation: “I can’t believe any cemetery would close its gates at four in the afternoon. Hell, even Arlington National Cemetery is open until five, and that’s the most famous cemetery in the entire country. If it wasn’t for those huge sharp spikes on the top of that fence, I’d climb over the damn thing and get to Sherman’s grave on foot.”</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">With no way of being able to pay our respects to the skull and bones of Roger Sherman buried in Grove Street Cemetery, the three of us did the next best thing – we headed to Yale’s infamous Skull and Bones headquarters, which was located just around the corner from the art gallery we had visited earlier.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">I had to admit, when we were on our way to the headquarters building, I was a little nervous because of the macabre-sounding name of the society. But once we arrived, and I was carried to the front of the building, an eerie sensation filled my entire body. I was taken aback by the imposing dark brown sandstone building in front of me, which had no windows and was allegedly full of secrets. And some of those secrets included President William Howard Taft, whose father Alphonso helped form the society in 1832. But there were two other Presidents who were sworn to secrecy within the walls of that dark Yale Tomb as well – both George H.W. Bush and his son, George W. Bush were Bonesmen.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">As I stood in front of the door to the original section of the building, built in 1856 and known as The Tomb, I thought about the two Bush’s and Taft; all three were Bonesmen who walked through the same entrance behind me after they were “tapped” into the society during their junior years at Yale. Taft became a Bonesman in 1878, George H.W. Bush joined in 1948, and Baby W became a member of the secret society in 1968.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/YALE-SKULL-BONES-1.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15377" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/YALE-SKULL-BONES-1.jpg?w=1500&ssl=1 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/YALE-SKULL-BONES-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/YALE-SKULL-BONES-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/YALE-SKULL-BONES-1.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I’m nervously standing in front of The Tomb, which was built in 1856 as the headquarters of Yale’s secret society for students known as Skull and Bones.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/YALE-SKULL-BONES-2.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15378" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/YALE-SKULL-BONES-2.jpg?w=1500&ssl=1 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/YALE-SKULL-BONES-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/YALE-SKULL-BONES-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/YALE-SKULL-BONES-2.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">It was an awesome experience to stand at the entrance to The Tomb, knowing that three future Presidents walked through the same door. But it was also very eerie being there as well, because of the reported decor inside those walls that included skeletons, skulls, coffins, and other items related to death.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/YALE-SKULL-BONES-3.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15381" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/YALE-SKULL-BONES-3.jpg?w=1500&ssl=1 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/YALE-SKULL-BONES-3.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/YALE-SKULL-BONES-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/YALE-SKULL-BONES-3.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The late-day sun angle made photography a challenge, but I was still able to see the addition that was added to The Tomb in the early 1900s. The creepy, castle-like towers in the background were built near a central, outdoors courtyard.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="759" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/skull-logo-2.jpg?resize=800%2C759&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15383" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/skull-logo-2.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/skull-logo-2.jpg?resize=300%2C285&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/skull-logo-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C971&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/skull-logo-2.jpg?resize=768%2C728&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Not only do members of Skull and Bones have an eerie logo, but the Bonesmen also worship Eulogia, the fictional goddess of eloquence.