“ w h e r e w e r e y o u ? ” That is what people ask each other about September 11, 2001. “Did you know anyone in New York, Pennsylvania, or at the Pentagon?” For the Executive Residence staff at the White House, the conversation then continues: “Were you at the White House that day? Do you think a plane was really aiming for it?” The Executive Residence staff consists of approximately eighty-five people who serve at the pleasure of the president of the United States and, by extension, the first family. They include butlers, carpenters, chefs, curators, electricians, engineers, florists, housekeepers, operations aides, painters, plumbers, and ushers. It is not unusual for Residence staff to hold their positions for their entire careers, and many serve for thirty, forty, or even fifty or more years. Throughout the history of the White House, this tight-knit, diverse group of behind-the-scenes individuals have kept the White House running through many challenges,
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Carpenter Shop Foreman Ed Watson hangs the Presidential Seal on the Truman Balcony. above and left
Donna Hayashi Smith (left), associate curator of collections/ registrar in the Office of the Curator, documented the 9/11 experiences of the Executive Residence staff, many of whom gathered for a group photograph (above) in 2002.
L E F T : P H O T O B Y T I N A H A G E R F O R T H E G E O R G E W. B U S H L I B R A R Y / TOP: WHITE HOUSE COLLECTION
WERE YOU AT THE WHITE HOUSE THAT DAY?