"One of the things that I have seen not commented on was back to when the West Wing was built. It used to be on the west side of the White House there were large glass conservatories and stables for a short period of time. Those were all torn down, which allowed the colonnades to the west side and then the building of the West Wing. Nobody's talking about that, but that was just as large a project."
"It is a typically diplomatic response from a man who spent 37 years serving seven presidents and their families and trying not to upset the apple cart. His book White House Memories 1970-2007: Recollections of the Longest-Serving Chief Usher, published on Friday, strikes a rare bipartisan chord by praising Democratic and Republican presidents alike. Walters began his career as an officer in the executive protective service with an assignment to help protect President Richard Nixon and then his successor, Gerald Ford."
Gary Walters has a special affection for the White House East Wing and met his future wife while she worked in the visitors' office there. He expresses restraint about dramatic alterations, noting historical changes such as removal of glass conservatories and stables to allow colonnades and the West Wing. Walters served 37 years across seven presidencies, beginning in the executive protective service with assignments to Presidents Nixon and Ford, then joining the usher's office in 1976 and becoming chief usher a decade later. The chief usher functions as a general manager, overseeing maintenance, construction, renovations, food service, and administrative and financial operations to maintain the first family's comfort.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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