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Pointe-a-Pic, P.Q., Canada,
July 15, 1919. My dear Gus, I enclose herewith a copy of a confidential letter of Kenyon, which shows his attitude, his cheap position, and yet his four require- ments I think I have supplied in my list of reservations. Affectionately yours, WmH Taft Mr. Gus J. Karger, The Post Building, Washington, D.C. Enclosure.
George H.W. Bush (b. 1924) is an American politician who served as 41st president of the United States from 1989-1993. Although it's still too early to tell what President Bush's legacy will ultimately look like, his presidency is viewed mostly favorably. I had the opportunity to meet President Bush several years ago while paying a gig at a golf tournament in Southern Maine.
FDR was inaugurated in 1933, at the height of the Great Depression. He implemented a number of innovative policies, collectively known as "The New Deal," which helped shepherd the nation through the Depression. The later years of his presidency saw the nation drawn into World War II. FDR died of a cerebral hemorrhage in on April 12, 1945 in Warm Springs, Georgia, less than a month before the war in Europe ended.
James Monroe (1758-1831) was a Founding Father of the United State of America who served as Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation (1783-1786), Senator (1790-1794), U.S. Minister to France (1794-1796), Governor of Virgina (1799-1802, 1811-1811), U.S. Minister to the United Kingdom (1803-1808), Secretary of State (1811-1817), Secretary of War (1814-1815) and 5th President of the United States (1817-1825). He was the final Founding Father of the United States to serve as President, as well as the final President who was a veteran of the Revolutionary War. Monroe is best remembered for the purchase of Florida from Spain and for the Monroe Doctrine, which stated that efforts by European nations to colonize land in the New World or interfere with states in North or South American would be considered acts of aggression requiring U.S. intervention. James Monroe passed away on July 4, 1831 from tuberculosis and heart failure. He was the third President to die on Independence Day.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) was an American politician, author, explorer, naturalist and 26th President of the United States. He remains highly regarded for his environmental conservation work, social policies and "big stick" foreign policy. Roosevelt was a transformational leader, credited with making character as important as issues - ushering in the modern era of Presidential politics and cementing America's place on the world stage. Theodore Roosevelt passed away on January 6, 1919 from a blood clot. Thomas Marshall, vice president at the time, is quoted as saying "Death had to take Roosevelt sleeping, for if he had been awake there would have been a fight."
By 1:00, the crowd was beginning to grow. By 3:00, the road in front of the expo was barricaded, and there was police tape keeping people from wandering through on the street. That didn’t stop people who didn’t have tickets, or who thought they’d try and jump to the front of the line from waiting at the tape. By 4:00 the line stretched out of sight - there were more than 7,000 people in line. Around that time, the event staff told the people who’d wandered up front to go to the back of the line, and let people with disabilities through, to head to the handicapped seating. Right afterwards, they let people representing the unions supporting Mike Michaud through (the people sitting on risers behind the stage). Then, it was our turn.
As soon as I made it through security, I bolted for the front, leaving my girlfriend in the dust (she’d expected this – first one through was supposed to go and grab us a good spot. At first, it appeared that we wouldn’t be able to get right in front – there was a reserved section in front of the general admission section. After a minute or two, though, I realized that the bleachers on the left side of the gym were ALSO general admission, despite having a barrier in front of them. We quickly shifted spots, getting seats in the front row, stage right, directly next to the rope line. And there we sat. People slowly filtered in after going through security. Sometime before 6:00, the fire marshal cut off new admissions – the Expo only has a capacity of about 3,000. 4,000 people who arrived were not allowed in. We chatted with a lovely older lady as we waited for the show to start and tried not to be crushed by the influx of people. The “professional” autograph hunter was sitting a seat down from us. A little after 6:00, the show got started. Mike Brennan (mayor of Portland) came on stage and spoke, followed by Ben Grant (chair of the Maine Democratic Party) and U.S. Senate candidate Shenna Bellows. After a brief intermission, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree came on stage to speak followed, after another brief pause, by former U.S. Senate majority leader George Mitchell. During another brief intermission after Mitchell, the entire front row where I was sitting lunged forward. I don’t know what started it, but, presumably, someone thought that Obama was coming out next, ran to the barrier, and everyone else followed suit. There was a bit of a dustup. The “professional” autograph gentleman was arguing with security, refusing to get back to his seat, while a pushy young woman in an orange blazer was shoving people out of the way to get to the front of the rope line. Bottom line: Obama wasn’t next. Security had everyone sit back down, and stationed someone in the aisle to make sure that people stayed seated. Afterwards, Michaud came out. His speech wasn’t radically different than the speech he gave at the rally with Bill Clinton the other month, but it was still inspiring and energized the crowd. Following Michaud was the President. Again, the crowd surged forward. This time, those of us