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">During our twenty-minute visit at the Skull and Bones headquarters, I couldn’t help but think about all of our nation’s influential people who once sworn allegiance to that secret society at Yale. Besides the three men who went on to the White House, there have been a variety of media leaders, Presidential cabinet members, congressmen, finance industry captains, university presidents, and Supreme Court justices – who were all initiated in The Tomb. Perhaps the strangest tale to emerge from the darkness of the Skull and Bones society was a claim that Bonesmen stole the skull and several bones of Apache leader Geronimo in the early 1900s, and those sacred relics still reside within the walls of The Tomb today. And who was one of the six perpetrators who allegedly desecrated Geronimo’s final resting place at Fort Sill and stole his bones? It was none other than Prescott Bush, a Bonesman since 1916, and the father and grandfather of the two Bush Presidents.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Prior to us leaving the headquarters, Bob attempted to open the front door of The Tomb. I was very thankful when Mongo discovered the door was locked. What would we have done had the door been mysteriously left unlocked? That’s a silly question – we would’ve walked inside The Tomb until we were asked to leave. Or until a Bonesman decided he wanted to perform a ceremonial sacrifice that included a bobble head.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">It was roughly 5:30pm when we finished our visit at all the Presidential sites on our agenda in New Haven, Connecticut. As we headed westward along the Connecticut Turnpike, I began to wonder why Bill Clinton was never “tapped” to join the Skull and Bones society during his time at Yale. Perhaps it was due to one of the club’s sacred rituals where new members must divulge intimate personal details, including their full sexual histories, before they’re inducted into the society. Since none of the established members had enough time to hear all of Bill’s escapades, even the ones involving cigars, he was likely blackballed from Skull and Bones.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">We arrived at the Amsterdam Hotel in Stamford, Connecticut at 7:15pm. Bob went inside the six-story hotel to register, while Tom got the Explorer unpacked and our gear hauled up to the room. Even though it was still relatively early, my two companions didn’t feel the need to find a local restaurant for dinner. After all, they ate a huge breakfast at Chet’s Diner in Northborough, Massachusetts, and they each devoured a Jersey Mike’s sub in Wallingford, Connecticut for a late lunch. So, instead of a full-blown meal for dinner, Tom and Bob stayed in the room where they dined on the fine cuisine they had packed for the trip. My photographer heated a batch of Ramen noodles in the microwave, while Bob finished the second half of the Jersey Mike’s sub he had saved from earlier in the day.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Like most evenings in the hotel, Tom placed me alongside the television set where I planned to spend the night. After I had the pleasure of watching Vanna White turn the letters on ‘Wheel of Fortune’, my companions extinguished the lights in the room at nine o’clock. It had been a long and exhausting day that began when Tom’s alarm rang at 4am, but it was a memorable day – especially during our visit with Jessica Fidrych at Chet’s Diner.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">I spent the first few hours of solitude in the Amsterdam dreaming of Vanna White, but soon my resin mind filled with scary visions of the Skull and Bones society at Yale. I envisioned Bob opening the door to The Tomb and the three of us walked inside. The door suddenly slammed shut behind us, leaving my companions and me in near-total darkness, with only the light from a distant lantern to help guide our way. With each terrifying step we took deeper and deeper into The Tomb, I heard the faint sound of a drum. Thug, thug. Thug, thug. It reminded me of a human heartbeat. Suddenly, as if summoned by the spirit world, the flames of several more lanterns illuminated the entire rear of the original Tomb. I let out a scream in terror when I saw a human skull sitting atop two large bones that were crossed in the shape of an ‘X’. But my nightmare didn’t end there – I heard a voice, a man’s voice that sounded like it was originating from the skull. The voice said in broken English: “The skull of the Apache warrior Geronimo, exhumed from its tomb at Fort Sill by Prescott Bush … is now safe inside this tomb, and bone together with his well-worn femurs, bit and saddle horn. Now go, before you’re borne the same fate.”</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/WHEEL-OF-FORTUNE.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-15384" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/WHEEL-OF-FORTUNE.jpg?w=1500&ssl=1 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/WHEEL-OF-FORTUNE.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/WHEEL-OF-FORTUNE.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/WHEEL-OF-FORTUNE.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Pat Sajak said the clue for the puzzle was “What Are You Doing?” and I guessed it without Vanna revealing one letter! Want a clue? ‘The Answer Rests in Amsterdam’. Please leave me a comment with your guess!</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size"> <strong>** THIS POST IS DEDICATED TO NICOLE THOMAS AND EMMETT BRAYTON FOR BRAVING THE ELEMENTS WITH US DURING OUR TOUR OF CHOATE **</strong></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://eyesofjefferson.com/244-in-search-of-the-sickly-rat-faced-mucker-of-choate/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">15324</post-id> </item> <item> <title>92: MEETING CLINTON WAS ‘CLOSE, BUT NO CIGARS’!