Presidental encounters (1 Viewer)

[Larry Schneider]

Jeff, yes indeed.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Lyndon Baines Johnson VP for JFK, later president after he was assassinated, frequently blamed for accelerating Vietnam

See, at least a few of my generation have read our history books

 

[Shawn Shultzaberger]

I got to shake Clinton's hand in the Oval Office. He reminded me of Santa Clause for some reason. His nose and cheeks were red like he had just come in from the cold but it was August.

 

[alan halvorson]

When I was 10 years old, Eisenhower came to our city to dedicate our new bridge over the Mississippi that was named for him. His limo passed within feet of me. I recall thinking how unprotected he was.

When Carter was president, he took a trip down the Mississippi on the Delta Queen river boat. At the time (70's), I was working as a welder in a factory right across the St. Paul, MN landing where the Delta Queen took on and discharged passengers, including Carter. Everyone was given strick instructions not to climb the wall on the river side. At lunch time, several co-workers and I decided to climb onto the rooftop of an adjacent building and see what we could see. The Delta Queen just happened to be leaving at that time with Carter waving to the watching crowd from an upper deck at the the bow. He had to be at least 600-700 yards from us. No big deal. Later, our foreman asked if we were the ones seated on top of the buildings - the secret service had spotted us and relayed their concerns. Of course, no one would admit it (although the foreman pretty much knew), and nothing ever came of it.

 

[MarkHastings]

When I volunteered during the '94 Special Olympics, Pres. Clinton flew in to give a speech.

I didn't actually meet him, but it was cool to watch Air Force One land a few hundred feet away from me. The building I was working in had to be "scanned" by the secret service before he arrived so I got to talk to the agents...it was pretty neat to see these guys work.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

I was in Washington for a job interview in 1986; my route back to my hotel took me near the White House. Reagan's motorcade came out with the windows down and Reagan waved at me---I know, because I was the only person out on the sidewalk. I was so dumbfounded I didn't even wave back.

 

[Eric Kahn]

I got to shake Carter's hand when he went to Fayetteville NC for a relatives wedding in the late 70's, my father was stationed at Pope AFB where he landed

somewhere in the secret service files there most likely is a picture of me standing on the side of a black and yellow GMC Brigadier truck with both arms resting on the top of it giving Al gore the bird after I got stopped on the interstate right by the airport in the Cincinnati Area so that his motorcade could come on, Another damn fund-raising trip to Stan chesley's house, I had to sit stopped on that interstate for 10 minutes for that crap, I was pissed, they could have done the trip to chesleys house in a helicopter and caused no problems, but no, they have to block 30 miles of interstate highway, including 20 miles of one of the busiest highways in the country, I 75, just so Al could mooch some more money, and they always manage to do it around rush hour
there was also a fuss raised at the time when the sheriff of Hamilton county sent a bill to the Democratic party for the extra money spent by the sheriffs office for "presidential protection", nothing came of it, at least publicly, but allot of people liked that fact that he did it even though he is not well liked here

 

[Brett_B]

I met President Ford back in 1975, I was only 6 at the time. He greeted the crowd waiting at the ariport where Air Force One had landed (Monterey, CA), and I was standing just behind the ropes (probably because I was a small child at the time). I remembered when he passed I yelled, "Hi, President Ford." He looked down at me and said, "Hi, pal." and patted me on the head.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Gerald Ford drove in a motorcade past our street in the final days of '76 campaign. We all walked out to wave at him -- my one childhood Presidential memory.

Saw some obscure pre primary candidate speak at the student union building in Albany N.Y. He later turned into Jimmy Carter.

So, who was he when you saw him in Albany?