The Ushers Office In September 1985, I felt content at my job as a computer software manager in Greenbelt, Maryland. I had no plans to move on; however, at lunch one day I was flipping through the Washington Post and found the following ad in the classified section: THE WHITE HOUSE EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATION is seeking a Computer Specialist to perform office automation... Wow! Wouldn t it be great to get a rejection letter from the White House, something on White House letterhead! I d have fun showing it off to my office colleagues, imagining I d say, Hey guys! Look who wrote to me! I quickly printed out my résumé on a dot matrix printer that old green-bar tractor-fed computer paper and threw together a cover letter and mailed it off. Then I waited and waited. Nothing. Eventually, I d forgotten all about it until one evening in December 1985, the phone rang. My family and I were seated at the dinner table, and my 12-year-old stepdaughter answered. Her eyes got as big as saucers as she handed the phone to me, whispering, It s the White House. Figuring it was a joke, I tried to think of an appropriate impersonation-voice to answer with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, or Henry Kissinger? (I could do all of them fairly well.) But I decided to be myself and play along with the prank. Hello, this is Chris Emery, I said, then listened intently as the caller identified herself as someone from the White House. Was I still interested in the position that I had applied for? When she referred to specifics from my résumé, I realized this was no joke! So, I interviewed and landed the position starting in January 1986 as a Computer Specialist, GS-13 with a salary of $36,000. I became a member of the Reagan Executive Office of the President, Office of Administration, working for the Information Technology Automated Systems Division. My office was in the New Executive Office building hardly the White House but considered part of the White House Complex. There, I was responsible for computer applications development for a variety of offices in the Executive Office of the President, including the White House Security Office, Executive Clerk s Office, White House Personnel, and the Travel Office. (It later became infamous during the Clinton White House due to a major ethics controversy of the Clinton administration. The scandal became known as Travelgate.) Page 1 of 5
My White House technology projects led to many early successes. For example, I installed the first computer network in an office of the president as part of a project that automated the Congressional bill tracking process. Another project automated the Executive Residence food and beverage inventory system, which meant setting up a system in the storeroom of the White House basement. Many people don t know that the first family pays for the food and supplies they consume. At that time, I developed a new application that replaced a nearly 200-year-old manual process. My system tracked the inventory used and produced a monthly bill that would be presented to the first family. I worked closely with the storeroom staff, the White House chefs, butlers, and Chief Usher Gary Walters. This project was completed ahead of schedule and under budget. Toward its completion, I learned that one of the assistant ushers who d been hired during the Kennedy administration was retiring, creating a rare vacancy in the Ushers Office. When the White House storeroom guys wanted me to apply for the position, I thought, What!? I m on the leading edge of technology. I have a great future ahead in that field. Why on earth would I consider such an obscure job? Well, the more I learned, the more intrigued I became, and I asked Gary Walters if I could be considered. It truly was an opportunity of a lifetime to serve in a role with such honor, tradition, and above all trust. What Exactly is the Ushers Office? For more than 200 years, a small office has operated on the State Floor of the White House Executive Residence. Known as the Ushers Office, in 1994, it had functioned much the same for the previous 100-plus years to accommodate the personal needs of the first family and make the White House feel like a home. The Ushers Office is the managing office of the Executive Residence and its staff of 90-plus consisting of butlers, carpenters, grounds personnel, electricians, painters, plumbers, florists, maids, housemen, cooks, chefs, storekeepers, curators, calligraphers, doormen, and administrative support. Ushers work closely with the first family, senior staff, Social Office, Press Office, Secret Service Agency, and military leaders to carry out White House functions: luncheons, dinners, teas, receptions, meetings, conferences, and more. Maintaining the entire 132-room mansion, preserving the fine arts collection, caring for the 18 acres of grounds, plus setting up for the 1.2 million annual tourists who come through the White House make up the diverse jobs on the Ushers Office s list of responsibilities. Page 2 of 5
Ushers Office circa 1989. Doorman Woodward Willoughby is standing; author Chris Emery is seated. (Note the Orioles game on the TV!) (Emery personal collection) The ushers are always on-hand for the arrival and departure of all first family members and guests. They field a variety of mail inquiries ranging from White House history and the fine arts collection to job opportunities. I started in the Executive Residence in March 1987, joining what I call the A-team: Chief Usher Gary Walters and three assistant ushers, James Skip Allen, Dennis Freemeyer, and me. At 29, I was the youngest member. In his 40s, warm and charismatic Gary Walters was a vibrant, passionate individual who took his role as chief usher seriously. Yet Gary had a wonderful sense of humor. A University of Maryland graduate, he had joined the Uniform Division of the Secret Service in the 1970s and worked his way up to sergeant before being hired as an usher in the late 1970s. Becoming chief usher in 1986, he ran the White House well. Skip Allen, age 40, had also come from the Secret Service. Skip s expertise was his in-depth and profound knowledge of the White House fine arts collection. Quite a character, he could appear eccentric and borderline pompous, yet in an endearing sort of Page 3 of 5
way. He kept himself busy with an array of projects; he crocheted, sewed, and became the subject matter expert on the White House s rugs and draperies. Dennis Freemeyer, age 34, had come to the Ushers Office from the National Park Service with an expertise in designing buildings. This studious, soft-spoken young man aspired to be an architect. Our team worked well together, our hours were long, and every day we faced challenges and arduous tasks. We also knew how to play fun pranks on one another. Well, maybe I was more of a prankster than the others, but I quickly had them trained. As the three assistant ushers, Skip, Dennis, and I worked on rotating schedules. It was a 21-day rotation that had each of us working evenings, weekends, and holidays. If a special event such as a state dinner was scheduled, all of us had to be on hand. Administrative Usher Nancy Mitchell was also on our team. She held the Ushers Office together as a group. Pretty with a wonderfully warm smile, Nancy had a southern charm that would melt anyone and prevented many from losing their tempers! Supporting the Ushers Office was our de-facto assistant to the assistant usher, Worthington Wyatt White. As the White House Executive Residence budget administrator, Worthington would be on hand to help when we needed coverage in the office or for an event. Worthington, a former Virginia Tech lineman and quite a character, carved quite an imposing figure at 6-foot 3 and 280-plus pounds. This team became my family for the next seven years. We d cover for each other and do whatever it took to take care of the first family s needs. Each assistant usher had specific areas of responsibility. With my background in Information Technology (IT), I introduced computers and networks to the Executive Residence. Before I arrived, only one end-of-life IBM PC was being used in the White House Executive Residence. But when I left in 1994, I counted 35 PCs networked throughout the Executive Mansion from the lowest basement levels to the third-floor linen room. In addition to my IT duties, I was the usher in charge of events, so I supervised a staff of 22 chefs, cooks, butlers, storeroom personnel, and florists. *** Page 4 of 5
A White House usher s job required long hours. Some days I arrived at 5:30 a.m. and didn t leave till 3:00 a.m. the next morning. But I didn t mind; the job was always exciting, and it thrilled me to witness history in the making. Affectionately called the A Team are members of the Ushers Office from my years in the White House. L to R: Dennis Freemeyer, Skip Allen, author Chris Emery, and Gary Walters. Photo taken January 2012, at St. John's, Lafayette Square, Washington D.C. (Emery personal collection) L to R: Dennis Freemeyer, Gary Walters, Nancy Mitchell, author Chris Emery, and Skip Allen 31 May 1990 (Official White House photo) Page 5 of 5