</title> <link>https://eyesofjefferson.com/92-meeting-clinton-was-close-but-no-cigars/</link> <comments>https://eyesofjefferson.com/92-meeting-clinton-was-close-but-no-cigars/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Watson]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 14 Aug 2020 20:57:27 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[An Evening with the Clintons]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Ben Stiller]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Bill Clinton]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Fox Theater Detroit]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Hillary Clinton]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Jefferson bobble head]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Mara MacDonald]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://eyesofjefferson.com/?p=5101</guid> <description><![CDATA[My left shin and ankle had been caulked; my stocking was re-painted an off-white to match my right leg; and I was looking good. The timing was perfect, too. It was April 12, 2019 and as I was placed back…]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">My left shin and ankle had been caulked; my stocking was re-painted an off-white to match my right leg; and I was looking good. The timing was perfect, too. It was April 12, 2019 and as I was placed back into the camera case for the short trip to Detroit, I could feel the nervousness in the air at home. For the past several months my photographer had a ticket to the Motor City’s Fox Theater where Bill and Hillary Clinton were scheduled to speak. The event, which was going to be mediated by comedic actor Ben Stiller, was called “An Evening With The Clintons” and Tom’s ticket had our seat reserved in the second row and in the center of the stage. But there was more; and it was that additional part that made my head wiggle more than normal. It turned out that my photographer had also purchased the ‘Meet and Greet’ package where the two of us would get up close and personal with the Clintons. Tom had one goal for the night: Get Bill Clinton to hold me while he and Hillary stood next to us for the official photo that was part of the package.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Although my camera guy figured the ‘Meet and Greet’ would be held after the main event, he wanted to arrive at the Fox Theater early – primarily so he could find adequate parking and beat the crowd to retrieve his ticket from will-call. In a last moment decision, Tom’s wife bought a single “nosebleed” ticket from Mongo who was unable to attend. Vicki wasn’t as excited to see the Clintons as my photographer was, but she didn’t want him to the make the trip to Detroit and back alone. In another last second decision, just before we headed out to the Avenger, my photographer grabbed his Bill Clinton bobble head from the shelf and slid him into the camera case alongside me. Not only did that surprise me, but I was also upset. My first reaction was: “Was he trying to replace me with Clinton because he’s in better shape and the two of them share the same birthday.” But then I heard Tom say to his wife: “I’m going to take my Clinton bobble head along with T.J. because I have a feeling Bill’s going to ask about it. I’ll hold Clinton and the President can hold onto Jefferson during our photo-op.” Traffic was light during our 52-mile drive to ‘The Fox’; Vicki parked the Avenger in the Comerica Park lot that was located across Woodward Avenue from the theater. After I posed for a photo with the exterior of the famed Detroit landmark, Tom went inside the Fox Theater and got his ticket from will-call. Ticket in hand, the four of us were headed to Hockeytown Café for an early dinner.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-FOX-THEATER-1.jpg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5103" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-FOX-THEATER-1.jpg?w=4049&ssl=1 4049w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-FOX-THEATER-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-FOX-THEATER-1.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-FOX-THEATER-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-FOX-THEATER-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-FOX-THEATER-1.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">As I stood in front of the Fox Theater in Detroit, I thought to myself: “In a few hours, I will be in the hands of President Bill Clinton.”