A story my Dad used to tell me about the White House.

[begin_within]

My Dad grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland, a suburb of Washinton DC. (He once got to meet both Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt, on the same day at a National Geographic Society luncheon. But I digress.) In high school, he was part of a team on a scavenger hunt. One of the required articles was a piece of White House stationery. This was in the early 1930s, I'm not sure what year exactly, but he was born in 1917 and this was sometime in his high school years. They drove right up the driveway to the front door of the White House, either knocked or rang the bell, and a butler answered. He gave them a piece of White House stationery, and they left, and a few minutes later when driving past the White House they noticed the gates had been closed. They were the only team that got the piece of stationery and thus won the scavenger hunt. What a difference between then and now! Thanks Dad, RIP.

[LeighAnn]

1. Cheers to your dad!

Nowadays he would have been "detained". Here's a toast to your dad!
:toast:

[Fridays Child]

2. Great story!

[NNadir]

3. People used to walk into the White House and ask to see Lincoln.

Sometimes Lincoln met with them.

Often they were people petitioning for amnesty for family members who were either confederate prisoners of war or deserters under sentence of death.

Lincoln usually accommodated the latter. His generals resented how many sentences he commuted.

[peekaloo]

4. Did he hang onto the paper?

Cool story.

:-)

[begin_within]

7. I never saw it, so I don't think so. But I do have an invitation that my

grandfather received to a White House dinner during the Taft administration, I can't find it right now to check the date. He was a gas chemist for the Bureau of Standards and also an active member of the National Geographic Society. Years later he and my grandmother once hosted Gloria Steinem for dinner at their house in Chevy Chase. They must have met other important people in their lifetimes but I did not get to hear much about it as I was fairly young when they died.

[karlrschneider]

5. That is a cool story and I totally believe it.

Your pop is probably shedding tears as he looks down and witnesses what has become of the "People's House."
:toast:

[begin_within]

8. He was already completely fed up in the 1980s, particularly over the

Savings and Loan debacle. He was an Independent who didn't automatically side with either party. He was also a USMC pilot who flew in WWII and Korea. Knowing him and his general views, I am sure he would be completely disgusted with the state of Washington these days.

[karlrschneider]

12. Your dad was a genuine person, and the acorn falls near the tree.

Kudos to you both.
:-)

[begin_within]

13. Thanks, although he was conservative on social issues, being part of that

"greatest generation" who came of age in the Depression, fought in WWII, then lived their retirements in the 1970s, 1980s, etc. Their social values were strongly conservative (homosexuality is sinful, abortion is sinful, etc.) but he was an economic liberal and also highly critical of any type of corruption and pork in govt.

[applegrove]

6. The lesson being ... that all WH lie...oh- -really important information

seeing as how Roosevelt lied the US into the WWII because it was BAD! Because all countries in the west were fighting.. and the US played "hide the salami" or "hide the truth". Oh man, two years into WWII were we in CANADA impressed when you showed up to kill off the fascist murderous German FUEHER!!!


We are still so impressed that you showed up at the 11th hour to help out.... Rooosevelt was a human on the planet. Sometimes you AMERICANS just fucking miss the boat..

I mean - countries that were not even democracies.. were fighting their asses off. Two years before you did.

[WLKjr]

9. ?

where did that come from?

[applegrove]

10. Someone presented to us - Roosevelt as a "politician". I wanted to

remind you that he was pretty much alone in his "balls" when it counted.

I know you AMERICANS.. love your myths. But really, everyone else in the world was face down in dirt and sending off boys every night in airplanes to die.. and the boys kept on doing that for two years when you guys did naught.

My point -- you seem to feel so big. Name me a war you started that actually had a purpose.

Time to take stalk.

Time to talk to your bosses who sell myth the same as any other carnival arrival with pink pills.

Okay.. the CIVIL WAR. WE all were impressed with that. WAR OF INDEPENDANCE - hey - it blew our minds.

What have you initiated lately - and why are you always so wrong.

Don't you think you have work to do on your myths!!

And why am I so angry that in your sandpile...someone putz points out Roosevelt didnt' tell the absolute truth one day... so GWB is okay? He's Kosher? ALL POLITICIANS LIE ONE INTO WAR... if you are fughed? If you are LATE. If you are STUPID...

Don't compare WWII to Iraq. I think that is the point of "showing Roosevelt to be the politician he was". Hey - crime is fine. It is dandy!!

[WLKjr]

15. ??

The original poster was speaking about a story of a scavenger hunt his father participated in back in the 1920's and 30's.

and could you please point out to me where the original poster made any of these "references" you are spouting off about????

and why to you keep saying "you AMERICANS" and "I KNOW YOU AMERICANS" and all that crap? what does that have to do with anything in this post?

[applegrove]

16. The original poster pointed out that Roosevelt was a politician. I

pointed out that he was one dam fine politician and at the same time, one dame fine AMERICAN.

There is a difference you know.

It seems somehow huge to those people who it mattered to. Who Roosevel was, despite being a regular, politician.

[WLKjr]

17. Could you show me what you are talking about?

still not seeing it in this post:

<snip>

My Dad grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland, a suburb of Washinton DC. (He once got to meet both Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt, on the same day at a National Geographic Society luncheon. But I digress.) In high school, he was part of a team on a scavenger hunt. One of the required articles was a piece of White House stationery. This was in the early 1930s, I'm not sure what year exactly, but he was born in 1917 and this was sometime in his high school years. They drove right up the driveway to the front door of the White House, either knocked or rang the bell, and a butler answered. He gave them a piece of White House stationery, and they left, and a few minutes later when driving past the White House they noticed the gates had been closed. They were the only team that got the piece of stationery and thus won the scavenger hunt. What a difference between then and now! Thanks Dad, RIP.

</snip>

where does it say anything about FDR? all I see is a reference to Eleanor.

[applegrove]

18. I find it touching and am perhaps touched that one tells a political

story, of political expediency, of politicians who actually had balls and meant something to the world on this night. Okay?

[WLKjr]

20. still lost but okay if you say so

[FreedomAngel82]

11. Definitley a difference

I got the opportunity to visit the White House when I was in seventh grade in the late 90's when Clinton was president (went there for a band competition). It was so neat and I enjoyed it and we did the normal tour. Sadly no meeting Clinton. :( DC in itself I'm sure was different too. We did all the tourism stuff and it was pretty neat. I hope soon to go back and be able to see everything again now that I'm older and appreciate everything so much more. And what a neat story about the stationary. Oh and neat on meeting Elenaor! She's such a hero to me.

[begin_within]

14. Yes he was very lucky, his father and mother were members of the

National Geographic Society, and went to all the luncheons and events, and for one of them, my grandfater was sick, so my grandmother took my Dad instead. Amelia Earhart was the guest speaker that day, and afterwards, my Dad and Mom had a chance meeting with both Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt in a hallway somewhere in the building, and chatted for a few minutes. He was just a kid at the time, I don't know his age but if I could find out from the NGS what year that Earhart was a guest at a NGS luncheon I would know for sure. It might have been 1932 because that year she won a gold medal from the NGS, so he would have been 15 at that time. The two women were both famous at the time but it was only later that he realized their historical importance as well. My grandfather was a gas chemist for the Bureau of Standards and he and my grandmother were pretty socially active in Washington for many years in the early part of the 20th century, so it was probably fairly routine for my grandmother to meet them, but a thrill for my dad.

[flygal]

19. Eleanor Roosevelt is my hero

I wanted to name one of my daughter's after her but it's my grandmother's name and my cousin already claimed it. I love reading stories like yours.

[liberalconscious]

21. What a great story!