right in front were allowed to stay by the barrier (unfortunately my girlfriend had to go back to her seat, but that was just 3 feet back). There was a secret service officer standing directly behind me, and another in front of me (not to mention many more stationed around the President, and in the crowd). Right off the bat, the secret service agent in front of me noticed that I had a book. He told me to put it on the floor, that the president would not be signing anything, and that he didn’t want to see me try and pick the book up again. I was a little disappointed, but did as I was told. Mr. Obama’s speech was fantastic – the man is an amazing orator. He wove together themes of hope and change, and laid out why he thought that Mike Michaud was the right person to lead Maine. There was amazing energy in the crowd while he was on stage. I’ve heard that in other rallies the President attended this election cycle, people walked out while he was speaking. That didn’t happen up here, and, after seeing him in action, I couldn’t imagine such a thing happening anywhere else. He was electric. Absolutely electric. I was transfixed, standing there letting his words wash over me like waves. Perhaps the most memorable moment of his speech, for me, came near the end when Mr. Obama spoke about cynicism in politics – particularly that sown by the far right: "Cynicism didn’t put a man on the moon, cynicism has never ended a war, or cured disease, or built a business, or taught a young mind ... Hope is what built America.” -Barack Obama Portland, ME October 30th, 2014 After his speech, the President made his way around the rope lines, shaking hands. Again, there was a massive rush forward, but I did get the chance to shake Mr. Obama’s hand (as did my girlfriend) before he headed back stage. Before I turned to leave, however, I noticed a couple of aides gathering books from the crowd. Despite what the gentleman with the secret service had said, the President was going to sign a few items! One of the aides took my copy of The Audacity of Hope, and the security staff told me to wait in the lobby for the aides to come back with the book. You may be wondering why I have kept mentioning the “professional” autograph hunter. Well, as I was making my way back to the lobby, he very nearly got arrested. He had given one of the aides several books (at least 4, maybe more), and was refused to go to the lobby when directed. The security staff called over the police, as well as some of the secret service officers, to escort him out to the lobby. 2 minutes later, the aide returned with my book, as well as several books for the gentleman who was escorted out. All in all, about 12 people got books signed. At first, I was worried that they’d set up an autopen machine back stage, but, while I was there I was also able to look at a book that someone else got signed. While similar, the signature was not identical to that in my book (no loop on the "B"). After closer examination, I think that the autograph is genuine. What concerned me at the time were the dots at the start of the B in Barack and at the end of the final letter of Obama. After getting some sleep and getting a look at the signature in better lighting, I was able to see varying pen pressure which would not be present with an autopen signature. Both dots appear to have been the result of a slight backstroke from the pen contacting/leaving the page combined with bleed from the marker. All in all, it was a fantastic experience. The chance to hear a sitting President speak does not come every day, and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. The event was made all the more special by getting a chance to shake Mr. Obama’s hand and to have my book signed. I don’t think that it’s too much of a stretch to say that this is now the crown jewel of my collection.
Two hours later (the rally started half an hour early, presumably because most of the ticket-holders had arrived) it was extremely hot in the building - it was 80 degrees outside, and the building itself is apparently not air conditioned and has poor air circulation. That combined with 1,600 people pressed together made for intense heat and humidity. Half an hour into the rally a woman standing right behind me fainted and had to be carried out by paramedics.
President Clinton himself came on stage with Mike Michaud around 8:00. Michaud's speech focused heavily on fighting for veterans, specifically on the bipartisan veteran's healthcare reform bill passed earlier this year, whereas Clinton's speech focused on bringing people together, getting things done and Mike Michaud's attributes that will make him a successful governor. You can get a taste for it in the video clip at the Portland Press Herald article linked at the bottom of the page. Arriving at the Expo four and a half hours really paid off for me. I was at the rope line, about 6 feet from the podium. In fact, that's the back of my head in front of the "I Like Mike" sign on the podium. After his speech President Clinton came around the rope line. I had the opportunity to shake his hand, talk to him for a minute and have my copy of his autobiography signed. I feel very lucky; with 1,600 attendants, I was one of only perhaps 100 people to have the opportunity to shake President Clinton's hand, and one of only 6 to get something signed. http://www.pressherald.com/2014/09/02/bill-clinton-are-we-coming-together-or-drifting-apart/ *Full Disclosure: I could have seen President Obama speak at the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial in Washington D.C., as I was in the area that weekend. Unfortunately, even though I was just a few minutes walk away, I didn't realize that the dedication was going on until the next day. |
AuthorA blog documenting autographs as they enter my collection - usually with some extra information and a brief biographical statement. Archives
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