</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Seconds after we exited the Fox Theater, I heard a woman’s voice ask my photographer: “Excuse me, did you just buy a ticket to the Clinton event?” Tom replied: “No, I already bought my ticket months ago. I was just picking it up from will-call.” That woman turned out to be WDIV’s Mara MacDonald and she asked my camera guy if he would go on television for an interview. Not one to shy away from much of anything, he agreed; and before I knew it, Tom was standing in front of the camera as he answered Mara’s questions. The Channel 4 news journalist asked: “If you get a chance to ask the Clintons anything tonight, what would you ask them?” I had to laugh to myself because Tom didn’t hesitate – which didn’t surprise me at all. He said he would ask the Clintons: “If Hillary had won in 2016, what role would Bill have played in her Presidency? And what would he have been called – the First Gentleman? He obviously couldn’t be the First Lady!” When Mara asked him about the ‘Meet and Greet’, Tom responded: “I’m a Presidential enthusiast, I travel all around the country visiting Presidential sites and to have a chance to see a President live is incredible.” </p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="510" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-AND-TOM4.jpg?resize=800%2C510&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5105" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-AND-TOM4.jpg?w=949&ssl=1 949w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-AND-TOM4.jpg?resize=300%2C191&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-AND-TOM4.jpg?resize=768%2C490&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">In the first part of Mara MacDonald’s report on the Six O’clock News, my photographer and his wife were shown on tape as they exited the Fox Theater. Seconds later, Tom was approached by Mara for the interview.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="367" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-AND-TOM3.jpg?resize=800%2C367&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5106" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-AND-TOM3.jpg?w=1265&ssl=1 1265w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-AND-TOM3.jpg?resize=300%2C138&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-AND-TOM3.jpg?resize=768%2C352&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-AND-TOM3.jpg?resize=1024%2C470&ssl=1 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">WDIV reporter Mara MacDonld during the live broadcast outside of the Fox Theater in Detroit. My photographer’s wife, who was wearing a jean jacket and waiting in line, was visible just below the “LIVE” graphic.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="425" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-AND-TOM5.jpg?resize=800%2C425&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5107" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-AND-TOM5.jpg?w=1351&ssl=1 1351w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-AND-TOM5.jpg?resize=300%2C159&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-AND-TOM5.jpg?resize=768%2C408&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTON-AND-TOM5.jpg?resize=1024%2C543&ssl=1 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">That’s my photographer as he spoke with Mara MacDonald on a taped feed during the Six O’clock News. I wish he would’ve held me up for the camera so I could’ve been on TV.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size"> It was roughly 5:15pm when we finished dinner and returned to the Fox Theater. By that time, hundreds of people had gathered outside and dozens more were standing inside the building. The people who were in the lobby were folks who had ‘Meet and Greet’ tickets, which was where my photographer went with Bill and I in the camera bag. Vicki was forced to stand in line outside of the theater as that group waited for the doors to open. We waited for about 15 minutes before our group was ushered through the Secret Service scanning station and then into the theater’s seating area. Even though I’ve been scrutinized by the Secret Service in the past, they still made me nervous. I didn’t know for sure if they would allow me into the same building as the President; but if the “Men in Black” would’ve pulled the plug on my visit, Tom would’ve been forced to take me and Bill back to the Avenger. Luckily, that didn’t happen.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The next 45 minutes was a case of hurry up and wait. By listening to my photographer’s conversation with the guy seated next to him, I could tell that he was growing irritated with the confusion and delay. “If the show is supposed to start at seven-thirty, then we aren’t going to have much time with the Clintons,” Tom said to the fellow Clinton fan. “It’s nearly seven o’clock and we aren’t close to heading backstage yet.” Finally, at about 7:15pm, we were asked to get in line for the final approach to the back stage area where the Clintons were meeting people. As we got closer, one of the security guards stated that purses, bags, and backpacks would not be allowed into the room. When Tom heard the rules, he simply pulled Bill and I out of the camera bag and held us in his hands as we got closer. At the entrance to the ‘Meet and Greet’ area, which was heavily guarded by Secret Service, my photographer placed the camera case onto the table and waited for our turn to meet Bill and Hillary. Just when we were ready to walk into the room, I heard the bad news: “You can’t take those in there with you; personal items are not allowed. Put them on the table.” At that moment, I heard Tom plead his case and I knew he was on the verge of a COBS (Crabby Old Bastard Syndrome) flareup: “I’m not trying to get