Please note that the following is a digitized version of a selected article from White House History Quarterly, Issue 57, originally released in print form in 2020. Single print copies of the full issue can be purchased online at Shop.WhiteHouseHistory.Org No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. All photographs contained in this journal unless otherwise noted are copyrighted by the White House Historical Association and may not be reproduced without permission. Requests for reprint permissions should be directed to rights@whha.org. Contact books@whha.org for more information. 2020 White House Historical Association. All rights reserved under international copyright conventions.
REFLECTIONS
Challenging Times
as i write this column in mid-April, to be published in May, the Association staff is working from home, committed to our mission and to meeting the deadlines and obligations of our work. These are indeed challenging times in our country. Those who have worked in the White House throughout our history have faced many challenges— the Civil War, two World Wars, the influenza epidemic that followed World War I, the Great Depression, the Vietnam War, the civil rights challenges of the 1950s and 1960s, 9/11, presidential assassinations, and a myriad of natural disasters. Each time the institutions of our country have emerged strong and forward looking. That is the mindset and commitment of my colleagues at the White House Historical Association as we approach the celebration of our sixtieth year. In 1961 our organization was inspired and founded by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy as the private, nonprofit, and nonpartisan partner to the White House. In the years since our founding, the Association has invested many millions of dollars in the acquisition of art and furnishings for the permanent White House collection and in the maintenance of museum standards that Mrs. Kennedy envisioned through our funding of conservation, restoration, and preservation projects. The
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Association will continue this work into the future, believing that our best service to the American people is yet to come. After all, it is the “people’s house,” and it is on behalf of the people of this country that we will continue our historic mission. This issue of the White House History Quarterly focuses on the extraordinary service of the men and women of the United States Secret Service who protect the president of the United States and maintain a secure work environment for the White House and all who interface with the president. Every morning when I come to work and every evening when I leave, I see these wonderful public servants at their posts, committed
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to the role they have undertaken. Their jobs remain the same no matter the challenges facing our country. Perhaps the bar is even raised for them in times like these. During this period of working from home, I realize the simple things in life we take for granted: dinner with friends, going to a movie, attending church, or just popping into the mall to buy something. I realize also that it is easy for us to take for granted the service and presence of the United States Secret Service day in and day out. So, to each of you who have served past and present, the White House Historical Association does not take you for granted. We know well the critical importance of your mission, and we honor you with this issue for your dedication to the security of the presidency and to our great nation. above Stewart McLaurin at the Dacha Navy Yard mural of Jacqueline Kennedy and a Uniformed Division Officer wears personal protective equipment while conducting operations at the New Executive Office Building during the COVID-19 Pandemic, April 2020. opposite Secret Service officers on duty at their posts on Jackson Place and H Street Northwest near the entrance to the Association’s offices, 2015.
S T E WA R T M C L A U R I N : W H I T E H O U S E H I S T O R I C A L A S S O C I AT I O N S E C R E T S E R V I C E O F F I C E R : U. S . S E C R E T S E RV I C E
STEWART D. M C LAURIN PRESIDENT, WHITE HOUSE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
E LV E R T B A R N E S
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