Gary Walters: 37 Years of Service as the Longest-Serving White House Chief Usher and His Untold Stories

Gary Walters carried the responsibility of managing the White House on behalf of multiple presidents and first ladies during his remarkable career.

Washington:

Throughout his 37-year tenure at the White House, Gary Walters witnessed numerous historic events, beginning as a protection officer for the president and culminating as the longest-serving chief usher in American history.

The chief usher position represents the highest authority within the residence, functioning similar to a general manager. This role involves overseeing maintenance operations, construction projects, renovation initiatives, and food services, alongside handling administrative duties, financial responsibilities, and personnel management. Approximately 90 to 100 staff members, including butlers, housekeepers, cooks, florists, electricians, engineers, plumbers, and other personnel, report to the chief usher.

Walters' primary responsibility was running the White House operations for presidents and first ladies because, as he explains, "They've got enough on their plate to deal with."

He served under both Democratic and Republican administrations "and it had nothing to do with politics," Walters explained on Monday while discussing his forthcoming book, "White House Memories 1970-2007: Recollections of the Longest-Serving Chief Usher," scheduled for release on December 5.

"We served the presidency," he emphasized.

Walters began his White House career as an officer in the Executive Protective Service, assigned to protect Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. In 1976, he joined the Usher's Office as an assistant, and a decade later received a promotion to chief usher. In this capacity, he served Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush before retiring in 2007.

Here are several notable stories Walters shared during Monday's event.

The White House had been preparing for the annual Congressional Picnic on September 11, 2001. While staff received orders to evacuate for safety reasons, Walters and approximately six others remained behind.

The South Lawn featured more than 160 tables set up for the event. Walters anticipated that President George W. Bush—who had been in Sarasota, Florida—would want to return to the White House, but the tables blocked Marine One's usual landing area.

Consequently, Walters and his remaining staff began manually clearing the lawn, carrying heavy tables to the perimeter to create space for the presidential helicopter to land.

"I just knew in my heart the president was going to talk" to the American people after the attack, Walters recalled. Later that evening, Bush delivered a prime-time televised address to the nation from the Oval Office.

While working, Walters heard incorrect reports about an explosion at the State Department. Upon hearing a loud boom at another point, he looked southwest and witnessed smoke and flames rising from the Pentagon, where another plane had crashed.

They received information about yet another aircraft in the air. Walters believed it was headed for the White House, but it instead crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers confronted the hijackers.

"To this day I believe those brave Americans that caused that plane to go down in a field in Shanksville saved my life," Walters reflected, describing it as "the most frightening day, obviously, that I'd ever spent at the White House."

Maureen Reagan, one of President Reagan's daughters, distributed stuffed teddy bears to children's hospitals during her international travels. When a shipment of bears missed one of her trips, Walters placed them in storage.

Later, on President George H.W. Bush's Inauguration Day, the new president brought his entire family to the White House, including several grandchildren who were growing restless.

Recalling the stored bears, Walters retrieved some from the warehouse and placed one on each grandchild's bed as a special surprise.

As President Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan prepared to welcome dinner guests to the private upstairs residence, Walters was alarmed to see smoke emerging from beneath the doors of the Yellow Oval Room. The fireplace there was typically lit to enhance the ambiance for post-dinner entertainment.

That particular evening, as Walters returned from inspecting other rooms on the floor, he discovered the Yellow Oval Room filled with smoke and a butler attempting to fan it away with a newspaper.

When asked if the flue had been opened, the butler replied, "I thought it was open."

Walters quickly grabbed fire tools to separate the burning logs and reached in to open the flue. He also opened the Truman Balcony door and several windows to ventilate the room. He called down to the police officer positioned at the South Portico to move away as he tossed the burning logs over the railing.

The staff placed damp towels at the base of the Yellow Oval Room doors to contain the smoke, while bringing in fans, air fresheners, and scented candles.

Walters informed the Reagans about the incident while staff members worked diligently throughout cocktails and dinner to eliminate the smoke.

"The evening went along as if nothing had happened," Walters concluded.