the bobble heads signed. I just want them in my picture with the President – it’s very important to me.” That was followed by a stern rebuttal: “We just told you to leave them on the table out here. No personal items are allowed inside.” Sure enough, Tom’s COBS kicked in: “Taking the bobble head in for the photo was the only reason I bought the ‘Meet and Greet’ in the first place. Had I known the bobble head wouldn’t be allowed in, I wouldn’t have wasted $500 to have it sit on the table. Thanks for ruining the entire night for me.” After he placed Bill and I back into the camera bag that was already on the table, Tom went in to meet the Clintons. Although I could barely see him from the opening in the camera bag, I could hear my photographer as he met the former President and Secretary of State. “Nice to meet you Mr. President. I wanted to tell you that you and I share the same birthday, August 19th. We are exactly ten years apart – you were born in 1946 and I was born in ’56.” After Tom shook President Clinton’s hand, Bill replied in his semi-hoarse voice: “Well, you definitely wear it better than I do.” My camera man was positioned between Bill and Hillary, and seconds after he put his arm around both, the professional photographer captured their image for posterity. As Tom moved in front of Mrs. Clinton to shake her hand, he said to her: “Congratulations Hillary on your grandchildren and good luck for the one on the way. I have four grandchildren of my own and they are so amazing.” I think Hillary was impressed that my photographer knew that Chelsea was expecting to give birth to her third child in July. As Hillary looked at Tom, a huge smile came across her face: “Thank you so much. Aren’t grandchildren just wonderful? Ours are the joy of Bill’s and my life and we love being with them.”</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="532" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TOM-BILL-HILL.jpg?resize=800%2C532&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5108" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TOM-BILL-HILL.jpg?w=4073&ssl=1 4073w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TOM-BILL-HILL.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TOM-BILL-HILL.jpg?resize=768%2C511&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TOM-BILL-HILL.jpg?resize=1024%2C681&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TOM-BILL-HILL.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TOM-BILL-HILL.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">My photographer with Bill and Hillary Clinton at the Fox Theater in Detroit. And where was I? About twenty feet away watching from the camera case. I was close, but no cigars!</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">After Tom’s 45 seconds with the Clintons was finished, he headed back to the table to pick Bill and I up before he walked to his second row seat in front of the stage. It wasn’t too long after we sat down that the ‘Evening with the Clintons’ began when Ben Stiller walked onto the stage with Bill and Hillary. What my photographer and I enjoyed most about the program was the fact that it wasn’t a hard question and answer session about politics; nor was it a Trump bashing event either. It was a conversation between the three of them that included the Clinton’s watching James Holzhauer as he demolished ‘Jeopardy’ records. But what stole the show for me was when Stiller asked Bill Clinton a simple question: “Was it fun being President?” Clinton hesitated for nearly ten seconds and then answered “Yes!” The crowd erupted into laughter, mainly because of the hesitation and the tone in Clinton’s voice. I knew that my photographer was itching to capture a photo of me with the Clintons in the background, but not only was the audience drilled of the ‘No Photography’ rule; two Secret Service agents stood on both sides of the stage and glared at us. The damned Secret Service prevented me from meeting Bill and Hillary during the ‘Meet and Greet’ session and then they prevented me from being photographed with the Clintons during the show. Perhaps someday those darn “Protectors of the President” will realize that I’m harmless; plus I try to keep the historical focus and facts alive for each Chief Executive with my personal tribute. </p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="467" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTONS-DETROIT-6.jpg?resize=700%2C467&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5110" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTONS-DETROIT-6.jpg?w=700&ssl=1 700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTONS-DETROIT-6.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Bill and Hillary wave to the Fox Theater crowd just after they walked onto the stage with Ben Stiller.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="433" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTONS-DETROIT-3.jpg?resize=800%2C433&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5111" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTONS-DETROIT-3.jpg?w=1324&ssl=1 1324w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTONS-DETROIT-3.jpg?resize=300%2C162&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTONS-DETROIT-3.jpg?resize=768%2C416&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTONS-DETROIT-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C555&ssl=1 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Bill Clinton told the audience that he and Hillary watch ‘Jeopardy’ and they’re amazed by the knowledge of James Holzhauer as he set money records nearly every night.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="538" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTONS-DETROIT-5.jpg?resize=800%2C538&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5112" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTONS-DETROIT-5.jpg?w=5402&ssl=1 5402w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTONS-DETROIT-5.jpg?resize=300%2C202&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTONS-DETROIT-5.jpg?resize=768%2C517&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTONS-DETROIT-5.jpg?resize=1024%2C689&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTONS-DETROIT-5.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTONS-DETROIT-5.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">While Ben Stiller did a good job of facilitating the conversation on stage, my photographer was a bit disappointed when the audience wasn’t able to ask any questions of the power couple.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="467" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTONS-DETROIT-7.jpg?resize=700%2C467&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5113" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTONS-DETROIT-7.jpg?w=700&ssl=1 700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CLINTONS-DETROIT-7.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Near the end of the program that lasted about 80 minutes, Hillary pointed in our direction and she began to laugh. Did she see me poking my head out of the camera case?</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/JEFFERSON-AT-THE-FOX-.jpeg?resize=800%2C572&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5115" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/JEFFERSON-AT-THE-FOX-.jpeg?w=3873&ssl=1 3873w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/JEFFERSON-AT-THE-FOX-.jpeg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/JEFFERSON-AT-THE-FOX-.jpeg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/JEFFERSON-AT-THE-FOX-.jpeg?resize=1024%2C732&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/JEFFERSON-AT-THE-FOX-.jpeg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/JEFFERSON-AT-THE-FOX-.jpeg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Once the show was over and the Clintons had left, my photographer set me onto the stage as he captured a few images of me with the Clinton’s chairs behind me.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/JEFFERSON-AT-THE-FOX-2-.jpeg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5116" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/JEFFERSON-AT-THE-FOX-2-.jpeg?w=3994&ssl=1 3994w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/JEFFERSON-AT-THE-FOX-2-.jpeg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/JEFFERSON-AT-THE-FOX-2-.jpeg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/JEFFERSON-AT-THE-FOX-2-.jpeg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/JEFFERSON-AT-THE-FOX-2-.jpeg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/JEFFERSON-AT-THE-FOX-2-.jpeg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I would’ve loved to have stood on President Clinton’s chair after the show, but with the Secret Service and Detroit Police hovering around the theater like flies on a rib roast, that wish wouldn’t be fulfilled. </figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Although I never had my photo taken with the Clintons, I did get the chance to stand on the same stage minutes after they had left. That’s more than the Bill Clinton bobble head got to do; he stayed in the camera case and never said a word.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Tom carried Bill and me into the Fox Theater lobby where we rendezvoused with Vicki. During the entire ride home, I heard my photographer and his wife discuss the evening’s show and their thoughts about Bill and Hillary. While the discussion portion of the night’s show was really good, I still couldn’t forgive the Secret Service for them denying me the chance to meet Bill and Hillary Clinton. I know in my resin-filled heart that they would’ve loved me and likely would want to hear about my travels. Perhaps someday I will get a chance to meet a President; and perhaps that chance would come in less than a month when my photographer and his friend Bob Moldenhauer had planned to embark on a ten-day Presidential journey. That May trip was scheduled to be the most Presidential-filled, action-packed, history-lovin’, balls-to-the-wall Presidential tour that my photographer has ever taken me on. And the most intriguing part? I would finally get to pose for photos inside the White House; that is unless the Secret Service dash my dreams – again! </p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://eyesofjefferson.com/92-meeting-clinton-was-close-but-no-cigars/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">5101</post-id> </item> </channel> </rss>